by Ted Straub

It is the 11th hour and if we as homeowners don’t stand to be counted, the only thing left to do is for TLGCC to sit back count our money and go back to “business as usual”. They have a whole two years to dream up ways to spend the next raise in your TLHOA dues.

Why don’t they have a new irrigation system installed (the existing one is 35 years old and inadequate)? That will only cost in excess of 2 million dollars. Oh, and they can begin to pay off the 1.3 million dollar remodel of the clubhouse the already owe. How about the purchase of some new equipment for the greens crew or restore the wages of employees they (in their wisdom) cut by 10% (the only actions they took besides firing a manager who acted under their direction).

What a business plan! This couldn’t have gone smoother if orchestrated by a US Senator. You’d expect this from the government, but pork barrel politics on the part of a HOA, “pure genius” and future possibilities are endless!

The golfing members (187 OWNERS) of TLGCC don’t care about whether you as an amenities agreement participant (Homeowner) can enjoy the dining facilities. They don’t care if you or your children can’t swim in the already overcrowded pool 4 months out of the year. They don’t care if you can’t get on the one tennis court available. Most of them don’t even live here and care less about overcrowding the club or the community at large. What they do care about is whether or not you will fund their golfing privileges and preserve their Country Club Status at no cost to them! The proof is in the restrictions placed in the agreement concerning the amenities golf privileges.

This agreement negotiated by the Board of TLHOA (on behalf of the local real-estate agents) is a scam to bilk millions of dollars from TLHOA homeowners over the next 15 years and compounded by the fact that the (OWNERS) golfing members of TLGCC won’t even invest in themselves by raising their own dues to help cover short-falls in their budget. Why should they? They can send the TLHOA board after your hard earned money.

TLGCC has less than a stellar track record as a business over the last 35 years, and is questionable at best in their business practices. They have presented themselves to the TLHOA members as having a $5000.00 value in their memberships alone. The only true value they have is the facility and grounds, which they are threatening the sale of to leverage us as homeowners. Does the word Extortion come to mind? The truth is that their memberships are impossible to market, as they have no value since (in the past) they allowed some members to resign their memberships for the payment of one month’s dues. No one in their right mind would enter into a business arrangement under any circumstances with TLGCC and the thought of such a deal is beyond comprehension.

The bluff they have perpetrated on the TLHOA members is unconscionable. This compounded with the threat of selling with the perceived outcome presented by the TLHOA board of “gloom and doom” is despicable at the least. The phrase “ethically challenged” on the part of both boards (TLGCC and TLHOA) comes to mind.

TLGCC’s refusal to take the course public has forced them to take this grievous action against the TLHOA members. The Board of TLHOA has not only gone along with this plan but has championed it. All the while as governing bodies of our community, they sit back and let apathy and fear on our part as homeowners take its effect. Proof of their (TLGCC’s) audacity, they had to change their own by-laws to rebate dues to homeowners who live on the fairways. This is an obvious attempt to buy enough votes to insure the amendment to fund them would pass. SLICK HUH! All this negotiated by a single board member of the TLHOA behind our backs. It’s no wonder they won’t accept any changes or suggestions from the homeowners. Makes you wonder what else he promised TLGCC, besides delivering this vote in their favor.

It also explains why the TLHOA board called “town meetings” instead of special called meetings, simple; you can’t conduct business or make changes unless it’s a special called meeting with a quorum present. We as homeowners were not given the opportunity to change anything about this contract; it was set in stone before we even heard about it.  If so then why wasn’t the contract document produced for the members to review as requested, until the second vote was called?

The letter from a board members wife distributed by the TLHOA was very insightful but was written to make us feel as though we as homeowners are not capable of seeing or missed the “big picture”. Insulting as it was, it’s self serving motives will do little to garner support and stating their gratitude for the opportunity to serve TLGCC’s agenda is offensive. Do the Boards of TLGCC and TLHOA really feel that we are incapable of independent thought?

The idea of creating a proxy for every action voted on, used only by the board of TLHOA is ludicrous. You’re not even given the chance to vote on the proxy (YES or NO), you simply give your proxy to the TLHOA Board for them to vote as they see fit. WRONG! If this is the practice then the proxies should be split to follow the percentages voted as the whole quorum voted at the meeting. In essence the proxy system used by the TLHOA stinks and is used by the TLHOA Board to control the vote. The real villains in this whole mess are the local real-estate agents; they have perpetrated an unpardonable injustice to us by manipulation and deceit. They are responsible for the contract between TLGCC and TLHOA. This is evidenced by their own admissions, positions on the board, letters written to other real-estate agencies and letters written by them and distributed on their behalf.

On Saturday, February 6 get out to Decatur and vote NO. Your vote is needed!