Three proposed amendments will be distributed to all residents this week for voting –
AMENDMENT A – As you know, the Association has been planning a significant mailbox project to make all of the mailboxes within our community consistent and architecturally harmonious. To confirm this authority and to clarify that mailboxes will be the Association’s responsibility in the future, we are proposing this amendment to our
community’s governing documents. The amendment gives the Board the authority to spend Association funds on mailboxes, as well as to set standards for mailbox size, materials, style, and location, again so that mailboxes are consistent throughout the community.
AMENDMENT B – The amendment prohibits owners of homes that are not currently leased and any future owners from leasing their homes. We propose this amendment again for a few reasons.
First, we believe that an amendment that requires future purchasers to be residents of the property is a good concept. Rather than a potential “apartment complex” atmosphere, we can maintain a community of all resident- owners . Problems with conduct normally associated with some tenants would be avoided. As you know, we have had rules on leasing in the past, and we continue to believe that owner-occupancy is in our best interests. This amendment confirms that desire, and makes it harder for a future owner or Board to weaken our restrictions on leasing.
Second, the proposed restriction has some flexibility and contains a few built-in exceptions to make it reasonable for everyone. These exceptions are: 1. The leasing restriction would not apply to current owners who are renting their homes. CURRENT RENTAL HOMES ARE GRANDFATHERED FOR AS LONG AS YOU OWN THE HOME. 2. If you own a home but only your child(ren) or parent(s) lives in the home, that living arrangement is excluded from the rental restriction. 3. The amendment contains an automatic, one-time right for all owners to lease their home for up to 24 months.
Third, if an owner is behind in their fees and needs to rent the home to pay the fees, the amendment calls for the rent to be paid directly to the Association until the account is paid in full. The amendment also gives the Board the power to evict the tenant, if necessary.
AMENDMENT C – The Declaration is not clear on who, the Association or the owner, is to maintain and replace the trees on the “devil strip” or “tree lawn.” As you know, past and present practice at Spring Hill has always been that the individual owners maintain and replace their own landscaping, including trees, on the entire lot. Having the owner responsible for tree maintenance and replacement is sensible as the owner is in the best position to know when such work is needed. This also helps maintain the value of the owner’s home and enables the Association to keep maintenance fees at a reasonable level. If the Association were to be responsible for the maintenance and replacement of trees on the “devil strip” or “tree lawn,” the Association would obviously have to significantly increase fees to cover this additional responsibility.
Adoption of all or some of the proposed amendments require 66 percent affirmative vote from the 133 Lot Owners in Spring Hill – meaning 88 Lot Owners will need to vote in the affirmative.
The HOA Board is requesting that all voting be completed by November 30, 2020.
In order to provide a forum for resident discussion, and for the HOA Board to answer any questions, there will be a virtual resident meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2020. The information for how to join the meeting will be posted to the website that afternoon.
