Sentry Management St. Charles team leaders recently participated in the 2nd Annual CAI Heartland “Day at the Capitol” at the Missouri Capitol building in Jefferson City to advocate for the community associations they serve in support of the Missouri Uniform Homeowners Association Act, HB 2270, and SB 1324! The annual “Day at the Capitol” event was organized by the Heartland chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) in conjunction with the Missouri Legislative Action Committee (MOLAC), a volunteer committee consisting of community association professionals, board members, and homeowners which advocate for the betterment of communities statewide while also advocating state legislators of current community association issues. The Sentry team, led by St. Charles Division President and CAI MOLAC member Nicole Lewis, met with lawmakers and industry leaders to discuss the bills and how they benefit communities, homeowners, and board members.

In the 2023 Legislative Session, the Missouri LAC introduced HB 1089, the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights. Due to concerns from home builders, lenders, realtors, and title companies, the bill was halted. During the legislative offseason, MOLAC focused exclusively on issues impacting community associations, trimming down the bill to only address matters affecting the operations of community associations. This streamlined legislation, now known as the Missouri Uniform Homeowners’ Association Act, addresses common challenges in community associations, such as low engagement in amendment votes, difficulties in achieving quorum, and board member vacancies. It establishes a standardized budget ratification process and removes arbitrary assessment limits to ensure adequate operational and reserve budget funding. It also includes provisions for collections and measures designed to resolve disputes outside of court whenever possible.

With the support of lobbyist Steven Carroll, MOLAC successfully secured sponsorship for the bill in both legislative chambers. Representative Phil Oehlerking sponsored HB 2270, while Tracy McCreery sponsored SB 1324, both of whom are instrumental in further advancing the legislative bill processes. SB 1324 has been assigned to the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee for further review, for which MOLAC hopes a hearing will be scheduled soon. MOLAC is also optimistic about the referral of HB 2270 to the House Local Government Committee.

As was the case for the HB 2270 and SB 1324 bills, the Missouri LAC monitors the pending legislative processes affecting community associations and works together with legislators and lobbyers to mold the development of the state legislature to better serve the communities of Missouri and the homeowners, board members, and business partners within them. Together, CAI and MOLAC work hard to advocate on behalf of the approximately 911,000 Missourians living in around 5 – 6,000 community associations throughout the state through events like the “Day at the Capitol.”

Sentry Management is a full-service community management company. Sentry’s business is the day-to-day operation of communities, homeowner associations, and condominiums. Sentry is accredited as an AMO® (Accredited Management Organization) by the Institute of Real Estate Management, providing the independent evaluation that Sentry has one of the highest operating and financial standards in the industry. Sentry operates in dozens of localities in Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.