HOA are necessary but need to include the community

I live in a townhome community in south east Aurora. I recognize the necessity of an HOA in my case as the outside of the town homes must be taken care of and a lot of that area is community area. My issue is with the HOA being slightly underhanded to ensure that the screen is pulled over residents eyes and mismanagement of HOA funds.

My husband and I moved into our community in 2020. Upon moving in, we found out that the HOA has not been putting funds away properly and as a result, the roofs that the HOA was supposed to maintain and care for, could not be maintained by the HOA. This fell to the homeowners to then make a claim against their personal homeowners insurance in order to replace the roofs. This was a non negotiable. We were required by the HOA to make that claim, despite the fact that the covenants state that the roof is the HOA's responsibility.

Then there is the issue of snow removal. I have photos of the snow from last year. We were unable to safely leave our cul-de-sac on foot due to the amount of snow and ice that had caked all walking surfaces not maintained by the homeowners. We brought this to the HOA's attention. We were told that because the sidewalks appeared clear from the outside of the community, it was fine. The HOA never came into the cul-des-sac or the interior of the community to verify the complaint. We ended up doing it ourselves despite having to continue to pay for snow removal.

We put in an ARC request for our deck. The paperwork we submitted stated that we would hear back with in 30days of the request. It took almost 60 days to hear back from the HOA and even then we received a letter that had a list of items we really didn't understand that they wanted clarification on. We decided to abandon the project in the mean time because it was almost September by the time we heard back and we couldn't see being able to finish the project safely within the 60 days we specific. On top of that, we think the HOA came by to take photos of our deck but we were never told if it was them. We had a woman show up around 1800 on a weeknight evening. She snapped several pictures and literally ran away. We are assuming it was the HOA, however, our requests were ignored when we asked if it was someone from the HOA. We would have loved to meet the individual and answer any questions she had. To this day, no complaints have been filed against us so we can only assume it was the HOA taking photos.

That brings us to a recent event in which the HOA decided that all homeowners would have to carry an H03 or H05 policy, meaning that the HOA would no longer cover any portion of the insurance. My husband and I were fine with this since this was affecting all homeowners, meaning that everyone was in the same boat. However, repeated requests to see about a decrease in HOA fees have been shrouded in secrecy and round about comments. The removal of the insurance policy held by the HOA yielded a 25% decrease in needs for the budget. By their own account they current have $250,000 to $ 500,000 in reserves. With such great numbers, you would think that they would reduce the HOA fees. After the last board meeting, it sounds like they are considering an increase in fees despite the fact that they have reduced their overall costs. We also found out that the HOA fees are covering redundant services. For example, the HOA is currently paying a company to come out and take care of the dog stations in addition to paying the landscapers to do the same tasks. This feels like a mismanagement of everyone's money. And that is just one example.

HOA meetings are held monthly, however, incorrect Zoom ID's are sent out so you cannot attend the meetings. Comments and questions are glazed over during meetings. The most recent meeting we were met with laughter from board members about an "insurance faux pas" that cost the community money. What worries me that is budget increases are voted on by the community. 50% of the community has to be present in order to vote, otherwise HOA fees automatically increase. If the wrong Zoom ID is sent out, that bars people from voting, there by silencing their voice.

In terms of communications, we are currently being blocked from sending e-mails to the HOA. They are returned as undeliverable. We have received frantic emails, in one case notifying us of a bear in the neighborhood when the bear was actually 45 minutes away by car and then received a snarky email, not apologizing for the miscommunication but rather shifting the blame. It can sometimes take the HOA up to 60 days to answer basic emails such as about trash removal. I am currently paying $312 in HOA fees monthly. I realize that my story isn't nearly as horrible as some, however, the HOA I live with is a mess and needs to be better regulated.

Update:

We went to the most recent HOA meeting in person. We watched as the HOA actually began gaslighting residents about questions. For example, one resident asked about missing meeting minutes since he is unable to attend meetings due to his work schedule. The HOA explained that they were there, he just wasn't looking. My husband and I quickly explained to the neighbor that we had contacted the HOA with the same question and never received a response. Turns out that they had posted the meeting minutes several months after the meetings were held, just days before the in person meeting. They refused to acknowledge the e-mails we sent and made it seem like we were crazy. Furthermore, we found out that the new insurance requirements were not mandatory and cannot be enforced if the house is paid for. This means that, in our townhouse community, we could be living next to people who have no HO3 or HO5 coverage, meaning that we could be in a lot of hurt if something happens. Our super lovely treasurer then laughed and told everyone that the price of the insurance coverage only affected those who had paid off their homes, otherwise the cost was added to the mortgage which doesn't affect anyone apparently in that case. My husband and I are now paying close to an additional $1000 monthly because of the HOA fees and the insurance increase, but of course, it doesn't affect us according to the HOA.

I really think the task force needs to start looking closer at these HOA's. At what point are HOA's held accountable for their inability to manage the most basic things. I have e-mails in which the HOA informed the community that they were working with the task force to ensure that their interests were being upheld....not the interests of the residents but the interests of the HOA. If that is the case, it only strengthens the abuse of power by HOA's. Something needs to be done.