The Vote is Done
Whether you agree with the results or not it is time to close the books. Just like when any organization closes the books on an event or venture there is always an accounting of all the costs. The POA should do this and report the results just like they reported the outcome of the vote.
This means that they should tally up everything that was spent from the time they first started planning on trying to change the Decs and Articles to when they sent out the e-blast results announcement. The costs which must be reported include but are not limited to the following:
- An estimate of all staff time expended at the hourly rate of each individual, particularly the CEO. All staff time includes the all the board meeting time, all
the the board meeting prep time, all the email answering time, all the time spent with all the consultants, all the executive session time. And, it would include all the staff time of all employees who sat in the Center yesterday waiting on the vote. They are all on the clock, our clock.
- All the consultant’s costs. This includes all the lawyer costs to help dream up the changes proposed and attend all the meetings and the vote. The PR costs including the Ghidotti costs to do all the advertising preparation and print verbiage and design, the EGP accountants costs to count the votes, the script writing costs for the videos, and any other related consultant costs. If some of this was done by staff then those man hour costs need to be included as well.
- All the ancillary costs such as printing the mailers, printing the flyers, the e-blast costs, the postage costs, the imputed cost of the auditoriums used for the meetings and presentations, the cost of videography and live streaming.* All the travel and hotel costs, the associated meals and entertainment, an imputed cost of lost time by staff preparing for and attending these meetings.
- All the advertising costs including the radio spots, newspaper ad costs, polling costs and anything else of advertising and promotion nature. This all needs to be done ASAP and the results posted for us The Members, the ones who pay the bills to view, know and understand. Not doing this would be an abdication of that fiduciary responsibility we hear about so much.
Tom Blakeman
Hot Springs Village Property Owner
