For a Special Meeting to Address the Proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws
How we got here
Since early 2026, the Board has been working on a full rewrite of the Association's Bylaws — the first comprehensive update since 1972. Members raised a number of concerns through this process, and the Board made real, positive changes in response on several fronts.
The current sticking point is the voting mechanism itself. The Board's latest ballot splits the restatement into 12 separate combined items, each requiring its own Approve/Reject vote — but several of those combined items bundle together provisions that individually require different approval thresholds under our own Bylaws (some need 51%, some 60%, some 80%). As written, the ballot doesn't explain what happens if the vote produces a mixed result, or how a bundled vote satisfies a threshold higher than what the bundle itself receives.
This petition isn't opposition to updating the Bylaws — it's a request that the Board restructure the vote itself so each Article stands or falls on its own, at the threshold it actually requires, before members are asked to vote at all.
What we're asking the Board
We petition the Board to postpone the scheduled September 26th, 2026 vote on the proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws until after a special meeting is held on this petition and its outcome is actually reflected in how the vote proceeds — not merely that a special meeting be scheduled alongside, or before, an otherwise unchanged vote. Holding the meeting without postponing the vote does not satisfy this petition. Specifically, we ask the Board to:
Restructure the ballot so members vote Article by Article, rather than on the proposed 12 topic-based bundles. Each Article of the current Bylaws being replaced (Membership, Meetings, Board of Directors, Amendments, Dissolution) should be voted on as its own amendment, requiring the specific threshold that Article's provisions require under our existing amendment rules. Each entirely new Article being proposed (Officers, Financial Management, Boat Launch, Use/Occupancy, Enforcement, Records) should be voted on as its own simple yes/no addition — a "yes" adds that new Article, and a "no" simply leaves the Bylaws silent on that topic, exactly as they are today, with the separately recorded Property Restrictions continuing to govern where applicable.
Any provision that independently requires a higher approval threshold under our current Bylaws — Special Assessments and Dam Emergency Assessments (51%), Director Removal (51%), and Dissolution (80%) — must be pulled out and voted on separately, on its own, at its correct threshold, rather than bundled inside a larger Article vote where a lower overall approval percentage could be mistaken for satisfying the higher one.
Clarify what governs the Association if the vote produces a mixed result — under this Article-by-Article structure, this is straightforward: any Article or new addition that fails simply means the corresponding topic remains governed by the current Bylaws (or, for new topics, remains addressed only by the separately recorded Property Restrictions) until a future vote revisits it.
Give Members a fair opportunity to review the current draft in full and receive written responses to outstanding concerns before any vote.
Provide sufficient advance notice of the format, date, and location of any meeting where these matters are discussed or voted on.
Appoint two or more Members who are not Directors, officers, or candidates on the ballot to serve as independent vote tellers, responsible for receiving, counting, and certifying the final tally on each Article and each separately-voted threshold item — with the certified results made available to all Members in writing before the vote is treated as final.
Article II, Section 2 of the current Bylaws states: "Special meetings of either the Class A or the Class B members or both shall be held on the call of the President... and shall be held on call of the Board of Directors, or of twenty-five (25%) per cent of the Class A memberships of the corporation... at such place... on such date and at such reasonable hour of the day as may be fixed in such call."
This petition is submitted under that provision. It is not a request to abandon the restatement — only to get the process right before a vote is taken.
Add your signature
How signatures are tracked
Each signature submitted above is recorded directly and privately to the petition organizer for verification against the Association's Property Register. Because this petition is hosted independently, a public running count isn't shown on this page — this keeps each Member's contact information private and ensures every signature is checked against actual lot ownership before being counted toward the 25% threshold required under Article II, Section 2.
Prefer to sign a paper copy, or want to help circulate one? Email lakejamesmembers@gmail.com and we'll get you a copy.