Post by Town Crier on Dec 20, 2023 13:41:42 GMT -7
GLA Annual Election Meeting - December 9, 2023
I - Newly elected directors present - Tim Brockett from South Glastonbury. Doug Gill and Claudette Dirkers from North Glastonbury.
II - Existing directors present - Alicia Roskind Dearing - President
Jewel Wieczorek - Treasurer
Morgan Squires - Secretary
Leslie Everett
John Carp
2023 directors not present - Andrea Sedlak
Scott Stomieroski
Jaylen Jensen
III - President's Report - Alicia Roskind Dearing
A - Problems
- 2023 director turnover and resignations. 9 total resignations from the Board/Ombudsman.Three Treasurers, two Presidents and both Ombudsmen.
- Poor communication between the Board of Directors (BOD), committees, and landowners.
- BOD members, especially the president, treasurer, and secretary, lack administrative skills which resulted in overall poor performance.
- Committee and BOD members often did not show up for meetings.
- Meetings were discordant, lengthy, and ineffectual.
- Non-existent landowner attendance, interest, and trust resulted in almost no volunteers.
- Example elections - quorum 95 ballots - received 110 ballots 98 were valid, two envelopes were empty and 8 were disqualified.
- Total landowners who can vote equal 387 if participation was 100%
- For example - Tim Brockett received 17 votes - 31% but had to contest the 20-vote minimum to gain a seat on the BOD.
- The president acknowledged that she had a massive learning curve to ascend to bring BOD performance up to past standards.
- Late and sometimes no meeting minutes were produced in 2023.
- Election unconfidential ballot and single reusable envelope were a fiasco.
- Overall landowner apathy and mistrust of BOD and committees is at an all-time high.
President's comments on roads.
- South received marginal snowplowing while North roads received less and roads were damaged.
- Grading was finally done in late October.
- CUT privately-owned Sirius Drive was repaired for $47,000.00 at GLA landowner expense.
- North Glastonbury Capricorn potholes were repaired.
President's comments regarding community property
- Soccer Field was maintained at GLA expense
- Soccer field building was repaired at GLA expense
Both the fields and buildings are actually owned by CUT. The GLA has a deed but it contains a reversionary clause that gives the property back to CUT if the GLA no longer maintains it. The GLA cannot sell the property; their agreement with CUT is more like a long-term restricted-use lease. The GLA also pays property taxes on the property and covers the cost of insurance. The parcel is not under the legal jurisdiction of the GLA either.
- The GLA president praised the expenditures, but never acknowledged that the GLA did not own the property.
IV Treasurer's Report by Jewel Wieczorek
- Overwhelming tasks to do properly, professionally, and promptly.
- Pleaded for immediate professional help.
- Wants all accounting of GLA finances done by an outside firm, paid for by the GLA for the system to be stable.
- A financial service firm will have to closely work with the GLA BOD and Treasurer and attend all meetings. Landowners foot the bill.
- Requested landowner input on the final system to be used.
- Accounting for the GLA is currently being done by Accounting and Tax Solutions (ATS) in Livingston.
V Secretary's Report given by Morgan Squires
- Job profoundly overwhelming, massively time-consuming, and damagingly stressful. A full-time job.
- Horrible learning curve. "I had no idea what it would be like".
- Need to create formats and structures
- Instigate emails in and out. Currently 200 per week.
- Revamp the GLA website.
- Create an automated phone tree system for landowners with a real, not automated voice.
- Improve election format for mailings, ballots, mail-in items and explanations.
- Proper tracking of landowner databases and maintaining updates. Need a director to do this year-round.
- An updated job description for an administrative assistant.
- Turn over BOD's secretarial and financial duties to a professional HOA business approved by BOD and landowners.
- 45 weekly hours of BOD meetings online. Physical meetings are not reasonable and extremely wasteful.
- Proper tracking of BOD and Committee Minutes.
- Digital library of legal documents. GLA Rules, Procedures, description of duties, and historical records.
VI Road Committee Report by John Carp
- Overspent the budget by 70% in 2023.
- $45,000.00 needs to be used in South Glastonbury in 2024 for signs, guardrails, road widening, and other safety concerns.
- Currently 18.5 miles of roads in Glastonbury. Does not account for private roads which receive no maintenance unless owned by CUT.
- Landowners, except CUT, pay assessments, but receive no maintenance on their 3.5 miles of private roads.
- Dry Creek road repair - Park County currently lacks funds to maintain its own road.
VII Governing Documents Committee Report - Given by Leslie Everett for an absent Andrea Sedlak
- Created a repository of the current governing documents; Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, Covenants, and the Master Plan.
- Bylaw changes approved by landowners in the fall. Removed, changed, or corrected language, repetitions, and unnecessary wording.
- The Montana State Constitution was referenced for the updated Firearms Guidelines.
- The Road Policy was updated and revised. It will be presented to landowners in 2024 for review and approval.
VIII Project Review Committee Report given by John Carp
- Currently monitoring 5 projects underway in North Glastonbury
- No new projects in 2023
IX Complaints Committee given by Alicia Roskind Dearing
- No committee chair at present.
- Until 2024 issues will be dealt with in-house.
X Community Property Committee Report given by John Carp
- Community Properties. Two in South Glastonbury.
- Two in North Glastonbury. 14-acre Quonset Hut property and 20-acre Soccer fields.
- The Summer GLA picnic drew 80 attendees.
- Selling the 70-acre property in South Glastonbury would raise road funding. A rudimentary road is needed for access to the sloped property.
- Property sale(s) would have to be approved by landowners.
XI Election Committee Report was given by Alicia Roskind Dearing for an absent Andrea Sedlak
- Total parcels = 407
- 397 ballots mailed to landowners
- 13 properties not in good standing
- 98 ballots accepted, quorum = 95
- New and complex balloting system used. The response was apathetic.
- Instructions and ballots were confusing to some.
- No ballot confidentiality bred landowner mistrust.
- The 20-vote minimum was rescinded as it was legally invalid.
XII Legal Committee Report was given by Alicia Roskind Dearing
- Cases are ongoing. No public commentary is allowed.
- The Legal Committee does not submit committee reports.
II - Existing directors present - Alicia Roskind Dearing - President
Jewel Wieczorek - Treasurer
Morgan Squires - Secretary
Leslie Everett
John Carp
2023 directors not present - Andrea Sedlak
Scott Stomieroski
Jaylen Jensen
III - President's Report - Alicia Roskind Dearing
A - Problems
- 2023 director turnover and resignations. 9 total resignations from the Board/Ombudsman.Three Treasurers, two Presidents and both Ombudsmen.
- Poor communication between the Board of Directors (BOD), committees, and landowners.
- BOD members, especially the president, treasurer, and secretary, lack administrative skills which resulted in overall poor performance.
- Committee and BOD members often did not show up for meetings.
- Meetings were discordant, lengthy, and ineffectual.
- Non-existent landowner attendance, interest, and trust resulted in almost no volunteers.
- Example elections - quorum 95 ballots - received 110 ballots 98 were valid, two envelopes were empty and 8 were disqualified.
- Total landowners who can vote equal 387 if participation was 100%
- For example - Tim Brockett received 17 votes - 31% but had to contest the 20-vote minimum to gain a seat on the BOD.
- The president acknowledged that she had a massive learning curve to ascend to bring BOD performance up to past standards.
- Late and sometimes no meeting minutes were produced in 2023.
- Election unconfidential ballot and single reusable envelope were a fiasco.
- Overall landowner apathy and mistrust of BOD and committees is at an all-time high.
President's comments on roads.
- South received marginal snowplowing while North roads received less and roads were damaged.
- Grading was finally done in late October.
- CUT privately-owned Sirius Drive was repaired for $47,000.00 at GLA landowner expense.
- North Glastonbury Capricorn potholes were repaired.
President's comments regarding community property
- Soccer Field was maintained at GLA expense
- Soccer field building was repaired at GLA expense
Both the fields and buildings are actually owned by CUT. The GLA has a deed but it contains a reversionary clause that gives the property back to CUT if the GLA no longer maintains it. The GLA cannot sell the property; their agreement with CUT is more like a long-term restricted-use lease. The GLA also pays property taxes on the property and covers the cost of insurance. The parcel is not under the legal jurisdiction of the GLA either.
- The GLA president praised the expenditures, but never acknowledged that the GLA did not own the property.
IV Treasurer's Report by Jewel Wieczorek
- Overwhelming tasks to do properly, professionally, and promptly.
- Pleaded for immediate professional help.
- Wants all accounting of GLA finances done by an outside firm, paid for by the GLA for the system to be stable.
- A financial service firm will have to closely work with the GLA BOD and Treasurer and attend all meetings. Landowners foot the bill.
- Requested landowner input on the final system to be used.
- Accounting for the GLA is currently being done by Accounting and Tax Solutions (ATS) in Livingston.
V Secretary's Report given by Morgan Squires
- Job profoundly overwhelming, massively time-consuming, and damagingly stressful. A full-time job.
- Horrible learning curve. "I had no idea what it would be like".
- Need to create formats and structures
- Instigate emails in and out. Currently 200 per week.
- Revamp the GLA website.
- Create an automated phone tree system for landowners with a real, not automated voice.
- Improve election format for mailings, ballots, mail-in items and explanations.
- Proper tracking of landowner databases and maintaining updates. Need a director to do this year-round.
- An updated job description for an administrative assistant.
- Turn over BOD's secretarial and financial duties to a professional HOA business approved by BOD and landowners.
- 45 weekly hours of BOD meetings online. Physical meetings are not reasonable and extremely wasteful.
- Proper tracking of BOD and Committee Minutes.
- Digital library of legal documents. GLA Rules, Procedures, description of duties, and historical records.
VI Road Committee Report by John Carp
- Overspent the budget by 70% in 2023.
- $45,000.00 needs to be used in South Glastonbury in 2024 for signs, guardrails, road widening, and other safety concerns.
- Currently 18.5 miles of roads in Glastonbury. Does not account for private roads which receive no maintenance unless owned by CUT.
- Landowners, except CUT, pay assessments, but receive no maintenance on their 3.5 miles of private roads.
- Dry Creek road repair - Park County currently lacks funds to maintain its own road.
VII Governing Documents Committee Report - Given by Leslie Everett for an absent Andrea Sedlak
- Created a repository of the current governing documents; Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, Covenants, and the Master Plan.
- Bylaw changes approved by landowners in the fall. Removed, changed, or corrected language, repetitions, and unnecessary wording.
- The Montana State Constitution was referenced for the updated Firearms Guidelines.
- The Road Policy was updated and revised. It will be presented to landowners in 2024 for review and approval.
VIII Project Review Committee Report given by John Carp
- Currently monitoring 5 projects underway in North Glastonbury
- No new projects in 2023
IX Complaints Committee given by Alicia Roskind Dearing
- No committee chair at present.
- Until 2024 issues will be dealt with in-house.
X Community Property Committee Report given by John Carp
- Community Properties. Two in South Glastonbury.
- Two in North Glastonbury. 14-acre Quonset Hut property and 20-acre Soccer fields.
- The Summer GLA picnic drew 80 attendees.
- Selling the 70-acre property in South Glastonbury would raise road funding. A rudimentary road is needed for access to the sloped property.
- Property sale(s) would have to be approved by landowners.
XI Election Committee Report was given by Alicia Roskind Dearing for an absent Andrea Sedlak
- Total parcels = 407
- 397 ballots mailed to landowners
- 13 properties not in good standing
- 98 ballots accepted, quorum = 95
- New and complex balloting system used. The response was apathetic.
- Instructions and ballots were confusing to some.
- No ballot confidentiality bred landowner mistrust.
- The 20-vote minimum was rescinded as it was legally invalid.
XII Legal Committee Report was given by Alicia Roskind Dearing
- Cases are ongoing. No public commentary is allowed.
- The Legal Committee does not submit committee reports.
Download Meeting Documents
The O'Connells served the GLA with a subpoena at the beginning of the meeting. Download the O'Connell/Charlotte Mizzi subpoena here.
Download the meeting agenda and financial reports here.