Board and committee exclusions for non-full time members

I wrote this as a reply in another thread, then decided it deserved its own thread.

BPearson said:

I would love to see them relax the rules to allow those who go away for at least part of the summer to run. The fact they can attend remotely certainly helps that idea along. I guess the bigger question is for how long? The old six and six probably wouldn't work, but 3 or 4 months might be doable.​

There is absolutely no reason to exclude any RCSC member in good standing from eligibility to serve on the board and on committees. We have significant investments in our homes in SC. We pay the same dues and are subject to the same policies as full-time residents. Yet, we are excluded from direct participation in the management of our community.

Sure we can vote for board members, however we are only permitted to vote for full-time members of the community. The fact is that the interests of full-time residents and part-time residents are not always fully aligned. The current rules leave part-time residents with no representation of their interests.

Aside from the issue of fairness in governance; the full-time only policy deprives boards and committees of the experience and expertise of part-time residents. Some of us have deep knowledge and experience with community governance and finances acquired through service in other communities as well as ownership and or senior management positions across a variety of industries. I will go so far as to suggest that the RCSC finances might not have reached such an abysmal state had there been board members with such knowledge and experience.

The only possible rationale for limiting eligibility was communication; however that limitation has been thrown in the trash can with the likes of Zoom. A large TV screen can comfortably include board members who can not attend meetings in person no matter the reason.

 

Well said Earl A and welcome. I think it should all start with a deeper dive on the data. A clear picture of how many would make perfect sense.

 

But my question would be, how many months living away from Sun City is too many?

Would you think it proper for, let's say, a Canadian Snow-bird, or anybody else for that matter, to serve as a Director when they are here for less than 180 days?

I believe much would be missed by not being and living within the community for such a long period but I tend to agree a reasonable amount of time should be allowed.

 

The devil is always in the details Tom. Odd, we used to have a board member and if memory serves me was the board president who routinely went away for 4 or 5 months during the summer.

 

Currently, a director can miss four meetings
2 month July & August break
2 meetings allowed to miss
Director can have 4 months “off”
**8 months total required service in the year of each term, if only counting board meetings attended.**
With our approved remote attendance, I think ALL members in good standing, who commit to an eight month attendance, should be approved and welcome to become candidates for director positions!!

RECREATION CENTERS OF SUN CITY, INC.
RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
REVISED DECEMBER, 1990 AMENDED NOVEMBER 20, 2003

ARTICLE V – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 5: MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
Directors can attend all duly called regular Governing Board Meetings, Informational Meetings and Special sessions of the Board either in person, by telephone conference call, video conferencing or other communication methods by which all participants can hear and talk to each other.
https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/RCSC_Articles_of_Incorporation.pdf


Corporate Bylaws
ARTICLE IX
Removal of any elected or appointed Director may be done in either of the following ways:
A. By a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board of Directors after a member of the Board is absent from three (3) or more consecutive regular meetings of the Board or who, in the opinion of such two-thirds (2/3) of the Board members, is unwilling or incapable of performing his or her share of the duties and responsibilities of a Director.
https://suncityaz.org/corporate-bylaws/

 

So which is it, 3 or 4? Don't you just love how clear and concise our rules are?

 

I see that Janet but it also says if they miss 3 consecutive meetings they can be voted off the Island???

I'm confused!

 

Want greater member participation?
The exclusion of non-full time residents from serving on the board of directors needs to be corrected.
They pay “full time” annual assessments don’t they?
Whatever the attendance requirements are, they can be met with RCSC approved remote access availability.

 

Yes they do, and that's their choice!

The only way you learn what issues may be concerning and the feel of the community is if you live among it.

Perhaps some leeway is warranted but it's just my belief, if you are going to make the commitment to serve your community you need to live among the community and not just 4 or 5 months out of the year!

Just my opinion.

 

But, Tom, they aren't missing the meetings if they are participating via technology so that bylaw doesn't apply.

 

The only point I'm trying to make is that there appears to be a contradiction regarding how many meetings can be missed? One place says 4 and another place says 3?

 

As a 6 month resident I feel I'm pretty actively involved in RCSC matters. I'm torn about part-time resident Board service only because there is so much more than Board meetings; committee assignments, liason to other organizations, events, etc. Plus, I think we're going to see more work required by the Board and committees in the future, not less. I'm not sure how to balance that level of commitment. As a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, I was able to participate remotely over the summer months, but that committee doesn't carry the same level of responsibility as the Board. And remote meetings still have technology challenges that need to be remedied, unfortunately.

This issue probably needs more study and could depend on the circumstances of the individual. Officers should definitely need to be available full time in my opinion. I'm curious if anyone know if SCW and Grand have the same policy.

 

EXACTLY!

 

SCW: “Any resident Owner Member in good standing who is available on a year-round basis for participation in the Association’s business affairs, may become a candidate for election to the Governing Board.”

 

I tend to agree with Earl - number of days within city limits should not be an excluding factor. All necessary information can be exchanged remotely. To Tom's point, the quality of their contribution is probably greatly enhanced by their level of boots on the ground involvement in the community (but not necessarily so). I say put them on the ballot and let the resident/voters decide. Same with committees - if they are qualified to contribute, then welcome them aboard (this obviously worked with Linda).
Having said all that - I'm not up to date with the whole AZ drivers license / liquor board regulation thingy. If that still exists, it seems to be a major hang-up without a clear solution (as we've been around in circles about before) .

 

I've circled back around to read the comments. There have been a lot of comments regarding the need to be embedded in the community on a full time basis in order to contribute. I can confidently state that is not the case based upon personal experience.

We have lived in 4 "adult" communities since retiring in 1997, all of which have had large or majority snowbird ownership. We have been snowbirds in 3 of those communities. I've served on community and district boards as well as Long Range Planning, Finance, and Reserve Study committees as both follower and leader. It is not residency which determines the quality of service. It is the willingness to dig deep and hard into the subject matter. The members with the energy, willingness, and knowledge required are always in the minority. I've met more than my share of board and committee members who are physically present but do no prep work and turn off the moment they leave the meeting.

In my experience, Sun City is in the minority in its residency requirements. Prior to the advent of Zoom, telephone conferencing was a common and effective tool for participating in meetings remotely. Zoom is even better and Zoom with a large TV screen visible to those in attendance, coupled with a decent sound system, is as good as being physically present.

I read no comments regarding a point which I consider very important:

Aside from the issue of fairness in governance; the full-time only policy deprives boards and committees of the experience and expertise of part-time residents. Some of us have deep knowledge and experience with community governance and finances acquired through service in other communities as well as ownership and or senior management positions across a variety of industries. I will go so far as to suggest that the RCSC finances might not have reached such an abysmal state had there been board members with such knowledge and experience.​

I applaud those community members, past and present who have stepped up to serve on committees and boards. That said, I have been shocked by the degree to which the former GM wrested control from the board along with the surfacing of $20M in deferred maintenance. I am dismayed at the degree to which the SAC and board appear to have lost their focus and direction among the many wish list agendas. It is clear that more depth of executive and financial skills might have mitigated some of the issues we now face. While I have no census data, my observations (surrounding home and levels of RC usage) lead me to believe that fully half or more of Sun City owners are snowbirds. Perhaps a few of those part-time owners who are able to maintain two homes have some knowledge and experience which could prove beneficial to the community.

 

EarlA, I like what you posted!

 

Focused on the noise? I think we usually do well, succeeding when we identify the dream together!
Watch:
Why It's Time You Stop Complaining

 

[QUOTE="Happy Hippie, post: 29963, member: 36194]The only time I was welcomed was at lapidary, I had Bisbee turquoise and raw obsidian I wanted to donate that was given to me by a neighbor over 20 years ago. I did not donate due to poor reception at clubs. [/QUOTE]

You didn't donate rocks to the lapidary club which welcomed you because some other clubs didn't? Huh?

You are moving and still posting on here? About things that happened in the past, as you say for everyone else to move forward? Huh???