February 2012 Membership Meeting Presentation
Laws and Regulations Concerning Community Association Administration and Governance
Michelle Thompson, Fairfax County’s Community Association Liaison, will be the featured speaker at the Feb. 23 Federation Membership meeting. Ms. Thompson will update attendees on recent state regulations and legislative initiatives that have significant impacts on HOAs and condominium associations. A state body known as the Common Interest Community Board (CICB) has been in existence since 2008 and HOA and condominium leaders and residents can benefit from learning from Ms. Thompson about CICB regulations.
State regulations governing management firms took effect in April 2010 and new rules requiring state certification of individual managers will take effect in March 2012. Regulations that may take effect on July 1, 2012 (if approved by the governor), would require all HOA and condo boards to have in place (or to create) formal procedures for handling complaints from residents, and to submit documentation to the CICB. Association leaders in Fairfax County and throughout the state have a full plate and the presentation is offered to help those leaders get up to date on association responsibilities and issues.
Ms. Thompson will also collaborate with Don Hinman on an update of state legislation. Mr. Hinman serves as one of three community association volunteer leaders on the board of the Virginia Legislative Action Committee (VALAC) of the Community Associations Institute. He also chairs the Fairfax Federation’s Citizen Association Services Committee (CASC) and welcomes suggestions on how the CASC website can be made more useful to community association leaders.
If you have questions about administration and governance of associations (including voluntary civic associations) that you would like to see addressed at the Feb. 23 meeting or at some future time, please contact Mr. Hinman at FedAssociationServicesChr2012@fairfaxfederation.org
Issues Facing Community Associations and Ideas for Future Fairfax Federation Programming
- What issues are facing your association? Contact CASC chair Don Hinman - FedAssociationServicesChr2012 @ fairfaxfederation.org.
- Here is a list of issues identified by community association members that could be the subject of future Fairfax Federation membership meetings, or possibly additional workshops.
Issues for civic associations and issues of general interest:
- Insurance needs of civic associations (i.e., what if someone is hurt at a community event?) Insurance needs of officers of civic associations
- Pros and cons of incorporation for a civic association. Does incorporation have an impact on civic association liability?
- Lake management issues for communities with lakes, eg, legal liability for injury or death, checking water quality, cleaning and maintenance, sediment and dredging, stocking with fish, etc.
- Dealing with language barriers. Should CAs do outreach in other languages? Is there a downside? How to communicate if people have limited literacy in their own language, as well as limited or no literacy in English?
Issues for HOAs and Condo Associations:
- Techniques for improving HOA assessment collection
- Amending covenants – pros and cons; how to do it. What are elements of good covenants?
- Understanding situations where HOAs have only limited rights to restrict, e.g. satellite dishes.
- How to recruit new board members
- Resale disclosure packets. What should be in the packet? Questions to ask a manager that handles the packets. Does website availability of HOA/Condo governing documents have an impact on thedisclosure packet preparation?
Meeting Reports of the Citizen Association Services Committee (CASC)
Federation Collaboration with Fairfax County in Developing Educational Materials for Associations
Bond Release Process for New Subdivision Developments in Fairfax County: An Overview for Homeowners Associations. The CASC requested that the County develop this educational brochure for HOAs and provided detailed feedback during its development.
Fairfax County Government: Helpful information for HOAs and Condominium Associations
Fairfax County has a Homeowner and Condominium Association Liaison.
Virginia’s Common Interest Community Board (CICB)
Community Associations Institute (CAI)
Association Resources
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