CA Related Issues

As a former CA board members, I would like to see Columbia Association to shine as a self-governed homeowner association, with Jim Rouse vision. CA is unique in many aspects, with more than 100k people livining under CA, 90 million annual budget, no government structure, but only HOA.

I have received many questions regarding the recent opinion request from our office and Delegate Jen Terrasa to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office concerning the removal of board members. I wanted to provide a brief update. Because there is currently pending litigation involving issues very similar to the questions that were raised, the Office of the Attorney General has indicated that it will not issue an opinion on the matter at this time.

In addition, I have been reviewing several broader issues that have emerged from recent community discussions regarding Columbia Association (CA) governance and accountability. As a result, I am considering potential legislation during the next legislative session, including:

1. Limit CA Executive Compensation

CA is a community association, not a private corporation. Executive compensation should be reasonable and comparable to similar public-sector leadership positions, such as county executives and other local government administrators.

I believe the current compensation level (415 thousand dollars, plus many perks, probably half million dollars in total) warrants further review. For reference: our governor salary is 192k. Howard County County executive salary is 244k. US president salary is 400k.

2. Clarify Nonprofit Board Governance

I am interested in clarifying under Maryland law whether nonprofit board members should be considered employees of the organization they serve or independent elected representatives of the membership. I don’t think they should be considered employee, especially for CA since they are elected by each village.

3. Protecting Homeowners from Rising Annual Charges

Many families living in CA communities are facing steadily increasing annual charges (tax). Current law allows CA to impose an annual charge of up to 75 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The current rate is approximately 68 cents per $100 of assessed value. I am considering legislation that would reduce the statutory cap from 75 cents to 68 cents in order to provide greater protection and predictability for homeowners.

As always, I welcome feedback from residents as I continue evaluating these issues.