Following the defeat of the TLHOA board’s so-called amenities agreement, those folks on both sides of the debate are asking: So, now what?

The solutions will be participative not prescriptive. I’m only one voice, and I don’t claim to know how the perfect HOA works. I’ve sure as hell never lived in one. But here is my two cents:

Step 1. Take whatever steps necessary to increase home owner participation in HOA affairs. In the current political milieu, participation at over 50% (e.g. in the amenities vote) is encouraging, but not sufficient, I think, to declare that we’ve reached a tipping point. Idea: form block groups with elected block spokespersons with defined characteristics and duties. Hold annual facilitated “forums” to generate new ideas and arrive at consensus on HOA direction. GE, IBM and others operate this way to “percolate” ideas. There’s no reason we can’t use a similar methodology.

Step 2. Either enroll the current board in the process or recall them. They are not doing their job. The amenities proposal, had it passed, had serious flaws and included actions that are outside the scope of the board’s powers, as defined in the CC&Rs, bylaws, and State law. Idea: Continue to work with the TLGCC at viable solutions for their continued existence. They already have their to-do list. It contains more that “sell to the highest bidder”. They are not bereft of ideas. They just figured with the amenities deal they could take the past of least resistance.

Step 3. Make structural changes in the current HOA (CC&Rs, bylaws, R&Rs, etc.) to streamline governance and make effective use of current resources. The problems the HOA has did not crop up overnight, just as the problems the TLGCC has did not crop overnight. They are systemic problems. There are no quick fixes. There may be some “low hanging fruit” sorts of things we can fix collectively and quickly. But sustainable change will take more time and much more work.

Step 4. Rinse and repeat starting at Step 1.

There are lots of ideas. In this last debate, a core of 150 (or so voices) were raised in our 1300+ household community: We’re mad as hell, and we’re not taking it any more. The trick now is using all that energy and manpower to move forward, and make the changes that need to be made.