Gleneagle Civic Association Town Hall Meeting, Oct. 15 – Town Hall covers ballot measures

By David Futey

On Oct. 15, the Gleneagle Civic Association (GCA) board held a Town Hall in the Antelope Trails Elementary School (ATES) gym, presenting information on the voting process and highlighting specifics related to three ballot measures. Residents are asked to vote on the re-written GCA covenants declarations, an amendment regarding short-term leasing, and increasing the annual assessment dues. Ballots were scheduled to be mailed to addresses on file associated with all 703 homeowners on Oct. 16. Documents and other information related to these measures can be found at the GCA website (https://www.gleneaglehoa.org/home/).

Board members Jimmy Owenby, GCA president, Steve Kouri, treasurer, Glenn Leimbach, board member at large, Mark Connell, board member at large, and Jeff McLemore, board member, along with GCA legal counsel Bryce Meighan with Orten, Cavanaugh, Holmes & Hunt LLC were present. There were over 40 GCA members in person and others joining online. Owenby and Meighan primarily presented information on the voting process, background on each ballot measure, and answers to questions from in-person and online attendees.

Key points from the meeting include:

• A 67% approval is required for each measure to pass. Thus, if all 703 households are in good standing, meaning not in arrears of paying their annual assessment and their voting right is suspended, then 471 households need to vote in the affirmative for a measure to pass.
• There is one ballot vote per household.
• The measures are independent of each other. Thus, one or two measures can pass while the other(s) fail.
• An unreturned ballot is considered a no vote for all three measures.
• Ballots must be returned by Dec. 14 to be counted.
• The ballot mailing will include a letter with information on the voting process and on how to get a copy of the documents being voted on. A SASE will also be included.
• Owenby said the board received 100-120 emails with suggestions for the declaration re-write along with feedback from the previous two town halls. So, the declarations being voted on are different in part from what was originally proposed. He reiterated that the present covenants were mainly written in 1973 and 1983 along with amendments added over time. He said, “There are items [in the present covenants] that do not comply with Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act [CCIOA], state law, are no longer relevant or are unenforceable.”
• Among the changes made from the original draft of the covenant declarations to the voted-on document include:
  • A GCA mission statement was added.
  • A maximum yearly assessment is capped at $200. It was set at $400 in the original draft. If the covenants declaration passes, the $200 cap exempts the association from CCIOA for a large, planned community. This would be a “big benefit,” according to Meighan.
  • Any change to the open space would require an 80% affirmative vote from GCA members in good standing.
  • A section on borrowing was removed given the GCA’s reserves and insurance coverage.
  • A special assessment vote affirmation was changed from 51% to 67%.
• The proposed annual assessment is $140. The present annual assessment is $67.
• The board is preparing two separate budgets, depending on whether the proposed annual assessment increase passes or doesn’t.
• Any board proposals on rules or regulations cannot conflict with the covenants’ declarations.
• There was a discussion on the impact of members not paying their assessments, fines for violations, and if the board can foreclose on a property. Meighan said, “I have been involved with the GCA for 20 years and do not recall any foreclosure” related to unpaid assessments or fines. Fines are seen as a method to achieve compliance with the covenants. Voting rights and other privileges can be suspended if assessment dues are in arrears.
• Members expressed concern about not receiving or inconsistently receiving emails regarding the process to update the covenants. Owenby said, “At least two letters have gone out since May requesting updated contact information, one from Balanced Bookkeeping after they took over for Warren Management and the other from Centerpoint.” Balanced Bookkeeping manages the master contact file. Members should contact the board if they are not receiving information or go to the GCA website, where they can update their information with Balanced Bookkeeping.
• Members expressed concern about the special assessment section in the declaration. Owenby said the board had difficulty determining what a special assessment might be because the GCA “has no swimming pool, tennis court or other facilities” that might require significant or unexpected upkeep. He said one possibility would be if flooding from the open space caused damage to adjacent houses. A special assessment might be needed to cover costs above what the association’s insurance covers. He noted “the proposed annual assessment increase is for maintaining the operation of the association such as maintaining the open space” and mitigating the possibility of flooding or fire.
• The leasing amendment, if it passes, would be incorporated into whichever covenants declaration is retained after the voting concludes.
• The GCA annual meeting will be held at ATES at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12.

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For more information on the Gleneagle Civic Association, see https://www.gleneaglehoa.org.

David Futey can be reached at davidfutey@ocn.me.

Other Gleneagle Civic Association articles

• Gleneagle Civic Association Board of Directors, Sept. 30 – Board defends use of companies for duties (10/30/2025)
• Gleneagle Civic Association, Aug. 12 – GCA holds Town Hall to review rewritten covenants (9/4/2025)
• Gleneagle Civic Association, March 19 – Covenants undergoing updates (4/5/2025)
• Gleneagle Civic Association, Nov. 14 – City responds to GCA regarding amphitheater noise (1/4/2025)
• Gleneagle Civic Association annual member meeting, Nov. 14 – Leaders urged to oppose noise variance renewal (12/5/2024)
• Gleneagle Civic Association, Sept. 19 – GCA annual meeting date moved (10/5/2024)
• Gleneagle Civic Association Board of Directors, Mar. 17 – Discussion of management’s role continues (4/6/2024)