I wanted to get other people's opinion are these posts inappropriate? If so, please let me know how. As per NextDoor's guidelines (https://help.nextdoor.com/customer/portal/articles/1428058-nextdoor-guidelines-faq ) These posts had no foul language and did not personally attack anyone, however someone does not want this information to be seen. I would post the person's replies however, the entire post has now been removed.
Hopefully he can post them in the comments below as it was a great discussion and he had valid points and I am sorry that they were removed as I always welcome a true debate.
The post I responded to was titled
Not only where they have hike and bike trails
It was a link : http://m.click2houston.com/news/police-search-for-burglary-suspects-in-league-city/34418314
My reply:
Posted on Jul 30, 2015
"Funny league City has a lower crime rate then most other cities and Yet the VOCC Crime rate is up 600%. What's changed? or are you suggesting that all crime is up 600% in all of League City? No one said that crimes don't happen, that's crazy talk, What was said is that in the 15 year history of our community We have never had such a high crime rate as we have had this summer.
Sad fact is that there is a direct correlation with petty crimes happening and the higher exposure that our community now has. Simple math more people = more bad people = more crime in the community. Again, when looking at the effect of things you want to look at Year over Year crime reports. In past years, we have never had the crime that we have had this summer. Several years we had zero crimes in the community, That is a simple fact. http://raidsonline.com/
Now, I realize that the HOA pushed this path to our community, telling people it was worth 250K, the city said it was only worth 150K. (http://voccproud.com/p/
They told the Community "The community voted on a similar easement proposal in May and while an overwhelming majority did vote in favor of this proposed easement we were unable to reach the desired number of votes." http://voccproud.com/images/
As defined in the By-Laws, the term "majority" shall mean those votes, owners, or other group as the context may indicate totaling more than fifty (50%) percent of the total eligible number There are 242 members that make up the "Community" and they were all eligible to vote. http://home.earthlink.net/~
During the May vote to authorize the City's Trail, there were only 87 members who voted for the easement, a simple majority of the community is 122 votes, an over whelming majority would be even higher. http://voccproud.com/p/2014-
The HOA went home to home and told the community that the city presented a revised "easement" and asked us to vote for it. That did not happen, CMSI asked the city for the new easement document and the city never asked us to vote for it. http://voccproud.com/images/
The HOA told the community that this path would raise our home values, Studies state that Path have little to no effect on home values. ( http://www.cadsr.udel.edu/
While our home values in our community went up this year compared to last year,they did not go up proportionately to the surrounding communities we are still lower in price per sq ft than Claremont, who was originally a cheaper community than we were 15 years ago (http://har.com)
The HOA told the community that we would save 20K on maintenance of the easement and path, as the city would mow the easement and maintain the path Guess what? We are still maintaining the easement, we mow it, edge it, water it and insure it.
By increasing the length of the path, the HOA has actually increased our landscaping bill as the edging needed to be done to the path and now the path is two times as long as it was before, how is this path saving us money?
We are still waiting for trashcans and dogi-pots which have not been installed. As a result I pick up trash almost daily as I walk the path and I can't even count the amount of dog poo that is in our green spaces.
At our annual meeting the Board disclosed that we spent zero on maintain the HOA path that is $0.00 (I would show you the minutes of the annual meeting but our HOA refuses to post minutes these days for 2015 meetings and they refuse to keep minutes at all for their committee meetings or their "workshops" where they strategize about the next board meeting, They don't even keep agendas for these "workshops".
How does the community stay informed about what happens in the community?
Do you know to get a copy of the HOA minutes you have to pay 3 bucks to send a certified request to the management company? Just to be informed about what is happening in your Community., Seems very transparent doesn't it? )
How do you save thousands on Maintenance, when we did not maintain the path before? In 2013, volunteers weeded the path and replaced gravel, not the HOA. When members complained about the maintenance Board member stated not to confuse maintenance with a re-grade, which is exactly what the HOA did later when they stated we would save 20K (source email from VOCC yahoo Group - http://voccproud.com/p/
The HOA was told that there is no correlation with paths and crimes, yet other communities who have the same path, complain about graffiti and drug deals that happen on these paths ( https://villagesofoakcreekcolony.nextdoor.com/news_feed/?s=&link_source_user_id=4203405&post=12955613&ct=Lxzo3EpBWMTr-Al8JCJNO7EJDVSoHx6Lc5bar43k_ilNpgtCQM8-XsTL_nmytgKh&is=nce&mobile_deeplink_data=action%3Dview_post%26post%3D12955613&lc=233 ) and now our community crime rate is up 600%. Just goto Raidsonline.com or spotcrime.com and do a search yourself or goto : http://voccproud.blogspot.com/
We are now in a lawsuit over these misrepresentations and it could cost our community a ton of money. Meanwhile, you want to point out that crime happens in other communities too? I can only hope that the HOA prevails in the lawsuit and they are not found guilty of misrepresentations as I do not want to have to pay a special assessment to resolve the issues and cover the court cost."
End of Post
Then a second post was also "flagged"
This was a response a post that asked "if you are so informed, why are you not on the board? or volunteer"
Posted on Jul 30, 2015
"I can not condone actions by participating in them. I volunteered for the social committee, when I asked the HOA to keep minutes of the committee meeting, the Committee chairperson refused, I refused to participate in an illegal activity as our by laws states that all member meetings must have minutes (committee meetings are meeting of members) and Texas Business code specifically states that minutes of committees must be kept. http://www.statutes.legis.
When I bring this to our HOA attention they tell me that they don't have to and state no legal reason why they don't follow such a simple rule.. I volunteered for the pool committee and headed the parking committee, what have you volunteered for?
I have in the past attended HOA board meetings, however After the last meeting I attended, I refuse to go to anymore. The Board sat with its back to the audience, and then whispered so that the assembly could not hear them. Real transparent huh?
The board has made decision not to listen to members and has placed us in a position that in time could cost us a lot of money, I do not appreciate that. I have for two years tried to advise the Board on things, they have refused to listen. We are now in a lawsuit.
In September of last year, I had an executive session with two other members where we warned the HOA that a lawsuit was going to happen and showed a similar court case that the HOA did the same actions and it cost that HOA $500,000... here's the court case I referenced. http://www.hindmansanchez.com/
The response, A lawsuit would only cost the HOA $1,000 bucks... I hope that is true as now just like I warned we are in a lawsuit.
While I agree being a volunteer on the board is a difficult task, following the basic laws and common sense is not. The new people on the board, I wish the best of luck and hope that they can make a difference, but atlas since I can not view the minutes is hard to know if they are good or bad.
You have not looked at the crime maps provided... Here's a year over year for the summer months https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.
Its not three crimes in our community its much higher. I would suggest actually looking for yourself. Again, its not the amount or the number of crimes its the comparison of going from zero crimes to multiple crimes in the same time period year over year.
Do you not think that A 600% increase in crime in our community is a large increase, or are you stating that all crimes in League City are up 600% , so no big deal? Again, If all of League city had an increase of 600% in the crime rate you would have a point. However, Crime rate for League city is not up overall 600%.
I realize that you do not want to admit the negative effects that happen when more people transverse the community but that does not mean it does not happen. Post away! It's a free country and you are more than welcome to your opinion, however when I state my opinion I back it up with facts.
I do not discount your opinion as you are well with in your rights to have your opinion, as I am to have mine.I do not call you names or try to belittle you. I simply point out that crime in our community is at the highest its ever been, what's changed in our community this year?
Why is this summer so high and other summers were not? Again does the trail have benefits? Of course it does... However, since its now public property it also has liability, that liability is the increase in traffic, the wear and tear on our playset, the trash and dog poo that is left on our green space, and the increase in crime to the community. I understand that you are in favor of this trail and its not going anywhere.
No one said it is going anywhere. It's here to stay, so now we need to figure out how to curve the liability that it has created. This means having a neighborhood watch, requesting the LCPD to patrol the area, and for the the city to at least install the amenities that were promised (trash cans and dogi-pots)
Thoughts?"
end of Post
The person answered that he believes that last year there were more crimes, So I was happy to use his numbers and responded
This post was also "flagged"
Posted on Jul 30, 2015
"I am happy to use whatever numbers you would like. Only 1 crime pulls up for our community when I query it.
If there are two more then great, let's use that number, We have still doubled in crime. What's changed? Has all of League City crime doubled?
Nope, just our community. Again I always welcome other people's opinions and input, if you have a number you like great we can use that number.
The reality is that more people = more problems. How do we curve these problems? Is it unreasonable to ask LCPD to patrol the path? Is it unreasonable to ask for the city to make good on their promises of maintaining the easement? Is it unreasonable to make the city install amenities that they stated that they would install? Mainly the dogi-pots and trashcans? Is it unreasonable to save the 20K that we were promised that we would save?
We were promised that crime would not go up, but it has, even by your numbers crime has doubled... These are things that every home owner and member were promised.
I want to feel safe in my community, I want to save money on the maintenance of the path as that was promised, I do not want to pay more to edge a longer path or have to pay to mow it, I was promised that OUR community would not have to maintain these things. You too were promised the same things.
I want the HOA to hold up the promises that they made in order to push this thing through. Promises made should be kept. Those promises are not being kept.
I want my green space kept nice and neat, it is not. If it was I would not have to pick up trash daily. Any way that you want to draw it, crime is increased, trash has increased, wear and tear on the community's resource has increased (the playset is constantly used by the trail travelers).
How can we curve these items? What can we do? You can disagree with me all you want, as I have stated you are more than welcome to your opinion, I do not put you down for your thoughts or belittle you.
I enjoy having a debate, as we did not get one at the meeting that this was pushed through. So we are now stuck with it, so how do we deal with this new liabilities that it has created? Is it unreasonable to expect what was promised to be delivered?
Do you think what we were promised is what we currently have? Do we have a $250,000 trail? Nope, we have a $150,000 trail. Has our home values increase due to the trail? Hard to say but we are still selling for less than the surrounding communities, so my opinion is nope.
Did we save 20K on the maintenance of the trial? Nope, as we are still maintaining the trail and the easement as we are watering it, mowing it, and edging it. How is this saving us money?
Crime is up and by your calculations, Crime has doubled in our community. So Feel free to use that number it still illustrates the same point. Again, What can we do to change the trend? How can we get the public to not abuse our land?
What promises that were made were kept? I have stated it before, but you seem to ignore the statement, the path has benefits, but it comes with liabilities... If this path was the HOA's property it would be the best thing ever, but its not. We have lost the right to tell people to get off the property and we have lost control of our green space and playground."
End of Post
The person responded that he believe that crime had not doubled in the community even when I used his numbers So I responded:
This post was also Flagged
Posted on Jul 30, 2015
"Ummm, 3 to 6 is doubling... since you have seemed to miss one here's the list from this time:
1. On June 24,2015, a home on Brookstone was burglarized and several items were stolen. A window in the back of the house was broken and the burglars gained entry.
2 On June 19,2015, suspects were filmed breaking into a truck and trying to get in to other cars, they were last seen on foot transversing Cottage Grove, Biscayne Bend, and at the park heading south on the path. On June 25,2015, the same suspects were seen parking a white Toyota in a members driveway and then proceeding on foot to scope out homes and cars.
3 On June 20,2015, A home on Brookstone reported the theft of items from the residence.
4. On July 6, 2015, a car was reported broken into on Williamhurst, several items were taken from the car including sunglasses, gift cards, and currency.
5. On July 6, 2015 a home on Avery Hollow had a Suitcase stolen from the front porch,with in a few feet from the path.
6. On July 13, a home was attempted to be entered without permission on Spring Iris by a minor under the influence, the minor then walked around the cul-de-sac until the LCPD arrived and arrested her for being under the influence.
Yup, that's 6. So you are saying that all of League City crime has gone up the same ratio? Funny the Chief stated it was not at his public meeting the other week. Have a great day!"
End of Post
All of these message were marked as "Inappropriate" and deleted by our leads or by the original poster. None of the messages contained foul language or were attacks on other members. These post did include facts about the misrepresentations that were made to the community about the Hike and Bike Trail, these misrepresentations are part of the reason that the HOA is currently in a lawsuit.
Let me know if you find anything inappropriate about these posts and if so please let me know what you found Inappropriate so that I can avoid it in the future!
