Ashford Three Owners Association

Annual Meeting & Elections...

Aug 21, 2003

Time has come again to seek candidates for election to the Board of Directors, the Architectural Control Board and to seek volunteers for the Recreation Committee.
Elections will be held on Thursday October 16th at 7 PM at Julian Barrs Park (formerly Crystal Springs Park). Unlike elections that occurred last year, our property manager is going to be overseeing the elections and helping us follow state guidelines, so the format may seen a bit different than what you may have been used to in the past.
We need candidates for office to notify the association of their intent to run for a seat on either Board by Thursday September 18th so their name may be included on the official ballot to be mailed to every homeowner on Monday September 22nd. Candidates must send their intent to run letter by mail to Florida Property & Association Management, Ashford Unit Three Elections, Post Office Box 350210, Jacksonville, Fl, 32235-0210 or e-mail: ashfordthree@netscape.net.
A nominee can include a single- page typed biography, position statement, or other information they feel will help voters know their position. These will be included with the ballots.
Once the nominations have been received, the property manager will prepare and mail the official ballots including a separate self-addressed return envelope. On the outside of the envelope will be a certification block where the homeowner of record has to sign and then either mail or hand deliver by the day of the elections.
We encourage everyone to mail their ballots back just in case there is a situation the precludes your attendance on the day of the elections. You can always pull your ballot on the day of the elections and change your vote before the envelopes are opened and the election process begins. There will also be Proxy forms included in the election package for those of you who will be appointing someone to represent you at the elections. You do not need to fill out a Proxy form if you are voting in-person or by mail.
The ballot itself will not have any personal identifying information on it, so please do not put your name or any other personal information on it. The only thing you mark is your choices for each Board and your decision on the covenant amendments and nothing else or your ballot is invalid.
On the day of the elections, an election committee will validate the envelopes against an owners listing and will then open the envelopes and place the ballots in a separate pile from the outside envelopes so secrecy can be maintained. Once the election committee counts and validates the election, the new Board will be announced.
It takes a minimum of 3 nominees to fill vacancies on the Board. If we only receive 3 nominees then state statutes say elections do not need to be held as the number of nominees equals the minimum number of vacant seats.
That also holds true if 5 nominees are received. Since you decided last year that the Board can be made up of 5 officers, if 5 nominees are received for 5 open slots, then those 5 candidates will be elected by default and elections will not be needed. Hopefully, we will receive plenty of nominees and this won?’t be the case. Also, if we do not receive enough nominees for the Board, the current Board will remain in place until another election date can be scheduled.
After the elections are completed and the officers announced, there will be an open discussion about the 2004 budget and then volunteers will be sought to fill vacancies on the Recreational Committee. If you do not feel you have the time to devote to filling a seat on the Board of Directors, we encourage you to get involved and run for a seat on the Architectural Control Board which has a substantially smaller time commitment or you can volunteer to be on the Recreation committee as the association needs your help in these areas to ensure diversity and to keep things fresh within the association.
Following this, there will be a period of open discussion from the floor. We will limit each person?’s time to 2 minutes until everyone has had a chance to be heard or 45 minutes has elapsed. There will also be forms available if you would like the new Board to work on a suggestion or you have a complaint. Remember, the Board will not be trying to solve problems on the day of the annual meeting. Each suggestion or complaint will be addressed and the individual who fills out the form will be notified of any actions taken.
After the meeting is officially adjourned, there will be a meeting of the new Board of Directors to set the positions each new board member will serve in and then the new board will vote on the 2004 Budget and Annual Maintenance Assessment Rate, something that is required by the Covenants and Restrictions.
We hope to see you there!