HOA Taskforce Exemplifies Concerns with Colorado Community Associations

It was bizarre and disturbing to witness HOA Homeowners' Rights Task Force member Lee Freedman engage with a member of the public in "fact finding" and start an argument during the 1/2/24 public forum, essentially accusing that homeowner of providing false information to the Task Force. Mr. Freedman, an attorney who represents the interests of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) has previously engaged in 20 to 30 minute-uninterrupted commentary consuming vast swaths of Task Force meetings. Perhaps there should be standards of conduct for Task Force members?

It was also surprising and equally disturbing to witness Task Force member Lallis Jackson claim that there is no requirement to keep meeting minutes beyond 7 years. CRS 8-33.3-317 places no upper limit on meeting minute retention periods. DORA published this video about document retention and production. From the DORA YouTube video at 1:26:

"The following records must be provided when properly requested: they include minutes of all association meetings..."

The DORA HOA Homeowners' Rights Task Force public comment session was not a forum for "fact finding" or rebuttal of the homeowners who gave up hours of their time to observe and provide testimony, yet two members of the Task Force took it upon themselves to engage in ways that were inappropriate at best and demoralizing at worst.

If members of the Task Force representing the business industry who own, operate and directly manage community associations 1) do not know the law, and 2) openly claim their own version of misinformation contrary to the law, what hope is there for homeowners who simply want to ensure their association engages in good faith according to the law and their governing documents? The DORA YouTube sums it up: "...file a lawsuit."

DORA, as the agency facilitating these meetings, should take more decisive action to correct blatantly false information and immediately begin using a professional facilitator such as is the practice for the Metropolitan District Homeowners' Rights Task Force.