HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - June 15, 2018
Published: Fri, 06/15/18
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Why One HOA Is Sticking with Its Monthly Hard-Copy Newspaper
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In this week's tip, we talk to an HOA that's in the newspaper business. (You read that right.)
Theresa Balk, the general manager at the 1,800-home Candlewick Lake HOA in Poplar Grove, Ill., is in the newspaper business at a time when traditional newspapers are struggling to stay afloat.
"There's been a newspaper since I began living here in 1995," she says.
If you head to the website for Candlewick Lake — a 2,400-lot development begun in the 1970s that's still not fully built out — you can find an archive of its newspapers going back to 2016. But Balk says the HOA also has actual copies of the hard-copy newspapers it's printed for years.
The HOA's newspaper comes out monthly, and it's typically 28 pages, though it's been as slim as 12 pages depending on the ads sold.
"It's our communication with our property owners," says Balk, who began working for the HOA in 2000. "If we have to notify them of something, like posting the annual meeting, we send a notice in a regular mailing, but we use the newspaper as a tool to communicate with residents and property owners."
The newspaper is created by a team. "We have managers and a communications commission who oversee the newspaper," says Balk. "We have a newspaper editor who's an owner volunteer, who generally oversees the process, and we have volunteers who write articles and take pictures. My managers also put in articles related to their departments."
Quick tangent: What's the difference between a commission and a committee? "The commission is all volunteers, beside my manager, and it makes recommendations to me or the board," says Balk. "A committee has ability to make decisions and has to have at least three board members. The communications commission also does other things related to communication."
Balk hires a professional to lay out the newspaper, and a printer handles the printing and mailing of each issue. "It goes to all the residents here, right in their mailbox, and another list of offsite owners and some other HOAs and other community leaders," explains Balk. "Parts of the newspaper are also distributed to local stores; maybe those businesses have advertised. All of those things are sent through our printer."
All told, the HOA prints 3,000 newspapers each month.
The HOA has considered going digital but decided against it. Find out why, in addition to what this costs the HOA, in our new article: https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Newspapers-HOAs-are-Publishing-Actual-Newspapers.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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Newspapers? HOAs are Publishing Actual Newspapers?
Theresa Balk, the general manager at the 1,800-home Candlewick Lake HOA in Poplar Grove, Ill., is in the newspaper business at a time when traditional newspapers are struggling to stay afloat.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Newspapers-HOAs-are-Publishing-Actual-Newspapers.cfm
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Another Condo/HOA Legal Trend to Watch: Dispute Resolution Requirements
More and more HOAs and condos are now required to create formal dispute resolution policies and procedures. In this week's tip, we get you up to speed on this new trend.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Another-CondoHOA-Legal-Trend-Watch-Dispute-Resolution-Requirements.cfm
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More States Require HOAs/Condos to Have Formal Dispute Resolution Policy
According to the Associa® publication HOAleader.com first reported on last month, "Future Focused: Your Definitive Guide to the Ideas, Tools, Trends and Big Changes Driving Community Associations in 2018," a trend affecting community associations is that of legislators regulating the process for owner disputes.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/More-States-Require-HOAsCondos-Have-Formal-Dispute-Resolution-Policy.cfm
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Setting the Record Straight on Condo/HOA Presidents' Power
In this week's tip, we start with a quick quiz to test your knowledge:
True or False: Can your HOA or condo board president vote on routine issues at your association's board meetings, or is the president allowed to vote only if there's a tie?
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Setting-Record-Straight-on-CondoHOA-Presidents-Power.cfm
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Illinois and Chicago and Their Conflicting Laws on Condo Records Requests
Apparently, the city of Chicago wants its say on community association owners' records requests, and its say contradicts Illinois law. That's because Chicago recently passed an ordinance that allows condo associations to opt out of a state law governing that issue.
Click here to read full article:
https://www.hoaleader.com/members/Illinois-Chicago-Their-Conflicting-Laws-on-Condo-Records-Requests.cfm
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