Big Canoe POA Board Sneakily Passes $25 Month Assessment Increase!

CORRECTIONS: The Board has challenged this article. I have posted a link to their response, and then my subsequent response at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FocusonBigCanoeGA/permalink/506656946695496/

I have corrected some minor portions of the following article to reflect the portions of their rebuttal that aren’t utter rubbish.

On November 21, 2019 – the POA Board PASSED a $25/month Assessment Increase on all Improved Properties (w/Homes) within Big Canoe. Vacant Lots appear to have received a $16/month Assessment Increase. The increase will take effect on January 1, 2020. This was done with almost no reasonable prior warning to property owners, but was buried in hidden fashion in lengthy documents and video statements. The Board continues to behave in a manner of total disrespect for advance transparency.

New Monthly Assessments will be:

Lot w/Home = $307.00 / month

Undeveloped Lot = $198.00 / month

On other news, it has been confirmed to this Newspaper that the final draft of the proposed changes to the $2,500 Lot / $5,000 Home Capital Initiation Fee (CIF) changes to the Covenant – were finalized at the last moment prior to mailing the ballots. The Developer has demanded an exemption. Nobody even knows what the final language we will be voting on is yet. All we know is that the ballots are scheduled to go out November 27.

It is of note that the Developer, who SELLS property in the community, has 60+/- current lots, and RIGHTS to develop and sell approximately 1,000 more, is demanding an exemption based on his Covenant Powers to veto any changes to the Covenant (granted in 2005). This is being billed as a BUYER oriented CIF, but even the Developer obviously is aware of who is ultimately going to fund this – the SELLERS. And once they get their exemption, the Developer will most likely be Bulk Voting for this. So will all the Timeshares, that always Block Vote with the POA. Property Owners will most likely never know what the Vote looks like in a breakdown of “Member Types”, although one can only hope that one day voting transparency will exist withint he community.

Lastly, talk of litigation against the POA if they continue with the POA Vote is heating up. 323 Properties (and approximately 570 Individuals) have been denied the Vote in what is becoming Crystal Clear is a violation of the Covenants and By-Laws. In a possible attempt at heading off litigation, and forcing the POA to comply with the Voting Rules, property owners are being urged to contact Mauldin & Jenkins, the Vote Auditors, to express your concerns. The publisher of this Newspaper, also a property owner, is preparing a detailed challenge to the process being used in this vote, and intends to submit it formally, putting Mauldin and Jenkins on legal notice regarding the concerns. They should be legally forced to step in.

Contact Info for our Mauldin & Jenkins representative, Greg Morgan, can be found here:

https://www.mjcpa.com/partners/greg-morgan/

Why do they always try and sneak all this through during the Holidays?! The community should be preparing to enjoy family and friends. Instead we are forced to protect our rights.