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VOCA Board Recall Committee Forming

Sedona Arizona's Village of Oak Creek Association represents over 2300 homeowners

Sedona Arizona’s Village of Oak Creek Association represents over 2300 homeowners

Sedona AZ (July 14, 2015) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor from Member Alliance:

A Village of Oak Creek Association (VOCA) homeowners alliance group is organizing a recall vote election of its current board.

An update to the denial from the VOCA board regarding the issues presented in an attorney letter:

Some Member Alliance/ VOCA homeowners drove to Phoenix last week to talk with an attorney. The cost for the attorney to assist in the VOCA board recall is a very reasonable $1750.

There will be other costs involved to educate VOCA homeowners about the importance of recalling the current board and replacing the them with more considerate and compliant homeowners.

A committee is being organized. Funds are being raised.

To join and/or donate, please contact MemberAlliance@use.startmail.com or mail to Member Alliance, PO Box 20453, Sedona AZ 86341.

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21 Comments

  1. Barb says:

    I heard a couple of interesting statements on a TV news program today. “We act in society on the basis of our agreements. Without the sanctity of contracts our society falls apart.”

    I have been asked why I care the VOCA board has violated the state statutes and VOCA bylaws. For me, it is a simple matter of right and wrong. What is wrong is the board actions mean the board is not keeping their agreements and honoring the contracts with the homeowners.

    Others and myself have proven many board actions and practices violated/circumvented state statutes and VOCA bylaws. An attorney confirmed the allegations and wrote a letter to the association to tell the board to stop. That didn’t work. The board continues to deny any wrongdoing. The board continues to discredit those who want compliance or disagree with them. The board continues violations.

    Do we want to live in a community where agreements and contracts are meaningless? Do we want to live in a community where intimidation is used as a control tactic? If not, join the board recall effort.

  2. We can not wait.
    Most neighbors are unaware of how the board spins EVERYTHING to make it sound good. Example:

    Great, Hoamco is doing repairs.
    The President, Gwen Hanna had years to authorize repairs whilst also acting as general manager but did nothing.
    There is a laundry list of items the membership has no knowledge of, but not for long.
    Donate today.
    Did you see the assessment bill?
    Send your money to Las Vegas for a business operating in Prescott. Translation? That money is no longer LOCAL. Silly Rabbits.

  3. Various Village of Oak Creek Association (VOCA) members have joined together and formed alliances geared to recalling the existing board of directors individually or the board in its entirety, citing closed meetings held in violation of state open meeting laws and the associations own bylaws. Documentation exists as proof and in an email message to homeowners, the board admitted to meeting without members to research hiring a management company. In a petition signed by 150(the minimum requisite number) homeowners, a demand was made to the board to include homeowners in the decision. The board ignored the petition and voted to contract with the management company, HOAMCO.
    As the state attorney general will not enforce the HOA open meeting laws, the options available to the homeowners are limited to hiring attorneys to oversee and begin the process of recalling the offending board members or the board in its entirety. In fact, the aforementioned documentation, all 100 pages of it, was recently submitted to an attorney for review resulting in a formal letter to cease and desist, and at the very least calling for the board members to resign, being written by that attorney and submitted to the board who chose to keep it quiet and not post it to allow homeowners to review it. They, or certain members of the board, in the meantime, created a “legal contingency fund” with money taken from the association, in the amount of $50,000, in case they had to “sue someone for slander.” They have taken our money and used it against us to hire a law firm to rebut the allegations of Member Alliance.
    As a result, Member Alliance has again consulted with the attorney concerning recall and the possibility of initiating withdrawal of subdivisions that choose to do so, from the HOA.
    All homeowners within VOCA had better wake up to the fact the association (our) money is being squandered by the board and rise up on their collective hind legs and join in the recall process. It will have to be done locally as part time residents are not likely to know what is going on.
    Further, my family and I came here to retire and hopefully live the trouble free life we have earned. Now, as a result of the VOCA board’s illicit activities, the support and subsidizing of a restaurant that has never paid its way, I have grave concerns for the security of my investment here.
    Email requests for more information or to support the effort may be made at: memberalliance@use.startmail.com.
    Information is also available on Facebook: Village of Oak Creek Homeowners VOIC

  4. Ken Driver says:

    Let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something not enough folks are speaking about.

  5. There has been prime land reassessed by this board.
    They have tried to force sewer on subdivisions that have not asked for sewer.
    The board has broken ccr’s and they are creating a policy book to strip homeowners of many rights.
    The board has broken Arizona law.
    Board members have written insulting articles to the membership and exhibit bully mentality and behavior.
    Money is being allocated and reallocated.
    It will all come out but we need to donate to the recall effort for the lawyers help.
    Please give.

  6. Helene James says:

    Finally! we are doing something to stop the madness. The current VOCA Board is out of control and feeding lies to it’s members (or hiding the truth about spending OUR money). And making decisions to suit their interest and not the majority. We are headed for disaster (or more of a deficit) and VOCA Board doesn’t care because they know their time is limited or they can resign at will.

  7. We will wait to see if things get rolling and then will sign something. Lots of people complain where we work.

  8. Carl says:

    People need to step up..

  9. Instead of sitting around waiting, why not step up donate funds and volunteer to get signatures. We can use all the help we can get. Thanks for paying attention, time to act. VOCA neighbor.

  10. VOCA board recall committee meetings are scheduled for Sunday, August 2nd and Thursday, August 6th. The August 2 meeting will be at 2 pm. We will meet at the Kiwanis Park, 690 Bell Rock Blvd., VOC. The August 6 meeting will be at 3pm. Email MemberAlliance@use.startmail.com for the August 6 location.

    We will review the reasons many VOCA lot owners think the board must be recalled. It is possible we may begin signing petitions.

    Additional meetings will be planned. Contact us for more information.

    MemberAlliance@use.startmail.com or mail: Member Alliance, PO Box 20453, Sedona AZ 8634

  11. Deb says:

    Want more info? VOCA board recall committee meetings are scheduled for Aug 2 & Aug 6. BE THERE! At least hear what’s going on, be informed. Don’t stick your heads in the sand traps.

  12. David, VOC says:

    How’d it go yesterday? How about an update?

  13. Update opinion about recall:

    1. The VOCA board continues to be unresponsive or bullying to those who disagree with them.

    2. Recall is the only option to stop the false and contradictory information being distributed to members.

    3. Spending continues to increase. Tens of thousands of dollars from the reserve funds (HOA and golf) have been spent. Recalling this board is our only hope of reducing spending, reducing or not increasing assessments, and getting honest answers about where $412,000 of OUR money is going.

    4. Recall is necessary to limit board control and stop unchecked power.

    In the annual letter to lot owners, statements about savings were made. Yet the financial reports for 2015 indicate the HOA department is not meeting the budget. The golf department income is over budget but none of the profit will likely be transferred to the HOA side. When it suits the message, the golf and HOA department bottom lines are combined. It makes for an impressive total. Yet, the departments are supposedly separate financially. This is intentional confusion, in the opinion of many.

    The restaurant (that likely only exists because there is a golf course) continues to be subsidized by the homeowners.

    Examples of confusing and contradictory information distributed by the board:

    February FAQ, 2014: 2014 budgeted payroll costs, $336,000. Homaco will save VOCA $49,000.
    October FAQ, 2014: 2014 budgeted payroll costs, $349,571. Homaco will save VOCA $78,571.
    October meeting 2014: 2014 budgeted payroll costs, $334,911. Hoamco will save VOCA $82,111 in 2015. AND a board member said, “Don’t you want to see $82,000 go into the reserve fund?”

    The board has refused to provide a line item comparison for the statements comparing the 2014 costs and Hoamco. It appears they could not calculate the costs accurately since the figures keep changing. BUT…

    The 2015 budget shows $33,000 total profit for the HOA department and $7,379 for the golf department. WHERE is this $82,111??

    June 2015 finance report: HOA department income continues to fall short. HOA Capital Expenditures for June were $33,608. This includes carpet, paint and stucco for the building used by the golf department and restaurant. The expenditure includes a door for the restaurant. Many homeowners do NOT want to subsidize the restaurant or the golf course.

    More examples of confusing and contradictory information:

    October FAQ, 2014: How will CCR compliance be handled under Hoamco? The process will remain the same. … NO policy change is currently being contemplated.
    ARRC meeting, July 2, 2015: Discussed draft fine policy and NEW proactive compliance policy. …Committee chair (board member) recommends that the compliance not be under the ARC Committee, instead as a policy under BOD direction….

    If you trust this board, then you get what you deserve. If you don’t trust this board and want to stop the madness, join the recall.

    NEXT meeting is Thursday, August 6. Contact us for location.

    MemberAlliance@use.startmail.com or mail to Member Alliance, PO Box 20453, Sedona AZ 86341.

  14. VOCA board recall petitions ready says:

    The VOCA board recall committee has petitions ready for signatures. Contact us for your copy to print and sign. We need about 250 signatures. One signature per lot is allowed per the VOCA bylaws. MemberAlliance@use.startmail.com or mail to Member Alliance, PO Box 20453, Sedona AZ 86341.

  15. We have been waiting since this board forgave a years rent from the restaurant after emptying the coffers to renovate to see this come to fruition.
    Hoping they will all be gone and moved away very soon. We don’t need your kind here.

  16. VOCA intimidation says:

    Even though homeowners were told there were “no plans to change” compliance under the management company, VOCA has a “NEW” PROACTIVE approach toward “vacant lot maintenance, home and yard maintenance, trash in and around property, storage of vehicles on property.” The Board, not the Restrictions Committee, now has power to enforce whatever the manager or the board wants to act on. One homeowner already got a threatening letter: Clear your weeds within TEN days of the date of the letter or get FINED. The property had a small handful of grass in the gravel. UNREASONABLE time to comply and UNREASONABLE complaint. PROACTIVE and UNREASONABLE. Anyone else received notices?? Going to be away from home for a few days? Better make sure someone is reading your mail in case you get a “letter” with less than 10 days to act.

  17. They are letting complaint lots grow 4-5 feet tall with no cutting. They are also openly violating our ccr’s with dangerously close building and waiving of heights and setbacks. I think the fire department looked at the plans but more has been added and plans to build on the other side. Meanwhile, other neighbors are building with no permits.
    I have seen lots go unattended since 2013 and The weekend builders all show up installing unapproved septic and sewer when no one is watching. Its a free for all here.

  18. Annex into the City of Sedona. They have codes and personnel to enforce them. Then all of these VOC issues go away! It’s really quite simple.

  19. steve Segner says:

    Not my Neighborhood says:
    I think the fire department looked at the plans but more has been added and plans to build on the other side. Meanwhile, other neighbors are building with no permits.

    Just call the county building Dept, they will stop it, you just need to ask and re ask.

  20. Don, VOC says:

    Are you coming to each house? Some of us can’t get around that easy. Go to each house & ask for signatures! And bring some talking points.

  21. We may go door to door with the petition but it would be best to mail or email and ask for a sheet you can sign. If the board follows through with plans to gut the bylaws and give themselves more power, people better sit up and pay attention. Recall them now before they take even more power and wield it over us.

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