By Greg Ellison

(April 15, 2021) In a Good Friday video conference, the Ocean Pines Bylaws and Resolutions Committee hashed out the procedure for reviewing resolutions, while also reporting on the progress of a rules-related work group and discussing when it might return to in-person monthly meetings.

Chairman Jim Trummel said the board of directors has been asked to conduct annual reviews of a handful of resolutions.

The batch includes F-02 (annual budget development) F-03 (reserve accounts) and F-04 (delinquent assessments).

“I reported through our board liaison (Director Camilla Rogers) that each has a part not being followed or in need of review,” he said.

The list also includes M-05 (animal control) and M-07 (bulkhead and waterway maintenance).

Trummel said the board is responsible for reviewing resolutions that either set policy or prescribe actions to be taken.

Trummel said the animal control resolution M-05 was requested by the Ocean Pines Police Department in 2010 to ensure that the association could recoup the cost of boarding detained canines.

Trummel also noted M-07 covers repair schedules for bulkhead maintenance and establishes adequate depth levels for canals.

“In both cases these resolutions set board policy,” he said.

Trummel said Rogers has yet to update committee members on the board review status.

“We want to avoid a book full of resolutions or procedures with requirements not being followed,” he said. “That doesn’t help any of us.”

Committee member Keith Kaiser asked if consideration of the F- and M-series resolutions was being lumped in with the duties of another work group review underway.

Trummel, who also serves on the work group, said its focus is on identifying potential revisions to OPA Bylaws, not OPA Resolutions.

On a comparable note, Trummel said review requests for committee-specific C-resolutions were sent to several advisory groups last month.

“Each chairperson got an email request in mid-March,” he said.

The mailing was sent to four advisory committees: Budget and Finance, Communications, Strategic Planning and Environment and Natural Assets.

Trummel said the committees were asked to evaluate their particular C-resolutions and to suggest changes if needed.

“They would need to draft a resolution amendment and seek board approval,” he said.

Trummel also agreed with Kaiser to coordinate communications through Rogers.

Turning to the bylaws review work group, Trummel said he raised the specter during the OPA Executive Council meeting last November.

At that time, Trummel pointed out that the last time the bylaws were examined for language that might need to be amended was more than a decade ago.

“In the interim, there were several cases with some level of problem interpreting … bylaws,” he said.

Trummel said the work group, which is being lead by Director Doug Parks, had reviewed roughly half of the bylaw sections as of last month.

The work group is developing recommendations for changes in various sections, but is not composing language revisions.

Trummel said any proposed revisions would need to be approved by membership through a referendum, which, ideally, would be conducted in conjunction with the annual board election this summer.

Looking ahead, Trummel broached the possibility of the committee’s return to meeting in person.

Kaiser said appropriate head counts and health-safety space requirements would need to be determined, but also suggested employing a hybrid approach.

“Even if we start in person again, I think this should be an option going forward for people,” he said.

Marketing and Public Relations Director Josh Davis said the association is not currently able to take that dual approach with its Microsoft TEAMS video conferencing program.

“We are doing that for the town hall on April 17 but we’re hiring a contractor,” he said.

Trummel said the group would convene virtually for its next meeting on May 7 while continuing to explore options for future sessions.