Broke homeowners association halts trash service

Could it get any worse?

Hey, Texas folks. What is going on here???

Broke homeowners association halts trash service
Wed, 08/13/2008 - 10:50pm.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6323453

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Piles of trash are starting to stink outside homes in a neighborhood in north Harris County. The homeowners association is in debt and can't afford to pick up the trash.

Homeowners say they've paid their dues and don't understand why the association still owes thousands of dollars. We're talking about the Aldine Village neighborhood, near the Hardy Toll Road.

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"Principal Management Group wouldn't go on camera, but said the association has been without a board for five years. Now the 300 or so homes are predominately rentals and getting the landlords to pay has been impossible."

"Lawsuits, bankruptcy, reporting it to the county, reporting it to the district attorney's office& There are a bunch of options but the bottom line they need a court to step in and enjoin everyone out there from, basically, misbehaving."

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"Lawsuits, bankruptcy, reporting it to the county, reporting it to the district attorney's office& There are a bunch of options but the bottom line they need a court to step in and enjoin everyone out there from, basically, misbehaving."

The article stated there hasn't been a board for 5 years; a property mgmt co is running the place. It would appear to me a court has already stepped in and authorized the mgmt co to act on behalf of the assn; they cannot just act on their own. But if they are (strange things happen all the time!), perhaps that's why there is no $$$$!!!

Here lies the problem---" but said the association has been without a board for five years. Now the 300 or so homes are predominately rentals and getting the landlords to pay has been impossible."

So whos to blame here? Every owner, that's who. We have a HOA with about 300 owners and no one will step up to the plate. I kinda don't feel that sorry for them. Pretty soon, the waste management district or County will take over the service and bill the H.Os on their tax bills probably at a higher cost.

Just another example of a city shoving off normal, standard city services to an HOA. It doesn't sound like this is a gated community, so why is/was this HOA responsible for waste management? Probably a requiremnet of the city before they would grant permission to build the subdivision.
If a management company is running the show, you can be sure they are getting paid first.

Trash pickup is a luxury like cable tv. It's not a necessity. I can easily see why it was cut. People can bring the trash to the city/town themselves.

Most subdivisions near me (including both the one I work at and the one I live in) don't handle trash service - the MUD district is who selects and pays for it (it's included in the water bill).

Why was this 5-year-old thread resurrected?

I know the city I used to live in, started charging for trash pickup, what had been a "free" city service fell to the wayside due to dwindling tax revenue and increases elsewhere.