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Leilani board and residents debate 'lava lots' billing, some call for refunds
Summary
Board members and residents pressed the association to resolve inconsistent billing of eruption-affected 'lava lots' and discussed refunding payments made in error; committees will meet to propose bylaw changes for equitable assessments.
Board and residents spent significant time on the status of so-called "lava lots" — parcels affected by the eruption — where some owners were billed assessments while others were not. Committee speakers described the situation as uneven and urged action to either refund those who paid when neighboring lots were not billed or to change bylaws going forward.
Speaker 8 summarized the problem: some lots recorded as 100% covered were billed at values of $1 in county records and some owners were invoiced and paid small collections, while many similar lots were not billed. "My recommendation is that we refund those monies to the people that did pay," Speaker 8 said, urging the committee to meet and craft consistent rules. Speaker 12 noted the issue will likely require bylaw changes to create a uniform method for assessments, and warned that bylaw amendments are costly and must be timed for inclusion in the election package if they are to be decided by full membership.
Board members asked the bylaws committee to produce options that respect statutory and bylaw constraints; several speakers reminded the group that current bylaws may require full assessment for every lot unless formally changed. The board scheduled follow-up committee work and a public forum at the Oct. 25 members meeting to collect input and potential amendment language.
