June 10th, 2025
Dear Lakewood POA,
The Board of Directors has been working to determine the proper process to follow regarding the Special Board Meeting held on March 29th, 2025. This situation is unprecedented and we have been researching and consulting on the proper process to follow regarding posting the minutes of the Special Board Meeting dated March 29th, 2025.
Our goal is to bring transparency to board actions, provide information and also most importantly protect our Association from any litigation and reputation harm. This is accomplished by following processes set forth with Robert’s Rules and Bylaws. There has been much conflict surrounding the Special Board Meeting held on March 29th, 2025. Property Owners want to know where those minutes are and deserve to know.
In order for the Board to publish minutes to members from the Special Board Meeting dated March 29th, 2025, the Board must be able to validate that those minutes have been reviewed and approved by the Board to publish.
The new board has received handwritten notes from the previous Secretary taken during a Board Meeting held April 12th, 2025. These are handwritten notes and cannot be considered formal submitted minutes of record.
The next concern with the Special Board Meeting dated March 29th, 2025 is that the content of those minutes and the meeting did not follow Robert’s Rules nor did they follow any Due Process.
The Lakewood POA Declarations, Covenants, and Restrictions does not define disciplinary procedures therefore the Board would need to follow Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules clearly defines the process to take:
“Disciplining Members Who Shame Your Group’s Name”
“Robert’s Rules requires that any disciplinary proceedings brought against a member for offenses made outside a meeting be brought and considered in Executive Session. Allowing this kind of business to made public and discussed outside the organization is a mistake. The rights of your group and of the accused depend on this principle of privacy, violating the secrecy of Executive Session is generally considered grounds for expulsion.
Your group has the right to insist that members meet certain standards for membership. When your group decides that a member must be held accountable for unacceptable behavior, it’s in the interest of both your group and the accused member to proceed carefully and fairly before making any decisions that may unfairly or wrongfully expel or otherwise penalize a member.”
This Due Process was not followed by the Board of Directors in office during the time of March 29th, 2025. The Board of Directors did not invite the accused Homeowner to this meeting to discuss any allegations being made in order to achieve fair treatment. Further, it is identified that there were no motions made, seconds, discussion, or asks for action with a vote. The Special Board Meeting dated March 29th, 2025 did not follow proper process or procedure.
In summary, Lakewood POA Board will not publish the invalid discussion held on March 29th, 2025 as it did not follow any established process or procedure or Board Meeting protocol. Additionally, the Board of Directors cannot produce any minutes from the April 12th, 2025 meeting as we received handwritten notes that are incomplete and we are unable to determine content of that meeting. This is unprecedented and not typical behavior to have happened.
The Board of Directors will remain vigilant in considering the rights of all homeowners and will work to continue to establish processes/procedures in accordance to Robert’s Rules for the structured running of meetings and provide homeowners with transparent information of our Association.
We have hit the ground running, learning and transitioning to our new roles, and look forward to a full Board of Directors soon. As with the Treasurer’s records, we are confident that the President’s records also will soon be transferred. Because of our remote locations, we are still working with our former Secretary to transfer the Secretary’s records at a time and place that is suitable for both parties. We thank the former board members for their cooperation during this transition and wish them full enjoyment of their Lakewood homes.
As we move on and look forward to our new fiscal year, we encourage you to continue to connect with your Board through talktous@lakewoodpoa.org about any matters or concerns.
Sincerely,
Your Lakewood POA Board of Directors