There seems to be a furor about Senator Shirley Turner’s bill S2016 the “Common Interest Communities and Homeowners’ Associations Act.” I am hard pressed to understand any opposition to the bill.
Admittedly, some associations not only function well but, in fact are above reproach. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the majority of associations in New Jersey. Homeowners in most communities express complaints that the governing boards of their associations are not following proper business rules, their bylaws or democratic principles in governing the community. “
This bill did not arise out of the blue or as a capricious whim. Nor is it to appease a small constituency of New Jersey Legislators. It has been 10 years in the making and it is time to implement it. An Assembly Task Force was established in 1995 to study Homeowner Associations. Three years later they published their findings and recommendations.
There is nothing in this bill that was not recommended by the Task Force. The bill builds upon the New Jersey “Condominium Act” and renames it as the “Common Interest and Homeowners’ Associations Act”.
Those associations that function well will not be harmed by the bill. Those of us who live in communities rife with wrongdoing need the protections, safeguards and oversight provided by the bill.
My community (Greenbriar II) is a prime example of wrongdoing on many levels. We need a cost-effective alternative to expensive litigation to solve the many serious problems we are currently experiencing. These include, but are not limited to, decisions made at closed session meetings in violation of the Open Meetings Act. Wrongful denial of access to records. Trustees who have violated the by-laws, oaths of confidentiality and their fiduciary responsibilities.
I beg all to have an open mind and investigate the facts behind this initiative before taking a stand in opposition to it. In the near future I hope to find a location in or near Brick at which to hold an open forum on the bill. Watch your local newspapers for a date, time and location.
Nan Coll
Brick