HPP Biz

[leo]

Lori’s letter is as clear an explanation of what’s going on in HPP as any I’ve ever read.

IMO, she’s the best BOD President we’ve ever had. Sincere thanks to her for her efforts.


Yes, and Crelly's the worst president we've ever had.

Lori Laucik, best of luck to you and your family. Thanks for your volunteerism.

[Kenney]

Yes, this is not good news.

I don’t want fools borrowing money in my name, which I end up having to repay through Road Fees.
I don’t owe anybody but the people one or the other HPP BOD have indebted me to, for Bonds, Lawyers, Fines.
Do we not have the right to have a Forensic Audit to insure that our money is being spent wisely? The Membership vote was unanimous.
Have we no rights, just obligations? (to pay without question)
I say BS.

I wish I could let this go, but feel that I must remain involved. My home is here. It is being threatened by the actions of others and it’s not getting better.

[Old Croc]

I wonder what President Crelly will do about his wife's employment in the office.

[Eric1600]

So I went to the HPP meeting. What a nightmare. The mics were crap, the video slides were unreadable. The crowd was obnoxious.

The General Manager tried to take over as president in order to bypass any old business which the agenda said was "Nothing Referred to Committee; All Matters Were Disposed of -- Robert's Rules of Order newly revised, 11th Edition, Page 237, ©."

Basically they wanted to get away from audits, etc. Steve (finance committee) proposed we allow the previously ousted president to fill the role instead of the GM. The crowd strongly supported this and after 1 person tried to stop it saying there was nothing in the bylaws allowing this, but there was also nothing that said it couldn't be done and the membership has authority over the board.

After the minor coup took place, the agenda was radically altered. Old business was reinserted as well as about 6 bylaw changes proposed. The bylaw changes were all designed to provide stronger protections against things like employing your family members, requiring a financial analysis, enforcing ethical clauses, allowing the HPPOA to raise funds for special projects (like to raise money for more than just roads in the case of mailboxes). All the bylaw changes were welcomed by a large majority of the voters there, winning by substantial majorities.

The next step is on the ballot that will be mailed out for everyone is for the general membership to vote on these changes. The members should read and carefully consider each bylaw change. They are all designed to prevent what has been happening in the past few years and include requirements for a financial analysis. During the explanation of this forensic analysis is was pointed out that salaries had jumped almost $200k for staff in the past 2 years.

One of the key proposals was to bring in 3rd party professional management, instead of biased residents managing the activities. I feel this is a very positive step forwards and will actually save HPOAA money. The idea was also voted heavily in favor and work was initiated to setup a committee to start research on potential companies and costs.

It was a very long meeting, and unfortunately some HPPOA members seemed to think that the Ordinance against Rooster Farms had something to do with HPPOA. They waited the 3.5 hours for the bylaws, etc. to express their anger, but it was wasted breath. The history of the ordinance is apparently about 25 people (from various communities) requested the ordinance and it fits with the rezoning of 1976 (Ag land needs to be at least 5 acres) so the ordinance was put forward by Ohara for them. People were pissed at her and one person in particular was ready to go down fighting before letting her talk. Then a few took the mic to yell their anger, but it was almost impossible to understand. The arguments were mostly centered around people knew what type of land they were buying, if they didn't want rooster farms they shouldn't have bought Ag land. Ohara explained the time for debate is Tuesday at the hearing for the bill, not at the HPPOA meeting, but people were red faced and wanted to vent. Several turned it into a haole vs us thing.

All in all, it was actually a productive and the ballots that will be mailed out will need a lot of explaining to insure the HPPOA members realize this is the chance to take proper control back of the organization.

---

I should note that I might have gotten some of the details wrong. There was a lot of noise, confusion and a wide cast of characters whom I don't know at all but most people seemed to recognize on sight and were not introduced.

[My 2 cents]

The mics were crap...There was a lot of noise

I have done the sound for various concerts there with various sound systems and also have managed the HPP sound system for meetings several times. I can tell you that it isn't an easy room, but it can be done. I would suggest hiring a professional sound person one time to dial in the system, then do what it takes to prevent anyone from touching it. Take a picture of it in case it gets tampered with.

[kalakoa]

The arguments were mostly centered around people knew what type of land they were buying, if they didn't want rooster farms they shouldn't have bought Ag land.

Isn't that the same argument raised when people complain about their roads?

[Eric1600]

It's not the argument I've ever heard anyone living in one of those places use. I've heard people in more regulated communities say that about HPP or Orchidland or HA. Most people want good roads (even "Ag" people) the issue is paying for them.

[BillyB]

Was the big guy with the BEEBOP hat the GM?

FYI The woman who wanted the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the changes before they were presented works in the office.


It would be nice if someone actually read Roberts Rules.

Amendments do not have to be agreed to by the person making the original motion.

"3. Amend: This is the process used to change a motion under consideration. Perhaps you like the idea
proposed but not exactly as offered. Raise your hand and make the following motion: "I move to
amend the motion on the floor." This also requires a second. After the motion to amend is seconded,
a majority vote is needed to decide whether the amendment is accepted. Then a vote is taken on the
amended motion. In some organizations, a "friendly amendment" is made. If the person who made
the original motion agrees with the suggested changes, the amended motion may be voted on without
a separate vote to approve the amendment."

We learned this stuff in 5th grade.

The Rooster People seem to claim they were here first and people moved in next to them and knew what they were getting. That is probably in most cases not true. Did anyone notice how many of the RP had voting paddles? How many bought prior to 1975? After that they should have known what they were buying.

[Eric1600]

Beebop hat? I had to google that. The guy who spoke against the removal of the self-appointed President/Chairman was not the GM. The GM was the guy standing by the table near the entrance who when asked if there was a "Presidents Report" shouted out "I have nothing to say!". I did notice that the guy protesting the GM's removal to chair the meeting did appear to be a buddy of his as they stood and talked for some time during the meeting.

I honestly didn't hear most of what they were trying to say against the Rooster Ordinance. The loudest of them didn't seem to understand what was actually going on. The same could be said for a few of the people angry about the bylaw changes. There seemed to be some aural comprehension issues. I did get that most of them feel they are getting pushed out. They felt their neighbors are doing this to them and wanted to address them (unfortunately I doubt any were there at that meeting). I did have the desire to propose a 10 acre lot be converted to a stadium to host all these rooster "shows" they talked about.

[Kenney]

Funny, I didn’t see the GM at the meeting at all. The newly appointed BOD President, (appointed by the BOD Majority after ousting the Elected one) was at the table before he was replaced by the old President at the Members request. It was also he who said “psst” when asked if he had a President’s report.

As far as the Rooster People go, HPPOA is obligated to represent all of it’s members, not just the usual people who show up at meetings. I haven’t read anything in the Bylaws that says the Association should be Ethnocentric. I thought it was great to see so many Locals at the meeting, and hope at least some continue to add their voices to the mix. They were calm to the point of serene IMO for 4 hours while they waited their turn to speak, and incredibly warm and friendly to anyone who included them in the conversation. Since this was the first time they attended a meeting, it’s not surprising that some didn’t have voting paddles, as they are not familiar with the process. I saw several of them raising their paddles, and attribute the success of passing several Motions of the Membership to their added voices. I can’t remember getting over 80 yey votes for anything in a long time.
By the time their turn finally came, they’d built up a pretty good head of steam, which I too have experienced after waiting hours to speak.
Several of them told me they were born and raised here, and have always raised Roosters. IMO, It must be hard to have your way of life threatened by more and more legislation.

All in all, it was a very productive meeting where some of the major concerns of land owners were dealt with, thanks to Lori Chairing the meeting, and Steve’s presentation. Mahalo to both. Now we will see if this messed up BOD acts on the votes of the Members or just continues to obstruct the will of the Association. (Us)