Showing posts with label Lee's Summit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee's Summit. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Lee's Summit family celebrates judge's action and its purple pla - KCTV5

Lee's Summit family celebrates judge's action and its purple pla - KCTV5



LEE'S SUMMIT, MO (KCTV) -

A Lee's Summit family is celebrating a judge's decision, a decision that will allow the family to keep its purple swing set and playhouse.


The judge in the case has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the neighborhood home owner's association against the Stout family.The HOA had threatened the Stouts with jail time if the family didn't take playhouse down.

Now that the judge has tossed the case out, the Stouts say they just want things to go back to normal.

"We're not trying to change the world here. We'd certainly like the HOA to understand they've got to change the way they're doing business. I think this opened the eyes of our neighbors and there's going to be a lot more people at their meetings from now on," Jack Stout said.

"We didn't think it was a good idea to back down and show our kids that you just back down to bullies," said Stout.

Stout says he offered to paint the swing set a different color and says neighbors may not realize he didn't want the matter to go to court. Now, however, he's says he's glad they did take it to court because it shows his daughters not to back down from a fight.

"We just wanted to keep our purple swing set and according to the rules. It's not against the rules so we didn't see why we should change it," Stout concluded.

We reached out to the Raintree Homeowner's Association and to the attorneys representing the association in the case. We did not hear back.


Thursday, March 5, 2015

Mad World NewsLocal HOA Under Fire for Denying Cancer-Stricken Little Girl Her One Wish

Mad World NewsLocal HOA Under Fire for Denying Cancer-Stricken Little Girl Her One Wish



I can see Hawk's Ridge Doing This.



A heartbreaking ruling from a neighborhood Home Owner’s Association (HOA) has determined that a six-year-old little girl in Missouri, who is battling cancer, will not be getting the one wish that her precious heart desires.

Ella Schultz has already been through unimaginable difficulties during her young life, in her fight to beat the disease that is ravaging her body and threatening to prematurely end her time on Earth.
When asked by her mom, Jennifer, what one thing she wants more than anything, she replied that she wanted to beat her cancer and stop having to undergo chemotherapy. She told her mother her second choice, saying, “A house. I want a play one.”
According to local news channel KCTV, the Schultz family worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and major construction company J.E. Dunn on plans to build Ella a beautiful playhouse in her back yard. Unfortunately, the heartless bureaucracy of the neighborhood’s version of the most basic of governments, crushed little Ella’s dream on the basis of aesthetics.
The Stone Gate Homeowners Association (of Raymore, MO) indeed turned down the plans. HOA leaders said building a structure in the backyard would go against the neighborhood’s covenants.
When the little girl who has bravely battled so much was told she couldn’t have her play house, she broke down in tears.


Reporters from KCTV asked the HOA’s president Stacy Bayers for comment on why the board was unwilling to make an exception for little Ella. Bayers replied, “The proposed plan they’ve given us is a violation of our covenants.”
Presumably due to the pressure of neighborhood support, Stone Gate’s HOA will meet again to discuss and hopefully reconsider their decision.
It seems that the list of contacts has been scrubbed from the Stone Gate Home Owner’s Associationwebsite, leaving only an email address to reach out to them with opinions. If you choose to let them know what you think, you can find that information here. You can post messages of encouragement by clicking the Facebook button, and also donate if you wish, on Ella’s GoFundMe page, as well as showing support by using #SaveEllasWish via Twitter.
This story is frustrating evidence that even on the lowest levels of government, the thirst for power in limiting people’s choices, even on their own property, has replaced the basic sense of human compassion.
The value of these so-called rules should not have precedent over even one minute of this little girl’s happiness, especially when she may not have very many of those joyful moments left.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Does My Neighbor Really Have The Right To Tell Me What To Do With My Property?

ACC Request Form.pdf

Hawks Ridge East HOA FY 2013 Income & Expense and 2014 Budget 11-7-13.xlsx

Hawks Ridge East HOA FY 2013 Income & Expense and 2014 Budget 11-7-13.xlsx



This budget seem a little extreme.  Why did we buy laptop?  Why are we spending so much on dues and newsletter mailings?  Why are we spending $2,500 on social?  Are we all doing so well that we can afford to have our fees go up to pay for these things?  What are we spending $14,000 on the pool for?  Did we vote on that?

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Changes coming to Lee's Summit snow plan

Changes coming to Lee's Summit snow plan



LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - Lee's Summit Schools cancelled class Monday due to "inclement weather," but more is in the forecast.
Kelly Olson is the General Manager at ‘Neighbors CafĂ©’ in downtown Lee's Summit. She dreads snow.
"Especially with downtown people, there's cars parked on the side of the street, so it is a little tricky to maneuver around. It is nice when they can get here in a timely manner," Olson said.
Bob Hartnett's main goal is to get the streets plowed. He's the Deputy Director of Public Works in Lee's Summit.
Hartnett explained the city is 65 square miles.  That's the equivalent of plowing from Lee's Summit to New York City.
This year their budget already took a beating.
"Our response for two inches is the same if it's two inches or six inches, so we've spent quite a bit of resources so far," Hartnett said.
Schools in the city closed because of ice from three days prior.
Hartnett and his team proposed changes to help cut down on the plow time.
One idea is to add "wing plows" to nine of their trucks.
"It effectively doubles the working capacity of any truck," said Hartnett. "Instead of a truck with a 12-foot plow on it making one pass, you add a wing plow on the side of it; that truck is now making two passes."
It'll cost the city around $130,000, and take their goal of clearing the city streets from 32 hours to 22 hours.
If the streets are cleaner faster, that's better for Kelly and her customers. "For them to know that they're able to get here safely is a big deal for us," Olson said.
Lee's Summit will get one "wing plow" to test out by the end of the winter season.
Hartnett also proposed hiring private contractors. The city hasn't made a decision on that yet.


Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/region_missouri/lees_summit/changes-coming-to-lees-summit-snow-plan#ixzz2sNGXQc55

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Findings in the audit of the Lee's Summit R-VII School District

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Findings in the audit of the Lee's Summit R-VII School District



Findings in the audit
of the Lee's Summit R-VII School District


The district did not competitively bid several purchases
in accordance with district administrative procedure and state law, including
travel services ($29,172), installation of technology equipment ($21,866), and
printing ($20,357), and did not always document in writing single feasible
source
justifications. District administrative procedures
require competitive, advertised, sealed bids for construction of facilities
costing $15,000 and above and require bids for individual non-construction
purchases projected to cost $5,000 or more and quotes for non-construction
purchases under
$5,000. The district does not always document the
evaluation and selection of architectural/construction management services for
non-bond issue projects as required by board policy and state law. The district
has not periodically solicited proposals for some professional services and has
used the same vendors for several years. The district has used the same auditor
for 15 years, diversity initiative provider for 6 years, and primary legal counsel
for 4 years without periodically soliciting proposals.

The district does not have written agreements with the
entities providing legal services or the communications audit, and district
officials did not sign an education services contract for the 2012-2013 school
year until March 28, 2013. The district pays $25,000 to the Lee's Summit
Economic
Development Council for membership, but the council's
website indicates maximum membership benefits are available for $10,000, and it
is unclear what additional benefits the district receives for the additional
contribution.

The district subsidizes a significant portion of the
operating expenses of the Lee's Summit Educational Foundation, a legally
separate not-for-profit corporation, and has not entered into a written
agreement with the foundation. The foundation's employees, its Director, and
Administrative Assistant are housed in the district's main administration
building free of charge, and the district pays their salaries and fringe
benefits and other foundation expenses even though they spend only 10 percent
of their time working on district activities.

The district did not adequately monitor contract
payments, and a contractor overcharged the district $4,095 in the 2012-2013
school year. The contractor subsequently reimbursed the district. The district
does not competitively bid significant changes to construction projects and
does not always timely approve construction change orders. The district paid a $25,340
change order for a paving project at Lee's Summit North High School that was
not included in the vendor's original bid proposal, and the
Board did not approve and district officials did not sign
the change order until at least a week after the work was complete. The
district paid a $60,616 change order for carpet removal and replacement at
Meadow Lane Elementary that was not included in the vendor's original bid
proposal and approved by the Board. The district does not monitor purchasing
card transaction limits, and limits for some individuals are excessive. The
district has over 900 purchasing cards assigned to various personnel with
monthly limits ranging from $1,000 to $600,000.

The district has historically paid a vehicle allowance to
several employees who use their personal vehicles to conduct official business
within the district, but, other than for the superintendent, the district does
not include vehicle allowances in employee contracts, and the Board does not
approve
the allowances as additional compensation. The district
has not performed an analysis to ensure the vehicle allowances meet the needs
of these positions or are reasonable. Using the IRS-allowed mileage rate, the superintendent
would need to travel over 26,000 business-related miles to earn the $15,000
vehicle allowance he would have been paid for the year ended June 30, 2014.
This number of miles is considerably more than the 4,284 business-related miles
he drove his district-provided vehicle during
calendar year 2012. The Board indicated in its response
to our recommendation that it will no longer provide the superintendent with
the vehicle allowance.

The district purchased approximately 51 acres of land in
December 2012 for $775,000 to be used for the district's fourth middle school,
but it did not obtain an independent appraisal, so it has less assurance it
paid the fair value of the property.



The district's superintendent at June 30, 2013, was Dr.
David McGehee. His annual compensation was $258,660, which included a deferred compensation
allowance of $19,716, family medical insurance of $15,377, and association
expenses of $12,000. He was also provided a district vehicle for business and
personal use. The superintendent's compensation is established by the Board.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Has Anyone Noticed How Negative and Nasty The Emails Have Been Lately?

This are direct from the source.  Grammatical and spelling errors are not mine.

From this day forward if I am or if I see ANYONE opening that gate for someone without a card, Even if it is your best friend's child, if you VIOLATE THIS RULE YOUR POOL CARD WILL BE REVOKED FOR THE BALANCE OF THE SUMMER.


I cannot be at the pool 24 hours a day but I do have many eyes that typically report to me on a daily basis of what has gone on at the pool and you never know who that might be.


Monday, September 24, 2012

Home Invasion


Good Evening Everyone
Just wanted to inform you of an incident this past weekend. One of our members had a break in on Wingate Ct. The person or persons opened an unlocked kitchen window that happened to be next to a door so they pulled the screen opened the window and reached in and unlocked the door.
The scarier part of this is the homeowner was home asleep and also had company that was sleeping the the downstairs rec room.
This happened approximately 2:30 am and 4:30 am Saturday morning and the person was so good at this the dog and homeowner heard nothing.
Please one thing that would help would be to turn on your outside lights at night and hopefully this will help detour this kind of activity because this situation could have turned bad real quick had the homeowner heard them or the person had more intentions than just robbing them.
Please with the weather being nice enough for windows and door open it is easy to forget to lock them at night.
Hope this is good useful information for each of you, if you know someone that is not on our email please share this information with them
Have a great week
Bill Pace

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Why Our By-Laws Are Illegal

I do believe that the current By-laws are invalid because they were not put to a vote of the members. It clearly states in the restrictions that there must be a 90% vote to amend the restrictions. I also have a problem with policy/procedures being implemented without input from the members.

The restrictions do not state that we must get comments from our neighbors to put up a swing set. They do not state that we must notify our neighbors about any improvements that we are doing.

In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the declaration and the bylaws, the declaration prevails except to the extent the declaration is inconsistent with sections 448.1-101 to 448.4-120


There was no vote on the By-Laws. Homeowners were not even notified that our money was being used to hire an attorney to draw up the By-Laws. It would only seem to be logical that the By-Laws are not enforceable and were drawn up without the provisions needed to do so.

Are you an original owner?

We bought our homes and were given the Declarations of Restrictions.  Those are the By-Laws that we agreed to. We didn't vote for our money to be used without our knowledge or to approve the By-Laws. Therefore, the HOA has not acted in our best interest.

How The HOA Has Taken Your Vote Away From YOU

The Restrictions Call for you to have rights in what happens in this subdivision. The By-Laws are taking those rights away from you.

This is from the By-Laws

Quorum. The presence at the meeting of Members entitled to cast, or of the proxies entitled to cast, thirty percent (30%) of the votes of each class of membership shall constitute a quorum for any action except as otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws (see Article X Section 2 and Article XI Section 4 herein), or Declaration of Restrictions for Hawks Ridge East. If, however, such quorum shall not be present or represented at any meeting, the members entitled to vote at the meeting shall have the power to adjourn the meeting from time to time without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum shall be present or represented.

This is what the Restrictions say:

At any such meeting, the presence of members or proxies entitled to cast sixty percent (60%) of all votes which can be cast shall constitute a quorum. If the required quorum is not present, another meeting may be called subject to the same notice requirements as set forth herein.

The HOA Does Not Have The Right To Enter Your Property To Inspect It

The By-Laws Give the HOA the right to trespass on your property and make you remove a tree that they don't like. That is not in the Restrictions.


ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL

Why The ACC Can Not Tell You How To Landscape Your Home

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL

Here are the real rules for fences

The pool has a white vinyl fence that was paid for by the Home Owners Association. The original Declarations of Restrictions has no restriction on white fences. That was put into the By-Laws without a vote by a majority of 90% of homeowners.

This is what the Restrictions Say:

No fences exceeding 72 inches in height shall be erected around perimeter of Lots. Privacy fences not exceeding 72 inches in height are permitted around patio or pool areas. All horizontal and vertical bracing will face inside of Lot where installed. No chain link fences allowed. No dog runs allowed.

Declarations of Restrictions vs By-Laws

The original Declarations of Restrictions seems to cover the issues that were brought up in the By Laws that were drawn up in 2003. There was no vote on these By-Laws by the membership. Therefore, I believe that, in the state of Missouri, these are not valid. Also the following paragraph in the original Restrictions seems to negate the By-Laws. I don't believe that the original intent was that we would have to ask our neighbors for permission to put up a swingset. That seems to be getting pretty far out there to the right. These types of HOA rules are the kind that push new buyers away. Who wants to have to ask their neighbor's permission to put up a fence? The restrictions for the fence are in the Restrictions. There is no need to get the neighbor's permission to put up an already approved item. It seems that the By Laws and the HOA are going way beyond what was originally intended. I believe that the board is heading in a direction that will eventually end up in lawsuits that will cost the entire membership money unnecessarily.

DURATION
These covenants and restrictions of the Declaration shall run with and bind the land and
shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Association, or the Owner of any Lot
subject to the Declaration, their respective legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns, for
a term of twenty (20) years from the date this Declaration are recorded, after which time said
covenants shall automatically extend for successive periods of ten (10) years. The covenants and
restrictions of this Declaration may be amended during the first twenty (20) year period by an
instrument signed by not less than ninety percent (90%) of the Lot Owners, and thereafter by an
instrument signed by not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the Lot Owners. Any
amendment must be properly recorded.
Dated January 6, 1994
Approval by Class B Member. As long as there is a Class B membership, the following
actions, which are in addition to those as are set forth herein, will require prior approval of said
Class B member:
(a) Annexation of additional properties;
(b) Dedication of Common Areas;
(c) Amendment of this Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions.
These restrictions hereby encompass by reference as if fully stated the license laws of the
City of Lee's Summit, Missouri as they now exist and my be from time to time amended
MEMBERSHIP
Every person or entity who is a record owner of a fee or undivided fee interest in any Lot
which is subject by covenants of record to assessment by the Association, including contract
sellers, shall be a member of the Association. The foregoing is not intended to include persons or
entities who hold an interest merely as security for the performance of an obligation. No Owner
shall have more than one membership. Membership shall be appurtenant to and may not be
separated from ownership of any Lot which is subject to assessment by the Association.
Ownership of such Lot shall be the sole qualification for membership.
VOTING RIGHTS
The Association hall have two classes of voting membership.
Class A. Class A members shall be all those Owners as defined in Article 11 with the
exception of the Declarant. Class A members shall be entitled to one vote for each Lot in which
they hold the interest required for membership by Article 11. When more than one person holds
such interest in any Lot, all such persons shall be members. The vote for such Lot shall be
exercised as they among themselves determine, but in no event shall more than one vote be cast
with respect to any Lot.
Class B. The Class B member shall be the Declarant. The Class B member shall be
entitled to approval and exercise veto power in conjunction with all votes by the Association's
members including all votes by the members of the Association Board of Directors, so long as the
Class B membership holds ownership in five percent (5%) of the preliminary platted subdivision
Lots, provided that, the Class B membership shall cease and be converted to a Class A
membership in the event the Class B membership owns less than five percent (5%) of all
preliminary platted subdivision Lots. Said approval and veto power may be exercised by the
President and Secretary of the Declarant.
ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL
No building, fence, wall or other structure shall be commenced, erected or maintained
upon the Properties, nor shall any exterior addition to or change or alteration therein be made
including exterior color, until the plans and specifications showing the nature, color, kind, shape,
height, materials and location of the same shall have been submitted to and approved in writing as
to harmony of external appearance, design and location in relation to surrounding structures and
topography by the Class B member.
EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
In the event a need for maintenance or repairs is cause through the willful or negligent act
of an Owner, his family or guest or invitees, the cost of such maintenance which shall include but
not be limited to paint, repair, replace, care of roofs, gutters, down spouts, exterior building
surfaces, trees, shrubs, grass, walks and other exterior improvement but shall not include glass
surfaces, may be assessed against the Owner if such maintenance or repairs are implemented by
the Association and if so assessed shall be added to and become a part of the assessment to which
the Lot is subject.
All property shall be used, improved and devoted exclusively to residential use. Nothing
herein shall be deemed to prevent the Owner from leasing a Dwelling to a single family, subject
to all provisions of this declaration. Declarant, however, may maintain sales offices, management
offices and model homes.
Restriction on Further Subdivision. No Lot upon which a living unit has been constructed
shall be further subdivided or separated into smaller Lots by any Owner, and no portion less than
all of such Lot, nor any easement or other interest therein shall be conveyed or transferred by an
Owner.
No temporary structure or any house trailer, mobile home, basement, tent, shack,
detached garage, or outbuilding shall be permitted to be placed on said property.
Basis of Annual Assessments. One Hundred dollars ($100) annual assessment due April
New homeowners will pay a portion of a calendar quarter at twenty-five dollars ($25) per
quarter. Annual assessment may be increased or decreased by 2/3 of the votes of the members
who are voting in person or by proxy.
Special Assessments for Capital Improvements. In addition to the annual assessments
authorized above, the Association my levy any assessment year, a Special Assessment applicable
to that year only, for purpose of defraying, in whole or in part, costs of any construction,
reconstruction, repair or replacement of a capital improvement upon the Common Area, including
fixtures, personal property related thereto or purchases of additional Common Areas, provide that
any such assessments shall have the assent of 2/3 of the votes of the members who are voting in
person or by proxy at a meeting duly called for this purpose, which written notice shall be sent to
all members not less that ten (10) days nor more than forty-five (45) days in advance of the
meeting setting forth the purpose of the meeting.

At any such meeting, the presence of members or proxies entitled to cast sixty percent (60%) of
all votes which can be cast shall constitute a quorum. If the required quorum is not present,
another meeting may be called subject to the same notice requirements as set forth herein.
Effect of Nonpayment of Assessments: Remedies of the Association. Any assessments,
general or special, which are not paid when due shall be delinquent. If the assessment is not paid
within sixty (60) days after the due date, the assessment shall bear a late fee of Ten ($10) dollars
per month, and interest from the date of delinquency at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per
annum until paid in full, and the Association may bring an action at law against the Owner
personally obligated to pay the same, and in addition foreclose the lien against the property. Said
lien may be foreclosed by an action brought in the name of the Board of Directors of the
Association and their successors in office acting on behalf of all Association members in like
manner as a mortgage of real property as provided in Sections 443.190 -443.310 R. S. MO.
Members of the Board of Directors and their successors in office acting on behalf of the
Association owners through an appointed representative shall have the power to bid any interest
so foreclosed at the foreclosure sale and to acquire and hold, lease, mortgage, and convey the
same. Any recovery obtained by the Board of Directors of the Association as a result of the
foreclosure action, or any monies obtained through acquisition, sale, or lease of the aforesaid
shall be first applied to the expense of such foreclosure sale or lease and then to any unpaid
assessments, expenses, fees, or late charges accrued pursuant to these Declarations and any other
lawful charges due and owning to the Association from the Owner. Interest, costs and reasonable
attorney's fees of any such action shall be added to the amount of such assessment. No Owner
shall waive or otherwise escape liability for the assessments provided for here in for non-use of
Common Areas or abandonment of his Lot.

No fences exceeding 72 inches in height shall be erected around perimeter of Lots.
Privacy fences not exceeding 72 inches in height are permitted around patio or pool areas. All
horizontal and vertical bracing will face inside of Lot where installed. No chain link fences
allowed. No dog runs allowed.
All fireplaces shall be masonry or zero clearance, built to match, or compatible with
siding, and a low profile rectangular top.
Each Owner shall keep all Lots owned by him and all improvements thereon in good
repair, and free of debris and unsightly materials including but not limited to seeding, watering
and mowing of all lawns; pruning and cutting of trees and shrubbery and painting (or other
appropriate external care) of all buildings and other improvements, all in a manner and such
frequency as consistent with good property management. In the event the Owner of any Lot in the
properties shall fail to maintain the premises and improvements situated thereon, the Board of
Directors shall have the right through its employees or agents to enter upon said Lot, correct or
repair, maintain or restore said Lot and the exterior of any buildings or other improvements
erected thereon. All costs related to such corrections or repairs shall be added to and become an
assessment against said Lot as provided for herein.
No signs of any kind shall be displayed to the public view of any Lot, except one
professional sign of not more than one square foot, one sign of not more than five square feet
advertising the property for sale or rent or signs used by a builder to advertise the property during
construction and sales period.