DHL postpones - again - action on BelmontNA membership
The Dallas Homeowners League has postponed - again - any discussion by their board or membership of the BelmontNA's application for membership for at least another month.
DHL President Jeri Arbuckle called BD a liar, accusing him of misrepresenting informal comments made at a meeting of the DHL's Neighborhood Matching Fund task force nearly two weeks ago.
By the time a hearing is held, nine months will have passed since BelmontNA applied for membership.
In an email sent Wednesday afternoon to BelmontNA, Arbuckle wrote...
You will be informed of the status of you (sic) application by mail. It is not on the agenda for the DHL meeting in September.
Avi's report of my conversation with him on your website was incorrect and did not accurately reflect our informal conversation.
I indicated previously to both of you that my hope was to have your application resolved by the end of September. That does not appear to be realistic.
It is, however, our desire to resolve the matter as soon as possible in October.
Please note: All official correspondence from DHL to you will be by hard copy.
Arbuckle did not say if the $25 donation from BelmontNA to DHL to help cover library room rental fees for the task force was also being returned; she was extremely uncomfortable taking the check (which to date has not cleared the bank).
BelmontNA applied for membership in the DHL in March 2007. According to DHL bylaws, the membership application must be reviewed by the DHL Board before it is presented to the membership for approval. Since BelmontNA claims the southern end of the Lower Greenville NA, a hearing must be held by the board on the issue of overlapping boundaries.
DHL did not respond to multiple requests for information following its application until August 2007, when Arbuckle called to invite BelmontNA's participation in the Dallas Homeowners League Boot Camp at Dallas City Hall.
During the Boot Camp, DHL officers confiscated flyers passed out by BelmontNA officers showing the differences between LGNA and BelmontNA in an effort to inform DHL members about the stalled membership issue.
This stalling action is not new. BelmontNA submitted an application for membership just after it was organized in February 2003. Then-DHL president David Bradley notified LGNA and organized a hearing within a few weeks (see DMN link - Dallas neighborhood takes new tack). BelmontNA asked for a postponement due to work and other schedule conflicts.
When newly-elected president Jeri Arbuckle took office, the whole process was aborted. BelmontNA again asked for the hearing to be called. In an email sent on September 20, 2004, she wrote..
DHL Board met on September 9, 2004 and reviewed BNA application at that meeting.
DHL Board agreed that
1. I would give formal notice to LGNA that we have received your application, and give reasonable time for response from LGNA for filing protest.
2. I would call you and discuss some questions about your application.
3. DHL procedures for protests of applications that are in place will be utilized, if formal protest/objection is filed.
Arbuckle never contacted BD or followed through with any other actions noted.
A month later, in reply to BD's request to speak to the DHL board, she showed her dislike of seeing her emails posted on the internet.
The DHL Board approved the text of a letter to you regarding the application after its last meeting.
Recent delay is my personal responsibility.
If it is humanly possible, I will have letter in mail to you tomorrow.
I am uncomfortable with publication of my emails, thus communication via hard mail henceforth.
The BelmontNA eventually withdrew its application so it could focus on building the association membership.
LGNA officers attending the 2007 Boot Camp would not discuss the BelmontNA issue, and to date no one knows if a protest will be filed or what grounds (other than overlapping territory) would form the basis of their protest.
If the DHL schedule noted by Arbuckle were achieved, the application would be presented to the DHL board in early October, with a hearing called within the month. The DHL membership would vote on the board's decision in either late October, or even January 2008, since the November/December meeting is a holiday event.
The BelmontNA was formed in 2003 by area residents who do not believe that LGNA is interested in dealing with the quality of life issues - crime, noise, code compliance - caused by nearly 50 bars and restaurants located within their quarter-square mile boundaries.
BelmontNA actively works to protect the interests and safety of the residents in the neighborhood and provides funds for buying streets under the City's Resident Only Parking ordinance, using funds raised from the sale of the Arcadia Theatre marquee in March 2007.
Today, the BelmontNA has nearly 160 members and several thousand dollars in the bank.
