Homeowners associations - love'em or leave'em?

[gofaster]

I like the decision the homeowner's association made on this matter, but not the way they made it.

> TAMPA - One of New Tampa's busiest streets went
> dark Tuesday night after workers from Tampa Electric
> Co. disconnected more than 50 streetlights on Cross
> Creek Boulevard.

> Homeowners in Cross Creek II, a collection of
> neighborhoods between Pebble Creek and Hunter's
> Green, voted to cancel their contract with TECO for
> the 53 lights, including those in front of the New
> Tampa Regional Library and Benito Middle School.
> Jo-Ann Pilawski, property manager for the
> association, said Cross Creek residents paid about
> $1,800 a month, or $1.46 per household, for
> streetlights on a road that serves several other
> neighborhoods.

> ``We had them installed based on the assumption that
> Hillsborough County would form a special streetlight
> district,'' Pilawski said. ``They never did, but
> that was OK as long as Cross Creek was a little
> dead-end road.''

> The city spent nearly $1 million last year to extend
> Cross Creek Boulevard to Morris Bridge Road. The
> road, which is scheduled to be widened to four
> lanes, carries more than 22,000 vehicles a day.
> The Cross Creek II Master Association polled members
> in June about the lighting issue. In the letter,
> board members wrote: ``Thousands of commuters are
> utilizing the boulevard on a daily basis. We do not
> believe the full burden of this expense should be on
> the homeowners in Cross Creek.'' I agree with this.  Why pay for something that some other guy is going to freeload off of you?  Make him pay his fair share.

> More than 300 of the association's 1,232 members
> voted to turn off the lights; 46 voted to keep them
> on for a year to give county officials time to
> complete a study on street lighting. The association
> counted unreturned ballots as votes to shut off the
> lights. WTF is this? Since when do non-votes count as votes in favor of action?  I'm surprised somebody hasn't raised this issue yet.

> ``This is an uncommon situation,'' TECO spokesman
> Ross Bannister said. ``You've got road use in an
> area that has changed. Now that the road is
> connected to Morris Bridge, it's more of a
> thoroughfare. But the reality for TECO is the
> customer of record is the homeowners association,
> and they chose not to renew the contract.''
> TECO dealt with a similar situation in northwest
> Hillsborough County when a homeowners association in
> Westchase fell behind in its streetlight payments.
> The Westchester Master Association could lose its
> lights on Countryway Boulevard, which connects
> Memorial Highway to Racetrack Road, unless the
> county helps.

> ``When someone brings up the safety issue, I say
> that's the responsibility of our government,'' said
> Craig Lewis, treasurer for the Cross Creek
> association. ``It was the county's decision to build
> four schools and a library on the road and to
> approve three commercial developments that never
> would have been approved by the city. Let them pay
> for the lights.''

> Neighborhoods south of Cross Creek Boulevard are in
> the city, which dedicates utility taxes to fund
> street lighting along collector roads.
> Michael McCarthy, acting traffic services director
> for Hillsborough County, said the county has no
> funding for the lights. He will discuss the matter
> with county commissioners in the next few weeks.
> Commissioner Ken Hagen, a resident of Cross Creek,
> did not return phone calls.

[Fatty]

I'd be happy if my homeowner's assos. took a stand like that.  The only questionable thing is counting votes not cast as in favor, but that depends on their charter.  Ideally since not that many would care enough to vote, they would not count those that didn't vote at all and a voting majority would win.

[Bodhi]

I forsee a massive lawsuit against the home owner's association when somebody wrecks on the road, kills / rapes somebody, gets beaten and /or mugged then turns around and blames the fact that there is no lights because of greed.....

[nuchpatrick]

ARGH!!! I hate homeowners asso's !!!  I'm looking to buy a new home..and the few places I do like have these god forsaken assoications.  It's the coveantace that I find disturbing.. Like no Shead's.. Sat. dish's..fences in high greater then 4ft.

I guess in one way it's keeping neighbor hoods looking nice and all. But, if I buy a 250K home I don't want Joe Blow telling me I can park my boat in the back yard!  Or my Collie keep's jumping the 4ft fence to chace his cats

Sorry..had to vent..

[Eagler]

less than a buck fifty a month for lights?

who would even argue & bring this to a vote - regardless of who else may benefit from my $1.46 lights ...

morons in the association surely have larger issues than this ... time to vote these clowns out.

[rpm]

Homeowners Associations are just one more layer of self-induced BS you are forced to contend with. Most boards are made up of self-important snobs wanting a bit of power. I have seen more stupid moves made by stupid people against the masses by them. For instance a homeowners association in Plano, Texas (remember, it's very hot and dry here most of the year) required every house have wooden shingles and charged a heavy penalty to those who did not copitulate to them. A year later 10 houses were lost after a small grass fire erupted and sent sparks flying onto those pretty roofs. (Add insult to injury, insurance did not pay off. The homes were not covered for wooden roofs.) I will never again live where there is a Homeowners Assn.

[Rude]

Home Owners Associations are just like any government body....full of power hungry folks all suffering from the paralysis of analysis. I can't stand the thought of anyone telling me what I can or cannot do to MY property.

I live out in the country....it's a development, however, it's populated by folks who escaped the crap of HOA's and want only to live as they see fit.

We all respect each other, our property and look out for one another....all without some politically inept body of anal thinking homeowners bent on control.

My work is the commercial development of shopping centers....I've had many interesting conversations with these HOA's at city planning meetings....I cannot find the words to describe how anal some of these folks can get...and it's always the leaders of these groups who are the worst.

You can have em...for me and mine, we will remain in the boonies:)

[Ripsnort]

HOA's:

"Excellent when excercised against your neighbors, they suck when excercised against you!"


Seriously, I'm happy that we have a HOA in our 60-home platte. Its run by us, the homeowners.  Its run very well.

[krazyhorse]

****  pretty smart move, now the other folks that use that road will start to squeak and the city will pay to have them turned back on

[Rude]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
HOA's:

"Excellent when excercised against your neighbors, they suck when excercised against you!"


Seriously, I'm happy that we have a HOA in our 60-home platte. Its run by us, the homeowners.  Its run very well.

Rip, I'm shocked!!!

Since I've met ya in person on a couple of occasions, you sure didn't strike me as anyone who would let a housewife tell him how to live.

[Sox62]

My sister and her husband moved into a neighborhood that was just having houses built on it.All very nice and expensive,and there was a HOA.

They didn't read the fine print.No privacy fences(they had a nasty little dog that didn't like kids),and no sheds.You couldn't move in their garage.

If I ever decide to sell my house,I'm buying 10+ acres outside the city limits where I can do what I want.(plinking comes to mind)