Educational seminar for homeowner associations offered

EAST STROUDSBURG — An educational seminar for homeowner association board members and residents will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 8, at the Schnoover Municipal Center, 147 Municipal Drive, East Stroudsburg.
The Community Association Institute will give a presentation on managing conflicts using alternative dispute resolution to ensure fairness and efficiency, according to PA Rep. Rosemary Brown.
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) refers to methods, such as median and arbitration, that help resolve disputes without a trial. These processes are generally confidential, less formal, and less stressful than traditional court proceedings.
Mediation is an intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation, settlement, or compromise. It is used by both state and federal courts throughout the country to resolve civil disputes and settle cases at earlier stages than through the traditional litigation process.
In the meantime, Brown is reintroducing legislation seeks to help homeowners and board members in communities in cases of possible illegal activity.
The proposed legislation, which passed the House unanimously last session but not taken up by the Senate, assigns the investigation and mediation of complaints regarding planned communities, cooperatives, and condominiums under Title 68 (Real Property), to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
"The Bureau of Consumer Protection is already equipped to handle these complaints in a way that will find resolution and justice for these disagreements and violations," Brown said. But, she said, the bureau does not assist with other complaints that may violate other portions of Title 68, such as meetings, quorums, voting/proxies, and other association records.
"Communities formed under Title 68 are operated under a set of governing bylaws that creates a micro government within these communities," said Brown. "Nearly one quarter of Pennsylvania residents live in these types of self-governing communities. Occasionally, when disagreements or incidences of fraud occur in these communities, residents and unit owner boards feel they have nowhere to turn for assistance in resolving these complaints."