2023 Proposed Bylaw Amendments
Links to the Proposed Changes to the bylaws as submitted by the Bylaw Committee are below. Next to each section is our opinion on wether each bylaw should pass or fail.
Definitions - Section 5 - VOTE: This amendment makes minor grammatical corrections, and eliminates reference to absentee ballots, which are not permitted because our charter does not specifically include them. Reference Connecticut Offlice of Legislative Research report. We suggest you vote YES on this amendment.
Committees - Sections 15 Committees & Section 16: Standing Committees:
This amendment adds a new Section 15 that allows the formation of essentially an ad-hoc committee which may be suggested by members, or by the president. However, the committee members may only be appointed by the president, which takes away power from the members, who should be allowed to nominate committee members. Section 16-Standing Committees eliminates the wording allowing nominations by members at the May (annual) meeting giving more power to the president at the expense of members. It also technically removes the "one year only" term, which means that once appointed, they could serve indefinitely.
We suggest you vote NO on the amendments to section 15 and 16.
This amendment eliminates the following wording concerning the appointment of personnel of all committees: : "or such members as the members at a meeting may direct" and replaces it with "with consideration of suggestions from the floor." This removes power from the members and gives it all to the president.
We suggest you vote NO on the amendments to section 15 and 16.
This changes the wording from "overdue back taxes" to "overdue taxes."
This eliminates "tax collector," as our financial secretary is actually the tax collector.
We suggest you vote YES on this amendment.
Lake Privilege: Section 41 & 41A:
Eliminates "bathing" and substitutes "swimming."
We suggest you vote YES on this amendment.
Allows "picnicking" which is currently prohibited, and changes "bathing" to "swimming".
We suggest you vote YES on this amendment
Lake Sanitation - Section 48A:
This is an extensive change. The Board will determine when the lake is drawn down, and it will be limited to a period of "no more than16 days." The draw-down level does is vague and does not specify a number. There is no provision as to the 16 day limit if the lake fills up again during storms as has happened many times in the past. Last year the BOG voted to extend the drawdown, which was much longer than the 2 weeks + 2 days specified in this proposed amendment, and there is no provision for the BOG to do that in the future.
We suggest you vote NO to this amendment
Mobile Home - Sections 51 & 51A:
Where no camping has been a rule since 1937, this proposed bylaw will now allow camping by permit for a maximum of 10 days in any 30-day period, which could amount to 40 days during the warmer months. An undisclosed agreement has to be agreed to as posted on the HLA website, and is subject to a $25 per day fine if in violation of the agreement or if there is no agreement. No mention as to how the fine would work, or how we would collect it if there was a violation. And if you pitch a tent in your backyard without a permit, you could be fined. No one has ever objected to an occasional tent pitched in a backyard for kids, but this is overkill, creating more problems then it is worth. Do we need Hidden Lake Campgrounds? This is our opinion of course.
We suggest you vote NO to this amendment.
Building Regulations Section 52:
This is a substantial change. The state and town govern building regulations and permits. While 2 copies (one original) of "fully approved plans" must be submitted to "a member of the Board," that Board member will determine if both copies are the same and if there are any violations of the bylaws. Nowhere in this amendment does it mention anything about approving or not approving the plans. And if we don't approve the plans, we could be subject to legal action by the property owner, especially if the town approves the plans and issues permits. In past decades, some plans have been submitted to the board, while many, many, have not. Does HLA need to get this involved? It's up to you.
We suggest you vote NO to this amendment.