Many board members receive homeowner requests for community events, complaints about violations, and questions about trash collection or stray animals. With only a limited budget and limited authority, what are board members to do when these requests go beyond the scope of their power?
Many cities offer services to residents that can complement those the board provides for its membership, so the next time you receive a request which might be out of your HOA’s purview, try contacting your city government. The number for requests is usually 3-1-1. Charlotte offers CharMeck 311 which serves as the customer contact center providing information and services for homeowners. All homeowners need to do is call 3-1-1, or 704-336-7600, report the violation, give the address, and describe the incident or issue.
Here are some of the city services offered to HOAs:
- Enforcement for graffiti, sign, and nuisance violations: If your HOA’s CC&Rs are not equipped to resolve homeowners’ complaints of late-night noise, illegal signs, overgrown lawns, abandoned junk vehicles, or graffiti, your city may be able to help! Advise homeowners to report these kinds of violations to the city’s service number.
- Animal complaints: Do you have a problem with stray or wild animals in your neighborhood? Your city’s Animal Care Services is available to help with these issues, but keep in mind this city service is priority-based. More urgent cases, like injured animals or critical bites, will receive attention before the simple sighting of a stray.
- Road repair: The maintenance of public roads is the responsibility of the relevant city.Homeowners can report road damage to the city to request repairs. If there are large potholes roughening the county-or city-owned roads in your neighborhood, let the local government know.
- Trash and bulk collection: Contact your local office to see if your city or county offers regular trash collection or annual or semi-annual bulk collection for residents. You can also call the city’s service number to find out if residents can request additional trash collections.
- Emergency action plans: Cities and counties are typically required to keep response plans for natural disasters and other emergencies, which can include resident alert and evacuation procedures. Staying up to date on these procedures will help your community be prepared in an emergency.
- Drainage: Is there damage to the drainage system in your community leading to issues such as flooding from a drainage structure, blockage in a city drainage system, or erosion along a creek or storm drain? You can report this as well!
- Meeting visits: In some cities, code enforcement, police, and animal officers offer to attend HOA meetings to provide information to homeowners and build connections with HOAs; this helps them best serve the communities in their cities. Contact the applicable office at your location to request a meeting visit.
The next time you are faced with a serious violation or overwhelming complaints about the state of roads or lawns, you can direct homeowners to the city’s 3-1-1 service number for support.
Contact William Douglas Property Management today for a free HOA management quote for your community, and be sure to visit our blog for more helpful tips.