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Committee Hears Bill to Bring Condo-Style Transparency to Homeowner Associations
Summary
HB1523 would require key transparency measures for homeowner associations by mirroring selected condominium-law provisions (personnel pay, expenditures, records access). Proponents said homeowners deserve access to board records; association groups supported transparency but recommended practical timing and executive-session edits.
Representative Joe Alexander introduced HB1523, aiming to move key transparency requirements from condominium law into homeowner-association (HOA) statutes. He said the text focuses on the most critical, practical items to give HOA owners information similar to condo owners: personnel compensation, spending records, and conflict-of-interest disclosures, with an effective-date delay to allow associations to collect records.
Angela O’Neal, a homeowner living full-time in an HOA-managed community, urged the committee to approve reasonable transparency so owners can see how assessments are spent and why decisions are made. She asked for balance that protects personal financial and privacy information.
Gary Dario, an association attorney representing the Community Associations Institute, said CI does not oppose the bill’s transparency goals but recommended specific edits for operational feasibility: extend the records-response window from five days to something longer (by analogy to condominium law’s 15 days), adopt a practical schedule for meeting-minute availability (15 days after approval or 60 days from the meeting), and clarify executive-session rules so lawful private deliberations remain effective without surprising owners.
Committee members discussed the trade-offs between immediate public transparency and the practical needs of boards to prepare and approve records or to hold lawful executive sessions; several suggested posting that an executive session may follow to avoid confusing owners who show up expecting a public meeting.
The chair closed testimony and referred HB1523 to the housing subcommittee for further consideration.
