Outcome of the Bylaw Changes Vote

While the Association did not approve either of the bylaw changes, among those who voted there was momentum toward a significant approval rate.

Here are the numbers:
On the Board election issue, 166 votes (by unit) were cast in favor and 55 (by unit) against which translated into 40% of the weighted votes for and 15.49% of the weighted votes against.

On the Special Assessment, 148 (by unit) voted for and 76 (by unit) against. This worked out to 40.74% of the weighted votes for and 16.61% of the weighted votes against.

The percent of Association approval required:
What you need to understand is that according to the new Maryland condominium law, in order for condo bylaws to be approved, 60% of the condo association by weighted votes must approve the bylaw change. We needed a 51% weighted vote to call this special meeting and in fact, we got 55.08%.

So what does the outcome of this bylaw vote mean?
The outcome means that:
The 40% shows that a large number of Association members are concerned about how we are going to reduce our debt and pay for maintenance of our home. One should keep in mind that as of the budget meeting held on February 28, 2018, we are facing a significantly large bill for garage repairs ($800,000-$1 million).

What about the 45% who did not vote?
—There are approximately 30% of the Association who are non-resident owners, with some smaller percent of these owners being exclusively investors. Typically investors do not want to invest money in their property because the hope is to make money, not spend money.

—That said, there were non-resident owners who do care about their property at the Elizabeth because they intend to move here in the future or expect family members to live here if that isn't already the case. There was a large effort to reach non-resident owners and there was some success in getting them to vote proxies.

—And sadly, there are some resident owners who refuse to step up and take responsibility for being an Association member. I had one man tell me when I asked if he turned in his proxy for the bylaw changes that he didn't want to participate in "house politics." I said this is about your property value but he didn't want to hear that. Some Association members think they are living in a hotel and therefore cannot understand that all Association members are obligated to pay (in one way or another) for common area improvements and maintenance like fixing the garage, putting on a new roof, replacing windows and balcony doors, fixing pipes, refurbishing elevators, ad nauseum.