Policies and Governance
(photo by Cheryl Watkins)
The Skyline Lakes Property-holders Association (SLPA) is a Virginia Non-Stock, non-profit corporation established in 1971 to represent the interests of the owners of lots within the subdivision. An elected Board of Directors makes decisions on behalf of the community and collects maintenance fees from our members. The board uses the proceeds to maintain the roads and common facilities as well as covering the Association’s administrative costs. See our Financial Information page for more details about the SLPA budget and where maintenance fees go.
Policies and Bylaws
The Board of Directors exists to manage the affairs of the SLPA, which exists to provide for the common benefit of the membership. In order to do this, the Board must occasionally establish, modify or rescind Association policies and practices, or the rules and regulations that apply to our members. The Association must comply with many layers of law that regulate homeowners associations where property abutts parkland or within the Potomac River watershed.
In addition, we have our own policy documents. Collectively, these “Governing Instruments” can be constraining. The Board must scrutinize each to determine if a contemplated action will conflict with one. In addition, the Board must occasionally initiate or respond to legal action, particularly to enforce payment of annual lot fees. The Board is advised by our legal counsel, or occasionally by an attorney provided to us through our insurer.
SLPA Governing Instruments
SLPA Bylaws
September 14, 2019
SLPA Articles of Incorporation
July 30, 1994
SLPA Declaration and Plats
July 30, 1994
Governance
Background
As a private corporation managing commonly owned property, the Association and our members are regulated by many laws, rules and policies. We are primarily governed by two types of law: corporate and property. Many of the acts passed to regulate corporations and land sales expand upon preceding acts and derive authority from them, creating a “stack” of governing law and instruments. According to our Bylaws, in any situation where a conflict arises between any two or more of these documents, the higher authority (i.e. higher in the stack) shall prevail.
The Amended Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act of 1950 applies to SLPA because we are registered as a nonstock (private) corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is also explicitly incorporated into the Declarations and Plats of the Skyline Lakes subdivision.
The Amended Virginia Subdivided Land Sales Act of 2019 (October 1, 2019) was created in response to a wave of fraudulent land sale practices such as those of Martin I. Price, the developer of Skyline Lakes. It also has jurisdiction over the subdivision, and is also incorporated by reference into our Declarations.
Virginia POA Governance
The Amended Virginia Property Owners Association Act (POAA) of 1989 largely replaced the Subdivided Land Sales Act, although the latter still applies to SLPA. As the name suggests, this Act is the most relevant to SLPA operations and policy. All three of these Acts have authority over SLPA, and furthermore are all expressly incorporated in the Declarations. You can find the official, current version of the Virginia Property Owners' Association Act here.
Skyline Lakes Governance
The Skyline Lakes Governance documents can be found above.
Roberts Rules of Order
Our bylaws also incorporate the current version of Robert’s Rules of Order. Written by General Henry M. Robert in 1876, RR is the authority on Parliamentary Procedure–the process of running public meetings. The current version (11th Edition) is under copyright, and can be obtained through the Official RR Site, which also contains information about the use of RR.