Federation seeks to help

December 20, 2007

Federation seeks to help

I enjoyed your editorial column on anti-renting covenants (Suburban renting causes controversy in Madison, Dec. 13).

I have not researched this issue yet, but my initial legal opinion would be that a subdivision can only enforce covenants that are adopted before property is purchased. Once a person purchases property, he or she is vested with certain rights that usually cannot be taken away, only reasonably regulated through covenant enforcement or by governments for general public health and welfare. If, when a person purchases property, there is a covenant in place that says one can't rent or lease, that would be binding because the person is purchasing a "smaller" bundle of rights.

The Federation of Madison County Home Owners Associations hopes to serve as vehicle to assist in the resolution of issues such as this. We believe that the overall goal of the city of Madison in assisting in covenant enforcement is to promote property values and public safety and to maintain our community's quality of life. It is not, as another paper's editor wrote, to establish some sort of "exclusive" community.

Al Sage

Madison Read more...

Madison man cleared in covenant case

December 7, 2007

Madison man cleared in covenant case

Elizabeth Crisp
elizabeth.crisp@clarionledger.com

A judge has found resident Richard Atkinson not guilty of violating a provision of the city's zoning ordinance that makes a violation of one's homeowners association covenants is a crime.

Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Speetjen said she could not find Atkinson, who was accused of continuing to lease a home in the Northbay subdivision after Northbay Homeowners Association directors banned rentals, guilty of a criminal offense.

After hours of debate between city attorney John Hedglin and Atkinson attorney Jim Pierce, the judge said she thought the issue was too confusing for Atkinson to be certain that he was committing a crime.

Most of the debate focused on the fact that the provision that bans homeowners from leasing houses in Northbay was adopted as a resolution by the association’s board of directors rather than being adopted as a covenant.

There also was debate over the timeline on passage of the resolution, when it was filed and when the lease was signed.

“At the end of the day, before you can be criminally punished you have to understand the crime,” Speetjen said. “We've gone back and forth over this, and it's still not clear.”

Though some questioned the constitutionality of the city ordinance, Speetjen did not address that issue. Others could still be arrested for violating it, she said.

“They will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis,” the judge said.

Atkinson was the second person to go to trial over an alleged violation of the ordinance.

In October, Cross Creek resident Gary Beck was convicted of violating the same city ordinance because he did not obtain architectural approval from his homeowners association before building a greenhouse in his back yard.

Beck filed an appeal in Madison County Court on Nov. 2, questioning the provision's constitutionality. A trial date will be set during the court's docket call Monday.

If convicted, Atkinson faced a fine of up to $100, and he could have been arrested again if he continued to lease the home.

According to the city ordinance, a second offense would be punishable by a fine of up to $500 and five days in jail. A third offense is punishable by a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail.

Beck received the $100 fine and received a notice this week that he has 30 days to take down his greenhouse, make certain alterations or face arrest again.

Read more...

Homeowners meet, affirm anti-rent stance

Madison County Journal


11/29/2007 5:00:00 AM
Homeowners meet, affirm anti-rent stance

By ANDREW UJIFUSA
Assistant Managing Editor

Looming battles over renting and leasing subdivision homes was the primary topic of discussion during the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations meeting on Tuesday evening.

Leaders of subdivisions reached a consensus that pending civil suits over the right of subdivision residents to rent or lease their homes was an important battle and one where various communities should remain actively involved.

The meeting at the Northbay clubhouse was the second gathering of the FMCHA, an information clearinghouse and lobbying group for county homeowners represented by members of 21 different homeowners associations from Lake Caroline to Bridgewater. The group was established in July.

For about half an hour, the group focused on two lawsuits that deal with a recent Northbay resolution passed in December 2006 banning renting and leasing homes in the subdivision.

According to Ray Howell, an on-premises manager for the neighborhood, Madison Municipal Court will hold a hearing on Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m. to consider a case brought by Northbay against a resident who allegedly violated the neighborhood's resolution.

Howell said the person had a previous lease agreement that was not subject to the ban, but entered into a new agreement in March that violated the resolution. Northbay eventually reported him to the city police department.

In Madison, violation of subdivision covenants is automatically a violation of city ordinances and therefore subject to legal oversight.

Howell urged representatives from other homeowners associations at the meeting to file amicus curiae briefs with the court supporting Northbay in the case.

"We need every neighborhood to file that," he said.

In a separate case filed in Madison County Circuit Court, where the Northbay board of directors is the defendant, Andy and Lorrie Bourland claim that Northbay did not follow its covenants properly by banning renting and leasing homes through a resolution instead of a vote by homeowners.

They also say that the subdivision is violating property rights through its ban and should be stopped from doing so. The Bourlands also entered into a lease agreement after the 2006 resolution.

The Northbay board of directors has claimed it was within its rights when it banned renting. Board members have said they did so to protect covenants, property rights and neighborhood appeal.

District 1 Supervisor Doug Jones, a Northbay resident, said the FMCHA needed to be proactive about making sure new subdivisions have renting and leasing prohibitions written into their covenants before they are physically completed. He also encouraged a more uniform standard of homeowner covenants throughout the county.

"It's up to us, the federation, to make sure those people are protected," he said. "This board really needs to be proactive as subdivisions are built."

Some at the meeting seemed to support Madison's legal protection of neighborhood covenants.

But Al Sage, president of FMCHA, did caution that some judges could look skeptically at the city's equation of violating covenants with violating ordinances.

"That's a pretty broad thing to say," Sage said.

D.I. Smith, supervisor-elect for District 3, said the FMCHA had to be careful about not appearing overbearing as it dealt with various residential issues.

"This is a very fragile situation," Smith said of the renting lawsuit. He said he had received phone calls from people who were confused about the role of FMCHA.

Also discussed at the FMCHA meeting:

-Barbara Horton, a resident of the Fairfield subdivision, said something needed to be done about the buildup of traffic on Mississippi 463 outside of Madison in the morning.

She said due to rush hour and student drop-offs at Madison Middle School, it often takes Fairfield residents ten minutes to turn out of the two entrances to the subdivision onto Mississippi 463.

"We literally have to rely on the kindness of others to jump out into traffic," she said.

She said she had been lobbying Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall to install a stoplight for Fairfield residents.

Horton said she planned to make a stronger push at the start of next year but worried that Fairfield did not have enough traffic under state transportation guidelines to merit a stoplight.

"We think it affects everyone in the county because it clogs up traffic in the morning," she said.

-Local mayors Mary Hawkins Butler of Madison and Gene McGee of Ridgeland accepted official FMCHA recognition for their city's recent accomplishments and for protecting residential areas.

Earlier this year, Madison was named as one of the top 10 towns to raise families by Family Circle magazine, while Ridgeland was ranked the 80th-best place to live in the U.S. by CNN/Money magazine.

"They both have done a great job of creating unique communities in Mississippi," Sage said.

Butler discussed the importance of protecting subdivision covenants and hoped the city's legal protection of those covenants would stand up in court.

"It's so important that we preserve our foundations, and one of those foundations is subdivisions, and homeowners," she said.

McGee said the city hoped its new master plan for growth would enhance homeowner protections in Ridgeland, and said the city had been very successful by sending out code enforcement officers to seek out troublesome spots in neighborhoods.

"We're actually going out almost on a daily basis looking for code violations," he said. Read more...

Homeowners group elected officers and board at first meeting

By Greg Smith
Sun Staff Writer

THE FEDERATION OF Madison County Homeowners Association (FMCHA) had their first public meeting and elected 11 board members and four board officers. Of the total 44 delegates that FMCHA has, 22 of them were at the meeting.

Al Sage was elected president; Ray Butler, vice president; Jane McGill, treasurer; and Lynette Hegwood, secretary.

The number of delegates a community gets is based on the number of homes in the development, but no community is allowed to exceed five delegates.

“At least 3,482 lots are represented in this association,” said Melissa Dempsey, who served as acting FMCHA president until officers were elected.

At the end of the meeting, board members were elected for the city of Ridgeland, the city of Madison, Madison County, six at large board members and two honorary board members. All of the board members had to be residents of their respective regions and had to have been nominated either by their fellow community representative or by the temporary FMCHA board.

Lamar Warnock of the Brisage subdivision was elected as the city of Madison board member; Mike Smith of Dinsmor, city of Ridgeland board member; Hegwood of Lake Caroline, Madison County board member; Guy Bowering of Whisper Lake, Butler of Twin Cedars, McGill of Countryside Plantation, Woody Middleton of Cherry Hill, John Moore of Annandale Estates, and Sage of Ingleside, at large board members, and D.I. Smith of Dinsmor and Doug Jones of Northbay, honorary board members.

“I am excited about the federation,” Jones said. “I do see this as a lobbying group. When we get to full strength of representing 30,000 to 40,000 people we will really be a force to be dealt with.”

FMCHA HAS BEEN in the process of organizing for more than three years and became active in June. Since then, the organization submitted their papers for approval to the secretary of state. Now the FMCHA is recognized as an official nonprofit organization.

“We are growing. Since June when we really put the word out and tried to get information to residents we have got 11 more communities who have applied,” said Lynette Hegwood.

“This is an opportunity to be a part of something that I believe is going to impact the entire community and benefit it as well,” Sage said. “It’s all part of a process, you have to work together to get work done with everyone and I am just part of the process.”

All elected officials and board members serve a one year term before they are up for re-election or a new delegate is elected to take their position.

The FMCHA’s next meeting is November 27 at 6 p.m. at an unknown location.

“The committee has kind of been trying to meet at no designated area, we are just moving around and basically the next meeting will be held wherever someone opens their doors to us,” Dempsey said.

Read more...

September 1, 2007

Homeowners' federation representing thousands

By Lucy Weber
lweber@mcherald.com

The Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations is now officially organized and ready to speak for thousands of property owners.

"We represent 3,842 lot owners, and if - and this is a big if - there are two residents at each property, that's over 7,600 people," Lynette Hegwood, secretary of the federation, said Tuesday at the organizational meeting of the group.

"We're growing, and we just started taking applications in June."

Membership is up to 22 neighborhood associations.

"I think we can be effective, the more numbers you have speaking with a common voice," said Al Sage, the new president of the federation board of directors.

District 1 Supervisor Doug Jones, who worked on developing the federation for two years, said he expects the group to continue to grow.

"I do see this as a lobbying group," he said. "That is our strength with membership. This could have the potential to represent 30,000 property owners."

The group, unofficially, has already been active. Federation representatives from neighborhoods in the Yandell Road area recently negotiated with a local developer to increase minimum house sizes in a planned 807-lot subdivision.

"Yes, the federation worked even though it was not officially formed," said Ray Butler, who helped with the negotiations and was selected vice president of the federation board.

At the first meeting, several of the local association delegates suggested projects or potential zoning changes that need to be watched because of concerns of nearby neighborhoods.

"This is all new. We're learning," said Melissa Dempsey, who served as the interim president during the federation's formation.

The group needs a committee to stay in contact with county, and probably municipal, zoning departments to keep current on proposed changes, she said. "With zoning, we need to stay pro-active.

"We encourage you to join our e-mail group and stay up to date on projects," Dempsey told the delegates.

"Don't let something fall through the cracks," Jones said.

In looking at zoning issues, Jones said the group needs to decide what's best for the neighborhood and the county.

"We don't need to be the anti-group. We don't need to be anti-development," he said.

Guy Bowering, one of the nine federation board members, said the first meeting touched on key issues that will continue to come before the group.

"We represent a broad spectrum of Madison County. We need not only to be reacting but proactive to maintain the quality of life we moved here to enjoy," he said.

Zoning is likely to be a continuing issue that members will see as being of particular interest, Bowering said.

"Personally, I believe we can be an organization to hold government accountable," he said. "When we see deficiencies throughout the county, we can bring them to the supervisors' attention."

The federal will have to weigh its opinions on taking action on zoning questions, Sage said.

"It's a balancing act - someone's right to use property and the highest and best use," he said.

Members of the board of directors of the federation are Jane McGill of Countryside Plantation, Woodrow Middleton of Cherry Hill Plantation, John Moore of Annandale, Michael J. Smith of Dinsmor, Lamar Warnock of Brisage, Sage of Ingleside, Bowering of Whisper Lake, Hegwood of Lake Caroline and Butler of Twin Cedars.

The next meeting of the federation is Nov. 27. Information about joining the federation is available at www. fmcha.org.

Read more...

Homeowner groups in Madison County join larger federation

By GREG SMITH
Sun Staff Writer
August 8, 2007

THE RECENTLY FORMED Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations (FMCHA) is growing and they plan to address more than just unkempt front yards.

“As a group we hope to lobby and be involved in decisions that will impact us as a community,” said Lynette Hegwood, interim secretary for the FMCHA.

The federation was established in January and has been picking up steam since. In June, 10 homeowners associations joined the federation, now 14 homeowners associations are in the federation. They include: Annandale Estates, Audubon Woods, Bear Creek Crossing, Bridgewater, Carlton Parke, Cherry Hill Plantation, Countryside Plantation, Dinsmor, Harvey Crossing, Lake Caroline, Northbay, Sheffield, Twin Cedars and Whisper Lake.

All of the homeowners associations and others that wish to be part of the FMCHA must go through an application process.

“The federation is open to all of Madison including groups of homeowners and community and homeowners associations,” said interim president and Annandale resident, Melissa Dempsey.

Once granted membership, each individual association must appoint a delegate or delegates for their association. The number of delegates approved for each association which is a member of FMCHA, is dictated by the number of homes the association is responsible for and range from one to five delegates. Dues for the federation also vary dependent on the number of houses an association is associated with.

The delegate(s) for each association are essentially the voice of each different homeowners association in the FMCHA, the delegates vote on issues presented at meeting that will be overseen by a nine person board of directors.

“The permanent board of directors will be voted in, in August, at the federation’s first public meeting,” said Doug Jones, who helped organize the federation. “I live in Madison but I am not a member of the federation. But I hope that my community joins.”

ON THE FMCHA application it states that the purpose of the federation’s formation is to promote general welfare in Madison County while addressing quality of life issues and matters by utilizing an organized group of homeowners and community associations that form the FMCHA.

“I feel like it is a really good thing for Madison,” Hegwood said. “It’s not only a way to lobby but it’s also just to connect people in the community and even just to get to know them.”

The federation’s first public meeting, where they will elect their board, will be held August 28 at 6 p.m. at Chapel of the Cross.

“I would like to be a delegate, but would like to see someone with more time elected to the board,” Dempsey said. “I just see this doing great things and I want someone who can give it the attention it deserves.”

Read more...

July 12, 2007

A powerful lobby

A new voice will be heard in Madison County, one that has the potential for being loud and strong.

The Madison County Federation of Homeowners Associations held its first meeting Monday. The group already can speak for about 2,800 households throughout the county, and thousands more could become part of its fold.

To put this in perspective, the 2000 census recorded 27,219 households for the county, and we all know how much growth has occurred in the seven years since. The potential for this group as a lobby for homeowners and their issues is large indeed.

The group's focus will be on quality of life issues such as safety and local schools. Other issues that could be on the federation's radar screen include roads, traffic, crime, health care and parks and recreation.

While there is no one issue that sparked the formation of the federation, the organization could prove to be a force to be reckoned with during elections.

In many ways, rooftops have become a major industry in the county. Being a great place to live has become Madison County's role, which gives homeowners more say collectively than they may have realized prior to Monday.

Read more...

July 12, 2007

Lobbying group formed

By Lucy Weber
lweber@mcherald.com

Any associations interested in joining the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Association may go to the Web site, http://www.fmcha.org/ or call Melissa Dempsey at (601) 941-8391.

Neighborhood residents can find a ready source of experience or advice up the street - or across the county.

With the formation of the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations, members say the potential is unlimited for the organization that could wind up representing 30,000 or so residents as it works to improve quality of life before the Board of Supervisors or even the state Legislature.

"Working together is a strength that can only move us forward," said Melissa Dempsey, interim president of the group that so far has 19 community associations signed on.

In the works for about 18 months, the federation officially formed early this year to give an organized voice to issues that include family life, education, environment, safety, enhancement of services, increased property values and planned growth.

"It's needed," said Ray Butler, president of the Twin Cedars association. "It gives more eyes and ears" to issues that can have an impact not just on one neighborhood but on several.

The group met Monday at Deerfield to announce its formation and invite other associations to join by paying annual dues and sending delegates, based on the size of the local neighborhood groups.

The next meeting of the group is set for Aug. 28 at Chapel of the Cross.

The potential for the federation is unlimited in terms of how it can help local residents, members say.

"We can network and share," said Lynette Hegwood of Lake Caroline, who has helped organize the federation. "As homeowners associations we can share common covenants, issues and concerns."

Ray Lyle, a delegate to the federation from Lake Caroline, said the group has power by sharing information that can help one another. The federation can also present a unified voice for many in lobbying either the Board of Supervisors or Mississippi Legislature "through the sheer power of numbers," he said.

"Lifestyle issues, safety, education and the environment - I hope those like that can be brought before the federation," he said.

Dempsey, a resident of Annandale Estates, said the federation can help individual associations make contacts that help them out.

Several groups, for instance, could realize they have similar landscaping issues and band together to share a service for that or some groups could save money by sharing a contract on a property manager, she said.

"There's a tremendous amount of experience in the group on how to handle problems," said Woody Middleton, president of the Cherry Hill homeowners group. "There's a tremendous amount of information we can share."

Butler and Kirk Hughes said their experience with the Twin Cedars group proved that joining with other associations to bring one voice to an issue works.

Twin Cedars and residents of about six other Yandell Road subdivisions banded together to get an out-of-state developer to agree to meet area standards for a new residential neighborhood.

"It works," Hughes said, about the effort that got more than 600 homeowners in the area to sign a petition to convince the developer to plan a neighborhood that fit in with the surrounding area to keep property values up. "We all want the same thing, for Madison County to be great."

Associations that have joined include Annandale Estates, Audubon Woods, Bear Creek Crossing, Bridgewater, Cherry Hill Plantation, Countryside Plantation, Deerfield, Dinsmor, Harvey Crossing, Lake Caroline, Sheffield, Twin Cedars and Whisper Lake.

Supervisor Doug Jones, who helped organize the federation, said the group is open to any platted subdivision in the county.

"It's a good cross section of the county," he said.

Read more...

7/11/2007 3:52:00 PM
County homeowners form group

By ANDREW UJIFUSA
Assistant Managing Editor

Several county housing developments have come together to create a collective voice for residents regarding residential issues and concerns.

The Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations (FMCHA), which began its preliminary meetings in February, is comprised of residents from 18 subdivisions. About 2,800 residences have registered membership with the group so far.

Homeowner associations that are part of FMCHA include: Lake Caroline, Deerfield, Bridgewater, Bear Creek Crossing, and Twin Cedars.

According to its members, FMCHA is designed to give homeowners a voice in government as the county grows and new residents and businesses move into the area.

The group is designed to give broad representation to homeowners on a variety of crucial issues, including education, the environment, safety, increased property values, and planned growth.

FMCHA officially announced its formation at a press conference at the Deerfield golf course clubhouse Monday evening.

"We are pro-homeowner not anti-government or anti-business," said Bridgewater resident Doug Wilson, an automobile dealer and a spokesman for the group. "We want to band together and give voice to the community."

FMCHA recently received its non-profit charter from the Secretary of State's office.

"When issues vital to our community are being considered, FMCHA will draw upon all its members because a collective voice is a strong and loud one and will surely be heard," read part of the group's statement prior to the press conference.

The group is not intended to focus on just one issue or advocate one point of view, but rather to educate homeowners and keep them involved.

"We're so busy and lots of times we don't even know our neighbors across the street. There was no single issue or reason for this being birthed...you choose what you want the issues to be," said Wilson.

"Someone brought up the subject of rental property in our first meeting and they were able to brainstorm together and get ideas," said group member Melissa Dempsey of Annandale, by way of example.

Lynette Hegwood, the acting secretary of the group, said that she moved to Lake Caroline in 2002 and had watched the commercial and residential boom in the county with a mixture of pleasure and concern.

While she said that the growth has been great for Madison County, she said that it was important for homeowners to come together to express their desires.

Hegwood said a good set of homeowner covenants and covenant enforcement are crucial, but don't address general issues that affect residents and their homes, such as law enforcement, fire protection, and smart growth.

"We just want to be at the table with the management and growth that's going on around us," said Hegwood.

FMCHA includes both large and small neighborhoods, in order to get as many different perspectives in the group as possible.

According to Hegwood, the smallest neighborhood association in the group has only 38 homes, while Lake Caroline has the largest membership at over 1,000 homes.

Each homeowner association can send up to five delegates to represent their neighborhood at FMCHA meetings.

District 1 Supervisor Doug Jones, who helped to organize the group, said that he envisions the group eventually representing anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 people who belong to homeowner associations.

He said that the group could join the Madison County Foundation, the local chambers of commerce, and the Madison County Economic Development Authority as another strong voice for county interests.

"If everyone will play good together, we've got four great pieces of the puzzle," said Jones. Read more...

July 10, 2007
Madison County homeowners group growing

Organization reports strong turnout for first official meeting

By Elizabeth Crisp
elizabeth.crisp@clarionledger.com

FAST FACTS Homeowners associations interested in joining the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations can find application instructions at www.fmcha. org. Dues will be based on the number of households. Each association will be granted one delegate for every 100 homes, up to five delegates.

Representatives of homeowners associations across Madison County - from Dinsmor in Ridgeland to Brisage in Madison to Lake Caroline in the county - came together Monday night.

It was the first official meeting of the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations, and organizers say the group's size nearly doubled.

"The turnout was great," said interim President Melissa Dempsey. "We had 15 to 20 new associations represented, and they were all here with the questions and concerns."

The recently formed group was created to take on quality-of-life issues such as education and growth, in a unified manner.

"This is an organization formed for the betterment of life in Madison County," said Doug Wilson, a resident of Ridgeland's Village Square.

Dempsey said she would like to see the group push issues such as infrastructure and schools, which are directly affected by the county's growth. "We need to get ahead of the growth," she said.

Madison County has seen steady growth over the last few years and reached about 87,419 residents in 2006, according to census estimates.

With that, the county's homeowners associations have been expanding beyond issues of covenants and landscaping and have become advocates in talks concerning issues such as annexation and new residential and commercial development.

Dempsey is one of several Annandale residents who went before county supervisors with concerns over the Wind Dance subdivision and drainage issues.

"We had another development going up beside ours, and we thought we did a really good job in representing ourselves in the discussions," she said. "Really, we did a bad job, and we are having to deal with that now."

Madison County officials issued a one-week moratorium last month on building permits in Wind Dance subdivision on Mississippi 463 in response to complaints from neighbors in Annandale. They lifted the moratorium after looking into several drainage issues in the development and announcing no problems existed.

Other neighborhood association members attending the meeting Monday said they hoped the unified group would help homeowners associations learn from one another.

"If someone's already had that problem and can share how to deal with the problem, it can be a tremendous benefit," said Cherry Hill resident Woody Middleton.

Middleton's subdivision spoke out against a proposed sports complex, and the development was not approved by supervisors. The complex would have been across from Madison Station Elementary, backing up to Cherry Hill.

Before the meeting, the federation already represented about 2,800 homes, said Lake Caroline resident Lynette Hegwood, who assisted in forming the group.

"If you think of it as two residents per property, then we are representing approximately 5,600 people already," she said.

The group scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 28, and organizers expect to elect a new board.

---

To comment on this story, call Elizabeth Crisp at (601) 942-9019. Read more...

Madison County 07/09/07
Neighborhood Associations See Power in Numbers

By Roslyn Anderson
roslyn@wlbt.net

It is the fastest growing county in the state, and now Madison county homeowners associations are uniting to use their clout to address needs in the county.

The first meeting of the Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations was held Monday.

Inside the Colonial Country Club at the Deerfield Course representatives from about 20 homeowners associations gathered to register and learn more about the organization.

The Federation of Madison County Homeowners Associations is aimed at building a base of residents in the southern portion of the county.

Federation member Doug Wilson of Ridgeland said, "One of the things that we seek to do is provide connectivity to people so that we can address issues. To my knowledge there's not any issue right now."

The organization was the idea of District One Supervisor Doug Jones, who two years ago saw the need to identify the various homeowners associations that were facing similar concerns like annexation and rural development.

"I see the role of the federation in a lot of ways, lobbying our legislature for the concerns of Madison county. If there's any concerns with the schools or a way they can help the schools, make sure that we keep quality development in Madison county and assist the municipalities," said Jones.

Jones said because he is a supervisor he will not be a member of the federation in the event that the organization comes before the board in the future.

The non profit organization has bylaws and a charter. It represents an estimated 30,000-35,000 residents.

Melissa Dempsey lives in the Madison Station area and is acting president. She has concerns about infrastructure.

"When that school was built there was no road to it. They had to make an access road through someone else's property. We are not up to par with the developments that we have much less the ones that are currently being approved," said Dempsey.

There will be a maximum of five delegates per association, and each city will be represented. Board members and officers will be elected at the next meeting.

Organizers say there is strength in numbers which will give the federation power to address quality of life issues.

The next federation meeting will be held August 28, but no time or location has been announced.

To obtain a federation application or for more information click http://www.fmcha.org/.

Read more...

July 9, 2007

Residents hope for strength in numbers

Homeowners group to be unified voice of Madison County residents

By Elizabeth Crisp
elizabeth.crisp@clarionledger.com

WHEN, WHERE Who: Madison County Federation of Homeowners Associations. When: 5 p.m. today. Where: Deerfield clubhouse. More information: District 1 Supervisor Doug Jones, (601) 259-9285.

An alliance is being formed to pool resources and represent all those who live in Madison County subdivisions.

The Madison County Federation of Homeowners Associations will hold its first meeting at 5 p.m. today at the Deerfield clubhouse.

Lynette Hegwood, a Lake Caroline resident who has been active in forming the group, said the organization will focus on quality of life issues such as education and safety.

"When issues that are vital to our members come up, we will be able to provide a collective voice for them," she said.

The county's homeowners associations over the years have been expanding beyond issues of covenants and landscaping and have become advocates in talks concerning issues such as annexation and new residential and commercial developments.

After a month of getting homeowners associations involved on a grass-roots level, the newly formed federation already represents about 2,800 homes, Hegwood said.

"If you think of it as two residents per property, then we are representing approximately 5,600 people already at this early stage," she said.

Madison County has seen steady growth over the last few years and reached about 87,419 residents in 2006, according to census estimates.

"This group is going to represent a very large group of people," District 1 Supervisor Doug Jones said.

Jones said he considers the group to be similar to such groups as the Madison County Foundation and the Madison County Chamber of Commerce in that all represent a key section of the county's growth.

"You have the chamber of commerce representing businesses and commercial growth and the Madison County Foundation representing infrastructure and bringing industry in," Jones said. "This group brings another piece of the puzzle in - a group representing the citizens."

Most of the group's efforts at this point have been geared toward organization and membership, Hegwood said.

The federation has attracted 18 homeowners associations that either have given an official commitment or assisted in forming the group, she said.

"Those are just the ones that we've been able to get in touch with about it in the last month or so," she said.

Some have not been able to officially join the federation because homeowners associations have to vote in favor of joining, select delegates for the federation and fill out an application.

"We have to rely on the participation of their boards of directors, and you don't always have access to that information," Hegwood said.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler and Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee said they were not formally made aware of the organization or of the meeting today.

McGee said he suspects the organization will work much like the Federation of Reservoir Homeowners, a group that has, among other issues, opposed selling Reservoir water to Nissan and worked with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to find solutions to sediment, bacteria and erosion in the Reservoir area.

---

To comment on this story, call Elizabeth Crisp at (601) 942-9019. Read more...