Commission on Common Ownership Communities

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting

December 4, 2013

(Approved)

The monthly meeting of the Commission on Common Ownership Communities was called to order at 7:07 pm by Chairman Elizabeth Molloy.

Present: Commissioners Molloy, Dubin, Whelan, Coyle, Cromwell, Fonoroff, Zajic, Fishbein, Stone, Ethier, Winegar, and Weinstein (12).

Absent: Commissioner Brandes, Kabakoff, Alkon (3).

Also attending: Associate County Attorney Walter Wilson; CCOC Staff Ralph Vines and Peter Drymalski; Larry Dorney.

            1. MINUTES.  

           The minutes of the November, 2013, meeting were approved with corrections proposed by Mr. Zajic (Commissioners Whelan, Dubin, Coyle, Cromwell and Fonoroff abstaining).

            2. APPLICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT AS PANEL CHAIRS         

            The Commission unanimously approved the appointments of Mr. Mitchell Alkon and Mr. Bruce Birchman as panel chairmen.

            3. NEW CASES PRESENTED FOR REVIEW:

            There were no new cases presented for review.  The panels set hearing dates for #41-13 (January 22, 2014), #28-13 (January 23, 2014), and #12-13 (January 29, 2014).

            4. REQUESTS TO THE COMMISSION:

            None.

            5. DECISIONS AND ORDERS ISSUED; OTHER LITIGATION:

            Staff reviewed the recent decision in #22-13, Tang v. The Elizabeth Condominium.  In that case, the hearing panel held that a settlement agreement only affected claims up to the date of the agreement but did not affect future claims involving damage occurring in the future; the panel also held that although the complainant proved there were water leaks into her unit, she did not produce any evidence of damage resulting from those leaks.  The panel refused to issue an order to the association to correct the leaks since the association showed it had already adopted an association-wide renovation plan.

            6. COUNTY ATTORNEY'S REPORT:

            None.

            7. STAFF REPORTS:

            Staff reported it had revised and reprinted the CCOC brochure on “Your Community’s Meetings” in order to reflect a recent change in the open meetings law for condominiums.  Citizen requests to the CCOC for information and advice now comprise one-third of all such requests received by the Office of Consumer Protection.  There will be a meeting of all the volunteer panel chairs on December 12, 2013.

            8. COMMITTEE REPORTS:

            Ms. Molloy reported for the Education Committee.  The CAI/CCOC seminar will take place December 7, 2013; and volunteers are needed to purchase food, set up and then clean up the cafeteria.  Commissioners Dubin, Molloy, Fishbein and Ethier volunteered.

            Ms. Ethier reported for the Annual Forum Committee.  The Forum will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2014, from 10am to 1pm.  The committee is considering speakers, and will request outlines from them.  There will be several different presentations, all related to the topic of reserve planning.  The committee wants an ad in the CAI Quorum and in other publications, which it requests the staff to draft.

            9. OLD BUSINESS:

            None.

            10. NEW BUSINESS:

            Staff reported that the County Executive is soliciting applications for the CCOC with the deadline being December 18, 2013.  Two commissioners are needed to review the applications with the staff and to make recommendations to the County Executive.  Ms. Molloy and Mr. Fishbein volunteered for this committee.

            11. NEXT MEETING:  

The next meeting will be Wednesday, January 8, 2014, and the

following meeting will be Wednesday, February 5, 2014.

The Commission adjourned at 8:10 pm.