Designed To Disengage
2024 House Rules Changes
Transparency Theater n. A deceptive practice in which an organization or individual feigns openness while intentionally keeping you in the dark as much as possible.
Brought to you by Drew McManus, your neighbor in 7908.
A Process Designed To Generate Apathy
As you may know, the HOA Board recently circulated proposed changes to our building’s House Rules. While it’s important to review and update these rules periodically, the way these changes have been presented and the content of the proposed changes raise serious concerns.
From the start, the process to communicate the proposed changes is designed to minimize and discourage owner input.
In the initial email communication and subsequent mailing, we received a final draft of the entire document. This makes it impossible to understand exactly what’s being modified. It’s like getting a finished puzzle without the box, you have no idea what the picture is supposed to look like.
To make matters worse, when I requested a document that highlights new language and shows edited copy in strikeout, the Assistant Property Manager provided a copy where some changes appear with gray highlight and others in yellow, but there was no key to the difference.
Drew – 7/24/2024, 10:06AM
“I was able to download and access the file just fine. However, there are two highlighted formats, gray and yellow. What is the distinction between them?”
Assistant Property Manager- 7/24/2024, 5:00PM
“The yellow was used because of other gray items.”
This response is completely baffling. How can owners make sound decisions when the answers they receive are deliberately unclear? It’s as if asking simple questions is being treated like an action to punish.
When pressed for a copy that shows changes, the Assistant Property Manager insisted it is the responsibility of owners to compare the proposed final document against the previous version to identify specific changes.
Forcing homeowners to manually compare lengthy House Rule changes when a document showing those changes exists is a conscious tactic to discourage engagement. The individuals responsible for the process is House Rules Committee Chair, Melinda McMullen and Board President Scott Timmerman. By making it unnecessarily difficult to identify changes, the Association cultivates an environment of apathy, making it less likely that homeowners will question or challenge proposed changes.
Here’s What Should Have Happened
Owners should receive a copy of the proposed House Rules Changes in a format that provides all the information they need to make informed decisions.
Here’s how legal, business, and governance organizations provide modified documents in a way that embraces transparency and encourages participation (we’ll frame this from your position as a homeowner):
- Owners receive a document with changes highlighted: Think of it like a document with colorful markers showing what’s new or different.
- Different colors for different types of changes: For example, one color might show text that was added, while another indicates text that was deleted or modified. A key is provided when multiple colors are used.
- Shows deleted text: Most importantly, these documents include strikethrough for text that has been removed, making it clear what content no longer exists.
This document exists for the proposed House Rules changes, but a decision was made to prevent owners from obtaining a copy. There are no good reasons why the board wouldn’t provide owners with this document.
But Wait, There’s More
Unfortunately, this analysis only scratches the surface of the issues with the Association’s communication process. Many of the proposed changes themselves are problematic and will be detailed in a follow-up message to owners.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Inaccuracies in the overview material.
- Complete lack of documentation explaining the reasons for changes.
- Ambiguous rule language
- Overly broad restrictions in new language.
- Scheduling special owner’s meeting on a date that minimizes participation.
- Lack of financial transparency for proposed fees changes.
Here’s What You Can Do Now
The first critical step is to request a copy of the proposed Rules Changes document that includes all of the recommended items from above. To make the process as easy as possible, you can use the following form or copy/paste the suggested language right out of the form and into your own email message, then send to the management office.
Be respectful, concise, and clear in articulating the negative impact it has had on you and your fellow homeowners. You are welcome to use the example language as-is, but feel free to personalize the example message before you send.
Curious to learn more about some of these issues? Feel free to get in touch, I’m happy to chat.