Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association
Board Meeting Minutes
Date: January 15th, 2023
Board Members: Steve Beckman (Secretary), John Hays, Jeff Johnson (President), Matthew Kazmierski (Vice President), Gail Lytle Lira (Communications), Pat Poli, Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Mark Warner, Steve Whelan
Call to order: Jeff Johnson called to order this meeting of the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association Executive Committee at 4:04pm ET on January 15th, 2023 at 217 Oakland Dr.
Roll Call:
- Present: Steve Beckman (Secretary), John Hays, Jeff Johnson (President), Matthew Kazmierski (Vice President), Gail Lytle Lira (Communications), Pat Poli, Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Mark Warner, Steve Whelan
- Absent: None
- Quorum present: Yes
Approval of Past Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the Board meeting held on 2022-10-02 as presented. The motion carried without objection.
Treasurer Updates:
- Alice provided a financial summary for 2022. The current BHNA account balance is $3,567. Deposits from donations and annual dues totaled $1,595, and expenses, which included two tree replacements, totaled $1,675.
- Raising annual dues from $20 to $25 to help cover increased expenses for tree replacements and luminaries will be discussed in future meetings
- Garden Tour
- Would like to repeat the event this year to help raise funds. Need to identify an appropriate date to maximize neighborhood plant growth.
Old Business:
- Publishing of draft meeting minutes
- A motion was made and seconded to publish meeting minutes from annual meetings and Board meetings to the BHNA website before they have been formally approved at an annual meeting or Board meeting. The motion carried without objection.
- Such minutes will be labeled with the word “DRAFT” on the website until after they have been formally approved in a meeting.
- A motion was made and seconded to publish meeting minutes from annual meetings and Board meetings to the BHNA website before they have been formally approved at an annual meeting or Board meeting. The motion carried without objection.
- Approval of annual meeting minutes from 2022-09-18
- A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the annual meeting held on 2022-09-18 as presented. The motion carried without objection.
- Approval of board meeting minutes from 2022-07-28
- A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the board meeting held on 2022-07-28 as presented. The motion carried without objection.
- Neighborhood covenant modification
- Jeff commented that someone recently mentioned to him that the approval of Michigan Public Act 234 of 2022 could assist with the removal of the unenforceable language in our neighborhood covenants
- The language of Act 234 states that individual property owners may file to remove the language from their individual property deeds. It also states that a simple majority of a homeowners or property owners association board, or a simple majority of an association of co-owners of a condominium, may file to remove the language from covenants that apply to an entire association.
- Neighborhood associations such as BHNA are not specifically identified and it is assumed that a simple majority of the BHNA board could not file to remove the language from the covenants that apply to the entire neighborhood. Therefore, efforts will continue to obtain signatures from 100% of neighborhood property owners to remove the language from our neighborhood covenants.
- The language of Act 234 states that individual property owners may file to remove the language from their individual property deeds. It also states that a simple majority of a homeowners or property owners association board, or a simple majority of an association of co-owners of a condominium, may file to remove the language from covenants that apply to an entire association.
- Signed affidavits from over 50 property owners are still needed. Steve Beckman mailed them updated letters on 2023-01-13 that included a printed copy of the current covenant language. A prepaid stamped envelope addressed to Steve’s house was included for the owners to return the signed form.
- Jeff commented that someone recently mentioned to him that the approval of Michigan Public Act 234 of 2022 could assist with the removal of the unenforceable language in our neighborhood covenants
- BHNA document storage
- Jeff will ask in the next meeting of East Lansing neighborhood associations if there is a central or shared location where other associations store their official documents.
- Winter street luminaries
- People that were outdoors in the neighborhood during the event had a universally positive response. It is believed that the expense was justified and the event would be approved again next winter.
New Business:
- Accessory dwelling units proposal
- The East Lansing City Council is considering an Accessory Dwelling Units policy that would allow property owners to add additional dwellings on their property for residents or rentals in the form of additions on a house and detached buildings
- Such dwellings would violate the current neighborhood covenants
- Jeff will remind the City Council member that attends the next monthly meeting of neighborhood associations that our neighborhood covenants would prevent them
- Such dwellings would violate the current neighborhood covenants
- The East Lansing City Council is considering an Accessory Dwelling Units policy that would allow property owners to add additional dwellings on their property for residents or rentals in the form of additions on a house and detached buildings
Open Discussion:
- Steve Whelan mentioned that the East Lansing Police Department responded to a recent incident in the neighborhood that had non-specific information about it publicly available on crimemapping.com. That information was shared on our neighborhood Facebook group page. It was determined that the incident was isolated and did not represent a danger to the neighborhood, so the moderators of the Facebook group removed the post. Facebook group moderators should evaluate future posts of that nature to determine if they should remain or be removed based on their impact on neighborhood residents. Steve shared that Officer Wright is the ELPD District 15 liaison, which includes our neighborhood, and they can be contacted at any time if there are questions or concerns.
Action Items:
| Name | Action | Deadline |
| All | Discuss raising annual BHNA dues from $20 to $25 | 2023-04-16 |
| Jeff | Comment in the next meeting of neighborhood associations that accessory dwellings would be in violation of our neighborhood covenants | TBD |
| Jeff | Ask in the next meeting of neighborhood associations if there is a central, shared, or public location where other associations store their official documents | TBD |
| Alice | Identify date for the next neighborhood Garden Tour | 2023-04-16 |
Adjournment:
- A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 4:50pm ET. The motion carried without objection.
Next Meeting Date, Time, and Location: Sunday, April 16th, 2023, at 4:00pm, location to be determined
Minutes submitted by: Steve Beckman
Minutes approved by: Board motion during meeting held on 2023-04-16