Mayors keep saying they don't have a choice, but why not?
Elk River
Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids
The mayor and city manager were asked about holding a town hall meeting to discuss what the city can do to offer some sort of protection for homeowners in a HOA. "We don't get involved in disputes between neighbors," was the response. Not even when this is a special neighborhood they created. Yes, they do - when a dog poops on someone's property and it isn't cleaned up, they will invest city resources to get it cleaned up. So they were asked how homeowners can matter to the city as much as dog poop does, and the refused to answer.
Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids
The mayor of Coon Rapids also holds a real estate license. - so he not only creates HOAs, he sells people into them, as well. He says he has never heard of anyone having an issue with a HOA, but he also refuses to hold a town hall meeting. It's not possible to hear about issues when you refuse to have the conversation in the first place.
Lakeville
Coon Rapids
Lakeville
When the HOA in Lakeville got roofs replaced that didn't need to be replaced, it made the news. In the story is the mayor "expressing concern" over it, but the soundbite for the press is all the mayor is doing for the neighborhood he created.
Eagan
Brooklyn Park
Lakeville
A disabled homeowner put up a shed to store a riding mower so she could take care of her property. There was no expense to the HOA, the bylaws didn't prohibit it, the shed was on her own property and the city said it was ok for her to have it. The HOA decided the city was wrong and bullied her into removing it. When a member of the city council was asked why an HOA has more authority than they do, the response was to hem and haw. So , she was aksed why they would agree to the shed in the first place, the response was "we don't check addresses before we issue a permit." They know the harm this homeowner is experiencing, but they, somehow can justify looking the other way.
Minneapolis
Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park
The city has a civil rights office that welcomes renters, but they won't take calls from HOA homeowners, even though the city establishes them without any requirement that they be run with sane sound business practices, or even to follow city ordinances. I heard from one homeowner who was hit with $7,000 assessment because the board needed to shore up it's budget, and the board was not even required to tell her what the money was for or why there was such a shortfall. It's not a business practice the city could tolerate for themselves, but they chose to look the other way for the homeowner. When the Heritage Park homeowners were being targeted, city council members were fully aware of what was happening, and still chose to not call it wrong, and they still implement HOAs with the same business model.
Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park
On one hand they publicly acknowledge that they have a lot of complaints from HOA homeowners, but on the other hand, they don't find a need to change the way they authorize the development of HOAs in their city. So, if you poke the bubble on what they say, they know they are facilitating harm to homeowners, but the harm them are causing isn't worth figuring out a new way to do things when we can make a public statement that looks like we care - even when there is no substance to it.
St. Cloud
League of Minnesota Cities
League of Minnesota Cities
One group of homeowners didn't have an association for more than 17 years, but were forced into one when the city sold surrounding properties to a developer. The unlicensed management company who is collecting their dues and has the ability to force them into foreclosure for not paying the dues told the legislative workgroup that they are fully aware the homeowners never agreed to the HOA.
League of Minnesota Cities
League of Minnesota Cities
League of Minnesota Cities
They are a membership-based trade association for cities in the state of Minnesota. They are aware of the harm the business model for implementing HOA does to homeowners, but refuse to set a policy that acknowledges it. They also have fought against having a discussion that would help municipalities figure out a different way to do HOAs so that homeowners don't have to give up their civil rights in order for the municipality to financially benefit from the development. Their lobbyist told the legislature that they don;t want truthfulness and transparency to be available for homeowners to enable them to make a fully informed choice on whether or not they want to purchase into a HOA. He also told the legislature they don't want the legislature to take away their right to implement HOAs in an unfortunate manner.