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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2016 7 By Leighton McLaughlin A proposal to limit the terms of members on Board committees is under consideration by the HOA Board. A Town Hall meeting to explain the measure was held in August and meeting with committee chairs for their comments was held in September. The original proposal was made by a group of residents who felt their ability to have a voice in governing the community was hindered because there were no vacancies on committees that had many long- serving members. What the limits will be is yet to be decided. Board President Len Tavernetti has suggested either a six- or eight-year maximum. Vice President Jeanne Glanville would prefer four years, with a one-time extension to six years — with Board approval. The extension would be for a committee member whose particular skills are needed for the committee to function well or who is involved in an ongoing project. Tavernetti would allow indefinite extensions — again with Board approval — for "protected positions." Those would be members with specialized qualifications for their committees' work that cannot be duplicated by others in the community. Also, members would not be removed simply because their terms had ended unless the committee was full and other qualified candidates were waiting to join. Some years back, a similar proposal was made but rejected after the committee chairs unanimously objected. They said it was difficult to find effective members and terming them out arbitrarily would damage the committees' ability to function. Since then the community has grown and the pool of prospective members is much larger, making it easier to find qualified candidates. Glanville would also like to see the committee chairmanships limited to one year, with a succession plan for other members to step into the leadership role. The committees have already been required to name a co-chair to fill in during the chair's absence. Glanville said she feels the community supports the measure. "Four of us (Board members) campaigned on term limits and four of us got voted in," she said. Former Board President Jacque Sneddon said she feels the measure is unnecessary. "There are two new committees," she said. The Safety and Facilities Committee has been split into a Safety Committee and a Facilities Committee and a Community Planning and Transition Committee has been formed (see story on page 14) — and there are vacancies on two existing committees. "Until they are all staffed and there are no openings, we don't need this." And, she said, if the Board feels a committee member has served too long, "just don't reappoint them." She also said the term limit provision can be implemented through a Board Policy, not a rules change in the Community Guidelines. "Then implement it and see how it works. If a future Board wants a change, it can change a policy a lot easier than the Guidelines." The Board should move cautiously, she said. "If you impose too many rules, get too intrusive, folks won't serve." Brian Anderson, organizer of the residents group that made the original proposal, said he strongly backs Glanville's shorter limits. Limits of six to eight years are too long, he said, and defeat the intention of allowing "new ideas and new people" onto the committees. "When there were 400 to 600 homes in Four Seasons, we didn't have the number of people desiring to serve the community," he said. Now, near build-out, "We have enough homeowners — many of them younger folks with great ideas and great skill sets. They have the energy and the desire to serve." He also objected to the idea of protected positions except in the rarest cases. Those with the special skills should "mentor somebody to take over when they leave," he said. He sees committee work as a training ground for future Board members. With committee positions open to more homeowners, more will have experience to serve on the Board — now with five homeowner members, to go to seven at build-out. Tavernetti responded that protected positions would not protect incumbents, but the Finance committee, for example, would have a protected position for the Springdale homes and the Front Yard Cost Center because they have separate budgets. Another position on that committee would be reserved for someone with a finance-related degree. "You can't mentor investment strategies," he said. Louise Lyon, a long-time member of the Rules and Regulations Committee, also feels the measure is unnecessary. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," she said. "We have never had a month that there wasn't an opening on a committee." She said, "We will lose people who have valuable knowledge. Like on Rules and Regs — it's important to know how big a hassle it is to change the CC&Rs. A newcomer won't know that. Natural attrition has worked in the past. All this hubbub is just adding angst to the community." Tavernetti said after the committee chairs are heard from, the Board will discuss the varying versions of the proposal, come up with a final draft and send it to homeowners for comment before making any changes. (Note: The author of this article is a long-time member of the Communications Committee and would be affected by term limits.) Term Limits Under Consideration For Committee Members

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