Regulatory Compliance
Following our Governing Documents and Applicable Laws
Vote Tatyana for the Board of Directors.
Regulatory Compliance
Following our Governing Documents and Applicable Laws
The Board of Directors must lead with transparency, consistency, and integrity, following the rules and the Law.
The Board of Directors has a big financial responsibility: they manage hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by your association dues. New Jersey law and our governing documents grant you, as a unit owner, the right of access to these financial records. This helps you understand the Association's financial health and future plans. Financial transparency also prevents misconduct by increasing accountability. You don't need to give a reason when requesting records.
You are entitled to receive the annual budget and an annual Certified Public Accountant prepared financial audit. The current Board is failing to provide these documents, adopt the budget in an open meeting, and doesn't keep owners informed about Association spending.
I'm running for the Board to ensure financial transparency is restored.
Responsible fiscal management is crucial for the Board of Directors. While budgets aim to cover all expenses, emergencies do occur. New Jersey law clearly defines what constitutes an 'unforeseen or unanticipated expense,' preventing the misuse of this category for regular costs.
Our Governing Documents further protect unit owners by requiring their approval for unbudgeted expenses over $2,500, outside of extreme emergencies.
I'm running for the Board to ensure owners are informed about Association finances and have a voice in decisions involving unbudgeted spending.
Reserve studies are not optional. They are mandated by the New Jersey State Law. In a wake of the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, Structural Integrity Bill, S2760/A4384 went into effect on January 8, 2024. The law is enacted to ensure Communities have adequate funds for common area maintenance, preventing unexpected financial burdens on homeowners.
Our Association, was required to obtain one by January 8, 2025, including a 30-year funding plan. A structural inspection is also required. To date, this information for our aging Complex has not been shared with the owners.
I'm running for the Board to ensure State mandated reserve studies are done and fully disclosed to the owners.
Our community's governing documents require Board of Directors approval and a majority vote from unit owners before any property alterations or improvements can be made. This process necessitates that the Board inform unit owners of proposed changes and any associated costs beforehand.
I'm running for the Board to ensure that decisions regarding alterations, additions, or improvements will be made with the unit owners knowledge and consent.
Updating laws and rules is essential to to address evolving and changing needs. West Ridge Mews' governing documents, established in 1981, have been amended several times over the years to benefit the community. But the current Board of Directors acted differently in 2021, unilaterally changing the Master Deed and By-Laws without any open meetings, notice, or communication.
This action is unprecedented in West Ridge Mews' history. Previously, amendments were enacted only after a vote with a sufficient number of owners (a quorum). Despite this, the current Board of Directors bypassed requirements in our Governing Documents and the New Jersey Law provisions. They failed to even attempt to achieve a quorum or notify owners of the changes, instead citing general owner apathy as justification for their unilateral actions.
I'm running for the Board to ensure that Amendments to our governing documents are conducted openly and legally.
Our governing documents, in accordance with state Law, give the Board of Directors' powers and responsibilities within the Association. This includes the authority to establish "House Rules" regarding the use of common elements.
It's important to know that this power is balanced by safeguards to protect both the community and individual residents. The Board cannot unilaterally change or update these rules, such as parking fees, our By-Laws requires a majority unit owner vote.
I'm running for the Board to ensure proper protocols are followed for any Common Elements rule changes to take effect.
“Housing-related” disagreements happen in the community, sometimes between owners and sometimes between owners and the Board. As an alternative to litigation, New Jersey Law requires Associations like ours to have a formal process for resolving these disputes called Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This allows to reach a fair unbiased solution, and helps to avoid expensive lawsuits.
Our Association adopted this process back on May 4, 2017, but to me it hasn't been easily accessible. It took 11 months, 26 days for Samroz Management to provide me with a copy of this procedure.
I'm running for the Board to ensure ADR procedure is readily accessible for housing-related disputes, providing an alternative to court.
Proper procedure is essential when the Association levies fines. To ensure fairness, fines must be authorized by our governing documents, be reasonable, and include clear, written notice to the unit owner.
The notice must detail the specific violation, the rule that was broken, and the owner's right to dispute the fine through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). If the owner chooses ADR, the fine is not finalized or applied to their account until the dispute is resolved.
I'm running for the Board to ensure that if the fine is levied, it is done fairly and follows proper procedure.
Board decisions with binding votes for projects, purchases, budgets, personnel, rules, services and contracts must be made in open meetings, as required by New Jersey law. This ensures accountability and informed owners. Without open meetings, residents are shut out, vital information is withheld, and the culture of apathy prevails. Our Board of Directors meeting notices are not distributed to all unit owners, and no meeting schedule has been posted.
I'm running for the Board to ensure meetings are open, votes are public and unit owners are welcome to attend.
According to our By-Laws, the annual meeting of the Unit Owners should be held in early December at 8:00 PM. But the last meeting, held over a year and a half ago on May 22, 2023, violated several requirements: no minutes were shared, the budget wasn't distributed, and no election took place. Prior to the meeting, Board election nominations were not formally solicited, and after the Board failed to publish the open meeting schedule as required by State Law.
I'm running for the Board to ensure annual meeting of the Unit Owners is conducted properly.
“An association shall exercise its powers and discharge its functions in a manner that protects and furthers or is not inconsistent with the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the community.”