MISSION STATEMENT

Mission Statement..We will work to preserve and enhance our way of life through our homeowners association and provide information to the property owners to accomplish that goal.

Friday, May 18, 2012

My thoughts on meeting procedures


 I will preface this by saying my views do not necessarily reflect those of the Pride group or the board of directors and are not stated as such.
Tuesday evening’s board meeting was held in a little different way with anyone wishing to speak during the open comment session being asked to come forward, state their name and address, and speak at a podium into a microphone. The speaker is on camera as is the board itself to document any comments. This is a good thing to avoid any question about who is speaking and what was said. For some time the board has been on camera but this covers all the bases.
Speakers are now required to limit their speaking time to two minutes. This is also a good thing so available time is not taken up by just a couple people. The downside is the same people keep coming back up to the podium over and over to continue the same complaints that for the most part have been stated and restated during meetings for some time. It is the same four or five naysayers we have discussed here before. The complaints keep being stated but they have no involvement in the committees or commissions where they could have input and possibly offer solutions to their perceived problems. During Tuesday’s meeting I made the statement “If you don’t like the way things are handled run for the board so you can make the changes.” I stand by that statement. Don’t complain if you are not willing to either run for the board or work with committees or commissions or at least volunteer for community clean-up……….or something to show you actually care about our community!
The board discussed whether or not there should be input from the audience allowed during the formal meeting of the board after the open input session. There was a lot of back and forth between board members. My stand is this is a board meeting, not a community forum. The board has researched the issues upon which we will be voting and know the issues. Often when we are discussing an issue audience hands start to come up and it turns into an open discussion. This is wrong in my opinion. There is an open comment period at the beginning of the meeting and everyone who wants an agenda has one in their hands. If they have something to say about an issue the time is provided and the microphone is waiting. We were elected to represent the community and vote issues the way we feel is best for all. The majority of the time those wishing to speak are the same ones mentioned earlier. They had their chance. How did this end? Don of course was not in attendance and the vote came down five to one. I lost. I want the board run in a professional format and I intend to pursue the issue. If board members need input on a specific subject they can ask for comment from an individual without calling on anyone with their hand up. This is wrong. I also feel anyone wishing to comment during the open comment section should be limited to two times at the podium and that is it. If they cannot cover their subject (s) in four minutes they can continue at the next meeting.
Agree with me or not, that is my position and I am not shy about letting everyone know my feelings. I want a smooth meeting with fresh, relevant comments during the appropriate period. You folks chose to elect me and I intend to do the best job I can for you during my term. I am tired of good P.O.s asking me why we let those few take over the meetings with their gripes. Some have even told me they quit coming to board meetings because of that exact fact.          Ken Dillenburg

This will undoubtedly be the reaction from the naysayers if my policy is adopted