Aloha from Makaha Valley Plantation,
Welcome to the MVP April 2024 newsletter. To our existing owners and new owners, we wish you a warm (albeit wintery) welcome!
Checking Owner Accounts and Overdue Fees
It is every homeowners responsibility to pay their association fees promptly, as well as citations and other expenses. An overdue account can result in overdue charges and, if left unattended, the costs can rack up. You can setup a login with Touchstone and determine if your account is accurate and up to date – otherwise you may find unexpected or unpleasant costs appearing!
To check your account you’ll need to create a login with Touchstone.
- Visit https://www.touchstoneproperties-hawaii.com
- Click View your account or payment history – this will open the SKYLINE dashboard.
- You’ll need to enter a username and password and if this is your first time here you’ll need to call Touchstone on 808-566-4100
- Tell the operator you are signing up for a SKYLINE Dashboard Account and you will be transferred to accounting, and can then request a username and password.
- Once you receive your unique username and password, write it down for future reference, and proceed with your login!
- You can then review your account history and make payments as needed.
Election By-Laws Update
Last year we tried to update our Bylaws with a Proposed Voting Amendment. Unfortunately, we fell just shy of the 66% of owner-votes necessary, so we are trying again this year.
Our Bylaws currently require directors be elected at a meeting where (1) a quorum is present and (2) a majority of those present vote in favor of electing that individual. These requirements make it difficult to elect directors because of “quorum-only” proxies. Let’s dig into that…
Imagine a typical annual meeting where we reach 55% quorum, where 40% of owners are attending or have designated their proxy to another owner, and 15% are quorum-only votes. A quorum-only vote is where an owner indicates that the meeting can occur, but they do not assign their voting power to anyone. The best way to think of this is that every quorum-only owner is an empty chair in the room.
That’s helpful to get a meeting to occur but empty-chairs do not vote, yet are included in the overall majority-calculation. The empty chairs are “present” but they abstain from voting.
At our last election we had 55% quorum, which meant a director needed over 27.5% of the vote to be elected (because 55% divided by 2 is 27.5%) – but in practical terms that meant that 67.5% of the real owners (and their designated proxies) present had to vote for a particular candidate. We were fortunate to elect 4 directors this year but when there are many candidates, or the race is close, no-one gets elected and current directors roll over to the next year.
So, with that analogy in mind our By-laws amendment is simply excluding those empty quorum-only chairs from the voting process. In this way we can still get quorum and have the meeting, but when it comes to the voting it’s only actual owners (and designated proxies) that will be counted, thereby making it much easier for directors to achieve a majority and be elected! This change will lead to much more efficient elections and a board that is more representative of the owner’s will. If you have any questions about this, please reach out!
Lanai and Windows Reminder
We’d like to remind owners and tenants of the rules associated with items on lanais and in windows. These rules ensure that owners on higher levels do not adversely affect owners below them and ensures that the entire complex maintains a pleasing and consistent aesthetic. From the house rules:
D3 – No personal items, including but not limited to clothes, towels, bathing apparel, toys, brooms, mops, cartons, shoes slippers, laundry or other objects shall be hung on or from lanais or landing railings, or placed on lanai, doorways, passageways, stairs or landings.
D16 – Window coverings, curtains and drapes shall be white and shall hang at full length at all times with appropriate tie-backs allowed. The requirement applies only to the fabric visible from outside the apartment. Draperies or curtains with separate linings may be in any color so long as the lining is white. No Occupant may use bed sheets, towels, or similar items as drapes or cover the windows with newspaper or aluminum foil. All window coverings shall be kept in good condition at all times.
Thanks for helping us keep MVP beautiful!
Owner’s Portal Update and Insurance Summary
Have you looked at our new Owner’s Portal yet? We have recently added a summary of our insurance policy so you can better understand where your association fees are going! To get a login please contact Jolynn in the front office (email mvpadmin001@hawaii.rr.com) and then login at https://makahavalleyplantation.org/login/
We will continue adding documents to the portal so owners have more and more information about their association.
Thank you for being a member of our wonderful community! If you have any questions or would like to get in touch please feel free to reach out to Chester, our property manager, or your board of directors: www.makahavalleyplantation.org
Mahalo,
The MVP Board of Directors