Voting Info
Lake of the Woods
Draft 9 vs. Draft 6 — What the Revisions Changed
On June 9–10, 2026, the Board finalized Draft 9 ("FINAL FOR MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL") — a revision of the Draft 6 documents circulated in March. This page covers only what moved between the two drafts. For the comparison that decides your vote — Draft 9 against the 1984 documents that govern today — see the main analysis page.
What Changed from Draft 6 to Draft 9
Draft 9 keeps the overall structure and most of the substance of Draft 6, but makes real changes in both directions. Some respond directly to concerns owners raised this spring; others add new restrictions or procedures. Here is the complete picture, with page references to the final ("FINAL FOR MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL") documents.
⚠️ Changes that tighten rules or expand Association power
Proxy Voting Restricted
Draft 6 let you give your proxy to anyone (a family member who isn't an owner, your attorney) for up to 5 years — and the current 1984 Code of Regulations likewise says a proxy holder "need not be a member." Draft 9 requires the proxy holder to be a Member of the Association, caps proxy duration at 300 days, and makes an unspecified-duration proxy valid only for the specific meeting or measure for which it was given. This is a restriction compared with both Draft 6 and today's rules.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. III, §3(a), p. 9Secret Ballot No Longer the Default in Contested Elections
Under Draft 6, contested Board elections were decided by secret ballot. Under Draft 9, a majority of members present chooses the method — show of hands, voice vote, division of the assembly, or ballot — and a secret ballot is used only if the majority cannot agree on another method. An individual member cannot insist on a secret ballot.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. IV, §5, p. 18Election Disputes Decided "Final and Binding" by the Board
The body that counts votes (the nominating committee, or the Board itself if none is appointed) now also adjudicates "any disputes arising out of" the election, and its decision "shall be final and binding on all Members."
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. IV, §5, p. 20Special Assessments Can Target Specific Owners
Draft 6 required special assessments to be paid "ratably" (proportionally by all owners). Draft 9 says they may be paid "ratably or specifically by some or all of the Owner(s)" — allowing the Board to levy a special assessment against particular lots rather than the whole community.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. II, §2(a)(7), p. 3; Bylaws Art. I, §2(b)(7), p. 2Assessment Liens Can Follow a Sale
Draft 9 adds that the Association's lien certificate "may be recorded ... before or after title to such Lot is transferred" and then operates against the buyer's interest. Sellers' unpaid balances can become the new owner's title problem — something buyers, sellers, and title agents will want to know at closing.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. VIII, §4, p. 34Bigger Fee Risk for Challenging the Association in Court
If you sue to discharge an assessment lien and lose, Draft 9 lets the Association counterclaim for its attorney and paralegal fees plus court costs (Draft 6 did not say this). In lawsuits challenging amendments, the loser now reimburses "each prevailing party," and the exposure extends to challenges of Board-only "Special Amendments."
Draft 9 Declaration Art. VIII, §6, p. 35; Art. XI, §3, p. 43New Outdoor Lighting & Holiday Decoration Rules
Draft 9 adds a lighting section Draft 6 did not have: accent lighting must be a uniform color and dusk-to-dawn only; flashing or color-changing lights are prohibited outright; and holiday lights/decorations are confined to a defined "Holiday Period" — the Monday of Thanksgiving week through January 10 — with removal required by the end of that window.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. IV, §3(l), p. 16Other Tightenings
No commercial vehicle may remain overnight anywhere on a lot (p. 23). Pools: Draft 6 literally required written Board approval even for a portable kiddie pool; Draft 9 deletes "portable" from the permission — leaving it ambiguous whether portable pools are now unregulated or simply not permitted (p. 22). Bird feeding is narrowed to feeding "from a bird feeder located on a Lot" (p. 24). Stocking the lake or pond with fish or waterfowl is prohibited (p. 12).
Draft 9 Declaration Art. IV, §3(cc), (z), (dd), (h)(8)🔧 Structural and procedural changes
Board Size: 3 or 5 Only (Today's Rules Allow Up to 7)
Draft 9 lets the members vote to expand the Board of Directors from three to five members (or shrink it back) — more flexible than Draft 6, which fixed the Board at three. But the 1984 Code of Regulations allows a Board of three to seven, so against today's rules this is a narrowing, not an expansion. Note the interaction with current events: the July 27, 2026 special meeting considers a member initiative — brought under the existing rules — to expand the Board to seven. Under Draft 9, seven would be impossible.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. IV, §1, pp. 15–16Architectural Review Board = The Board
Draft 9 requires an "Architectural Review Board" to be established — but specifies that the members of the Board of Directors serve as its members. Architectural decisions therefore stay with the same three (or five) people, now wearing a second hat.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. IV, §12, p. 27; Declaration Art. V, §1, p. 25Must Ask the Board to Reconsider Before Suing
Before challenging an architectural decision in court, an applicant must first request reconsideration within 30 days. If the Board doesn't act on the request within 60 days, the decision is "deemed reaffirmed." This adds a mandatory step (and time) before an owner can reach a judge.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. V, §2, p. 25The Two Documents Can Now Pass Separately
Draft 9 adds fallback provisions so the Bylaws can take effect even if the Declaration fails (and vice versa): references then point to the 1984-era document that remains in force. Owners are effectively voting on two independent questions, not one package.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. II, §§4–5, p. 8; Declaration Art. XIV, §§12–13, p. 51Apparent Drafting Error Left in the Final Bylaws
The "Scrivener Corrections" section of the final Draft 9 Bylaws contains an incomplete sentence — words appear to have been dropped between "typographical mistakes or" and "otherwise have express power," making the provision garbled as written. Owners may want to ask the Board to correct this before the vote, since this is the clause that governs how future typos get fixed.
Draft 9 Bylaws, final article, §9 ("Scrivener Corrections"), p. 40Other Procedural Notes
Annual meeting may now be postponed to end of June for reasons "beyond the reasonable control" of the Directors (Draft 6: end of May, vacancy only). Nomination-deadline notice moves from 20 to 21 days, and floor nominations are allowed if the Board misses its notice deadline. Land-contract buyers are treated as the member/voter in place of the record owner. Members may attend the Board's post-election organizational meeting except executive sessions. Temporary delegations of an officer's duties are capped at 45 days.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. III, §4(a); Art. IV, §4; Art. I, §2(p); Art. IV, §6(a); Art. V, §6✅ Changes that favor homeowners — relative to Draft 6
Suing the HOA No Longer Costs Your "Good Standing"
Draft 6 stripped "Good Standing" from any owner "adverse to the Association in any litigation" — meaning an owner who sued (or was sued by) the HOA lost the rights tied to Good Standing, including eligibility to serve on the Board. Draft 9 deletes that clause entirely. Good Standing now depends only on being current (within 30 days) on payments.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. II, §2(n), p. 5; Bylaws Art. I, §2(m), p. 5Members Regain a Vote on the Annual Assessment
Draft 6 let the Board set assessments with no cap and no member check. Draft 9 restores member control in two ways: (1) a majority of the Association's voting power may increase or decrease the annual assessment at the annual meeting or a special meeting; and (2) the Board cannot raise the annual assessment more than 20% over the prior year without member approval.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. VIII, §1, pp. 32–33Owners Behind on Dues Can Still Vote in Elections
Draft 9 provides that a member may vote in any Director election and on any bylaw amendment even if not in Good Standing — the Board may not suspend those particular voting rights for delinquency alone. Draft 6 protected only bylaw-amendment votes.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. IV, §5, p. 19; Art. IV, §10(i), p. 25Fishing Ban Removed
Draft 6 banned "swimming, ice skating, fishing, or ... similar recreational or sport activities" on the lake, pond, or stream. Draft 9 removes fishing from the list. (Swimming, ice skating, and watercraft remain prohibited, and a new ban on stocking fish or waterfowl is added.)
Draft 9 Declaration Art. IV, §3(h)(6) and (8), p. 12Vague "Community Standard" Deleted Throughout
Draft 6 measured owners' maintenance, nuisance-related conduct, and architectural conformity against a "Community Standard" — defined as whatever standard "prevail[s] within the Property as determined by the Board." Draft 9 removes the defined term and its uses; lot maintenance is now judged against "reasonable expectations or standards." This narrows one of the most open-ended Board discretion points in Draft 6.
Compare Draft 6 Declaration Art. II, §2(k) with Draft 9 Art. II, §2 (definition removed); Art. VII, §1, p. 29Home-Schooling Expressly Protected
Draft 6's home-office rules barred using any part of a home as a "school," which raised questions under Ohio's home-education law. Draft 9 adds an explicit carve-out: the ban "shall not be construed to disallow" home-schooling of an owner's or occupant's children or wards.
Draft 9 Declaration Art. IV, §3(r)(2), p. 18Smaller Wins: Garage Sales, Drones, Work Vehicles, Tenant Privacy
Garage sales no longer need per-sale written Board approval (general rules instead, p. 11). You may authorize a drone over your own lot (no imaging of other lots, p. 10). You may park an employer-owned commercial vehicle in your driveway during the day (p. 23). And the required disclosure of names, phone numbers, and emails now applies to owners only — tenants/occupants no longer must be reported (p. 19).
Draft 9 Declaration Art. IV, §3(e), (c), (cc)(2), (u)Election Safeguards Added
Draft 9 builds out election mechanics that Draft 6 left to the Board: sign-in rosters with tellers, provisional ballots for disputed voters, a 3-member Committee of Counters elected by the members (not appointed by the Board), candidate-designated observers, a post-election audit, and certification of results with notice to members within 30 days.
Draft 9 Bylaws Art. III, §3(c)–(h), pp. 9–11Share with Neighbors
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