An Arizona man fined hundreds of dollars by his homeowners association for handing out free bottles of water is fighting back as he and his neighbors vote to unseat several board members.
David Martin of Goodyear, Arizona, has racked up hundreds of dollars in fines this summer from the Canyon Trails Homeowners Association and its management company, FirstService Residential, for placing a cooler full of bottled water on the sidewalk near his home.
“Here we are in July, the hottest day of the year, and we are still talking about a water cooler with free cold water,” Martin told KPHO last week. “It’s ridiculous that they are adding violations to a total that’s not going to get paid, because I’m giving out free water.”
Now, Martin and his neighbors have fought to unseat some HOA board members.
Martin started a petition this month to remove three HOA board members, garnering enough signatures to trigger a special vote on Thursday, local outlet 12News reports. Two board members whose seats weren’t at stake attended the meeting, along with dozens of Martin’s neighbors.
"I'm not the only one that sees there's something wrong in our community," Martin told 12News.
At the meeting, Martin’s neighbors raised various other issues with the HOA, including concerns that their voices weren’t being heard and issues weren’t being fixed in a timely manner, 12News reports.
Out of 210 ballots, 190 people voted to remove the board members. Homeowners association member Deryl Riley said there were enough votes for a quorum, meaning the board members would be removed, 12News reports.
But the three board members who were removed say the vote wasn’t legal, according to 12News. The members argue Martin didn’t garner enough signatures on his petition. They also claim the vote was invalid because a 24-hour notice wasn’t given to homeowners.
The board members also raised concerns over whether 210 votes were enough for a quorum, given the community has more than 1,000 homes.
Martin says he’s prepared for a legal battle and wants to keep fighting for his cause.
"It's not just about water, it's about the community as a whole," he told 12News.
FirstService Residential previously told 12News the HOA “does not object” to Martin handing out free water bottles, but instead takes issue with him advertising it.
“The Association does not object to a resident providing free water bottles to the community; however, the community’s rules do not allow a resident to advertise water bottle distribution from a portable ice chest, located next to their garage that is visible from neighboring property,” the company said.
The Independent has contacted FirstService Residential for comment.
