Transparency Portal

Governing Documents

These summaries explain, in everyday language, the documents that govern our neighborhood. Each one is a summary written to help you understand — it is not the legal text and it is not legal advice. Where a summary and an original document ever disagree, the original document is what counts. Each summary links to the full original document so you can read it yourself.

1. Articles of Incorporation — what the Association legally is

   Filed with the Texas Secretary of State, August 2007 (File No. 800854218).

   This is the document that created the Association as a Texas non-profit corporation. What it means for you:

   • The Association exists to maintain the neighborhood, enforce the deed restrictions, and handle assessments — nothing more.
   • It's run by a board of directors (originally three; the number can be increased by changing the Bylaws).
   • Every homeowner is a voting member. The developer once held extra votes (“Class B”), but that control ended years ago — today every lot is one equal vote.
   • Changing the Articles takes the agreement of two-thirds of the entire membership. (This is different from changing the deed restrictions — see the Declaration below.)

   Read the Articles of Incorporation (PDF)

2. Bylaws — how the Association runs day to day

   Adopted August 2007.

   The Bylaws are the operating manual: meetings, the board, officers, and money. The parts most worth knowing:

   • Meetings & quorum. The annual meeting happens on the Association's anniversary date. The quorum to do business is one-tenth (10%) of the votes — a low bar, which means a small group present can act, and also means showing up matters.
   • The board works for the members. Members can remove a director, with or without cause, by a majority vote. Directors aren't paid.
   • Officers. A President and Vice-President (both directors), a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for the budget and an annual income-and-expense statement.
   • Your records are open. The Articles, Bylaws, and deed restrictions, and the Association's books and records, are open to member inspection during reasonable business hours.
   • Late assessments. Unpaid assessments more than 30 days late carry 10% annual interest, and the Association can sue or foreclose, adding interest, costs, and attorney's fees.
   • Changing the Bylaws takes a majority of a quorum of members.

   Read the Bylaws (PDF)

3. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (the “deed restrictions”) — the rules we all live under

   Recorded in Harris County, March 2008.

   This is the big one — the rules that run with the land and bind every lot. It covers two things: what you can and can't do with your property, and how the Association is funded.

   The use rules (21 of them), in brief: single-family homes only; the Architectural Control Committee must approve exterior construction or changes before you start; minimum home size 1,200 sq ft; setback, fence (no chain-link; 6-ft wood privacy fencing), sign, antenna, roofing, and vehicle-storage rules; keep your lot maintained (if you don't, after written notice the Association can remedy it and bill you). The full list and exact wording are in the recorded document.

   The money rules:

   • Every lot owes an annual assessment, which is a lien on the lot and a personal debt of the owner.
   • The assessment started at a maximum of $225/lot and can rise up to 10% per year without a vote; a larger increase needs two-thirds of the members.
   • Unpaid more than 30 days: 10% annual interest, and the Association can sue or foreclose, adding interest, costs, and attorney's fees.

   The part that matters most for our future: the deed restrictions can be amended by the owners of at least 75% of the lots (until the covenants' first long-term renewal). In other words — the homeowners themselves, not the board, hold the power to rewrite these rules. (Texas law may set a different threshold in some cases; that's a question for the Association's attorney.)

   Read the recorded Declaration (PDF)

4. Recorded Resolutions — four board policies

   Recorded in Harris County, January 2012.

   The board formally recorded four standing policies:

   • Collection (delinquency) policy. A step-by-step process for unpaid assessments — reminder, delinquency notice, lien notice, lien, final notice, then transfer to the attorney — with fees added at each step. This is the process behind the collection costs you'll see explained in the finances section.
   • Records production policy. How a homeowner can request Association records (certified-mail request to the management address), the timelines, and a cost schedule ($0.10/page; labor and overhead only apply to requests over 50 pages). Personal information about other owners is withheld.
   • Records retention policy. How long records are kept: the founding documents — permanently; financial books and records — 7 years; current owners' account records — 5 years; meeting minutes — 7 years. (Worth knowing when records are requested: these are the periods the Association is supposed to keep things.)
   • Payment plan policy. Owners may pay off a balance in up to three monthly installments, with a setup fee and per-payment fees.

   Read the recorded Resolutions (PDF)

5. Management Certificate — who manages the Association, and the fees at sale

   Recorded in Harris County, September 2024.

   A short recorded document that names the management company and the fees charged when a home changes hands. What it means for you:

   • The Association is managed by ACMI (Williams ACMI Ventures, LP), at 12603 Louetta Rd., Suite 101, Cypress, TX.
   • Fees when a property transfers: Transfer Fee $250, Resale Certificate $275, Refinance $150, Quote $13 each. (Working Capital Assessment: $0.)

   Read the recorded Management Certificate (PDF)

6. Fee Schedules — what the management company and the attorney charge

   Management fees: ACMI fee amendment, effective Jan 2024 (executed Oct 2023). Attorney fees: O'Neal Law Firm 2025–2026 schedule.

   These two schedules set what the Association is billed. Most collection charges are rebilled to the delinquent owner, not paid out of everyone's assessments — but they shape the numbers you'll see in the finances section.

   Management company (ACMI), key items: a monthly base management fee (currently in the $450/month range, plus a per-lot component); per-collection-notice $17.50; lien notice/release $40 each; payment-plan setup $20 plus $5 per payment; attorney referral $15/account; newsletters, special mailings, tax-return preparation, and meeting/court time billed separately.

   Attorney (O'Neal), key items: collection demand letters $200–$225 plus costs; foreclosure lawsuit through judgment $2,500; deed-restriction demand letters $135–$145; deed-restriction lawsuit prep $750; hourly work $250/hour. Collection attorney fees are deferred — not billed until money is actually collected.

   Read the ACMI Management Fee Amendment (PDF)

   Read the Attorney Fee Schedule — O'Neal Law Firm (PDF)

Every summary above is a plain-language explanation for understanding only. The original documents are the operative text. If you believe a summary is inaccurate or unclear, tell us — these summaries are meant to be corrected in the open. Contact the director who maintains this site.

See also: Your Property — what you can and can't do with your lot, drawn from the Declaration below.

What You Can and Can't Do With Your Property

These are the deed restrictions recorded in the Association's Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (Harris County, 2008), restated in plain language. They run with the land and apply to every lot. Each item links to the recorded Declaration, which is the operative text — where a plain-language summary and the recorded document differ, the recorded document controls.

Approvals and building your home

• Architectural approval comes first. Before you build, add an exterior improvement, or change the outside design of your home after construction, you must submit construction plans, specifications, and a location plan to the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) and receive written approval. Two timing rules to know: if the ACC does not approve or disapprove a general submission within 30 days of receiving the required documents, approval is no longer required and the requirement is treated as satisfied; a variance (an exception) is treated as disapproved if the ACC denies it in writing or does not respond. Declaration, Art. II §2
• One single-family home per lot. No more than one single-family dwelling, up to 2½ stories, with a garage or carport for up to three cars. Servants' quarters are allowed but may not be taller than the main house and may be occupied only by family or domestic servants. Declaration, Art. II §1
• Minimum size. The ground-floor living area of the main home (not counting porches and garages) must be at least 1,200 square feet; a multi-story home must total at least 1,200 square feet. Declaration, Art. II §3
• Roofing. Roofs must be asphalt or composition shingles comparable in color to wood shingles; any other material needs written ACC approval. Declaration, Art. II §18
• Sidewalks. Before the home is completed and occupied, the owner must build a 4-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along the street — on both the front and the side street for corner lots. Declaration, Art. II §20
• Underground electric service. In the underground-service area, the owner furnishes, installs, owns, and maintains the underground service cable and meter loop at their own cost; an additional per-front-foot charge can apply if the dwelling type is later changed. Declaration, Art. II §21

Living here, day to day

• Fences. No chain-link fencing anywhere. No wall, fence, or hedge may stand forward of the front building line (on corner lots, forward of the side-street setback line). Six-foot wood fences are required between lots and around rear yards, except where Association boulevard walls or specified alternative materials apply; wood fences use galvanized nails (at least four per picket), and a street-facing fence must show its finished picket side to the street. The ACC approves fences before construction and may require a particular stain color. Owners keep their fences in good condition; the Association maintains its own boulevard masonry walls. Declaration, Art. II §12, §12.A–B
• Signs. No signs, advertisements, or billboards in public view on a lot, except one “for sale” or “for rent” sign per building site, no larger than 5 square feet. The Association may remove a sign that violates this. Declaration, Art. II §16
• Animals and pets. No livestock or poultry. Dogs, cats, and other common household pets are allowed only if they are not kept or bred for commercial purposes and no more than two of each type are kept. Declaration, Art. II §11
• Vehicles and parking. Boats, boat trailers, travel trailers, campers, inoperative cars, and vehicles of any kind may not be stored semi-permanently or permanently in the street right-of-way or forward of the front building line; such items must be screened from public view — in a garage or behind a fence enclosing the rear of the lot. Overnight parking of commercial vehicles (wreckers, vans, trailer trucks, tractors, delivery trucks, school buses, and the like) anywhere in the subdivision is prohibited. Declaration, Art. II §9
• Business and other non-residential use. No activity — whether for profit or not — that is not related to single-family residential use. Declaration, Art. II §7
• Nuisances. No noxious or offensive activity, and nothing that becomes an annoyance or a nuisance to the neighborhood. Declaration, Art. II §7
• Leasing. You may lease or rent the entire home as a single residence to one family or person. You may not rent out individual rooms or other separate spaces. Declaration, Art. II §1
• Temporary structures and outbuildings. No temporary structure or outbuilding — mobile home, camper, trailer, tent, shack, garage, barn, and the like — may be used as a residence at any time. Portable buildings for accessory or storage use are limited to 8 feet tall and 120 square feet and need ACC approval. Construction-period temporary structures must be removed when construction is finished. Declaration, Art. II §8
• Lot upkeep and trash. Keep weeds and grass cut and the lot in a neat, healthful condition. Don't use the lot to store materials or equipment beyond normal residential needs, don't let garbage, trash, or rubbish accumulate, and don't burn such materials except as the law allows. Declaration, Art. II §14
• Screening clothes and equipment. No drying clothes in public view; on lots visible from streets, parks, or playgrounds, screen a drying area. Keep yard equipment, woodpiles, and storage piles screened from neighboring lots and streets. Declaration, Art. II §15
• Antennas and satellite dishes. No exterior or free-standing antenna or signal-transmitting/receiving device, except satellite reception dishes; dishes must be screened — by an ACC-approved fence or similar structure — to conceal them from streets and other lots. Antenna and satellite-dish rules are subject to applicable federal law. Declaration, Art. II §19
• Portable goals. Portable goals (basketball, soccer, hockey, and the like) may be in the street only while in use; otherwise store them inside the garage, against the garage door, or beside the home. Declaration, Art. II §17

Easements, lot lines, and other lot-context provisions

• Setbacks. The Declaration sets minimum setbacks of 10 feet from a side street and 3 feet from interior lot lines; building lines may be further defined by the recorded subdivision plat. Eaves, steps, and open porches are not counted as part of the building. Declaration, Art. II §4
• Easements. Utility easements are reserved as shown on the recorded subdivision plat, and no structure of any kind may be built on an easement; utilities are not liable for damage to plantings or improvements within an easement. Declaration, Art. II §6
• Combining or dividing lots. Adjoining lots may be combined into one building site with ACC approval (setbacks are then measured from the new outer lines). A lot may not be resubdivided unless each resulting site is at least 50 feet wide at the front building line, and the ACC must approve. Declaration, Art. II §5
• Mineral operations. No oil, gas, or mineral drilling, mining, or related operations — and no wells, tanks, derricks, or similar structures — on any lot. Declaration, Art. II §10
• Corner sight-lines. On corner lots, nothing between 2 and 6 feet tall may block sight lines within the 25-foot triangle at the street intersection (measured from the curb lines). Declaration, Art. II §13

The Finances

The year-end statements behind these figures — the Association's monthly Balance Sheets and Income Statements — are compiled here so any homeowner can check the summary against the source. They sit behind a homeowner sign-in: homeowners can view the underlying statements, while the wider public stays out. Every statement is machine-checked to contain no individual homeowner's name or address — only community-level totals.

View the financial statements (homeowner sign-in).

Where the Money Goes

This section explains, in everyday language, where the Association's money comes from and where it goes. Every figure here is a community-level total taken from the Association's own year-end financial statements, and reconciles to their printed totals. No individual homeowner's information appears anywhere — by design. This is a summary for understanding, not a substitute for the records themselves; the year-end statements these numbers come from are available to homeowners in the homeowner section, with personal information removed. If you think anything here is wrong, tell us — this is meant to be corrected in the open.

Where the money comes from

Almost all of it is the annual assessment every lot pays — about $25,000 a year. The rest is smaller: collection and legal fees recovered from delinquent owners, a little interest, and the occasional transfer fee when a home changes hands. Total income has run between roughly $28,000 and $38,500 a year.

Where the money goes

About 96 cents of every dollar the Association spends goes to four things:

• Management — the management company (ACMI) that runs the Association day to day.
• Insurance — the Association's liability and directors-and-officers coverage.
• Landscaping — the common-area grounds (vendor: We Groom Grass).
• Legal — mostly collection work (the attorney, O'Neal Law Firm).

All figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. Because each column is rounded on its own, a row's Net may look $1 off from Income minus Expenses — the original statements reconcile to the penny.

The four categories, year by year:

A few things the numbers show

These are facts from the statements, for you to weigh — not conclusions.

• What the Association keeps each year has shrunk. It used to finish the year about $6,000–$11,000 ahead. In 2024 and 2025 it finished about $640 ahead — both years. The change came from the expense side: spending rose while income drifted down.
• Management cost rose as the pie shrank. What the Association pays the management company went from about $15,700 in 2018 to about $18,700 in 2025, while total income fell from about $31,700 to about $28,100 — a larger amount out of a smaller total.
• The savings earn almost nothing. The Association holds roughly $124,000 in cash (as of May 2026), about $76,000 of it in a reserve account paying around 0.26%. Comparable savings rates in 2023–2025 were roughly 4–5%, which works out to an estimated $2,800–$3,600 a year in interest the reserve didn't earn.

Collections — the aggregate picture

Unpaid assessments here are few and small. At any given time, somewhere between 1 and 13 lots out of 129 were behind, and the unpaid dues themselves never exceeded about $1,550 at any single point.

On top of those small unpaid-dues balances sits a much larger layer of collection and legal fees. Over the eight years, about $36,300 in collection and legal charges were billed — roughly $24,100 to the management company and $12,300 to the attorney. In every year, those accumulated fees were the majority — about two-thirds to three-quarters — of each overdue balance. (These fees are charged to and recovered from the delinquent owners, not paid out of everyone's assessments.)

¹ “Genuinely overdue” means balances more than 90 days past due. The Association's newer report format adds the next year's freshly-billed assessment into a headline total, which makes 2024 and 2025 look far larger ($18,986 and $14,791); the over-90 figures above are the real overdue amounts.

Items the records don't fully explain

Putting everything in plain sight means showing the open questions too — not as accusations, simply as things the records don't describe on their face:

• A $595 “Other Admin.” charge in October 2024, with no description.
• A standing $300 “Miscellaneous Charges” credit that has sat on the books since 2024, not tied to any owner and unexplained.
• Transfer (capitalization) fees that ran $700–$1,500 a year through 2023, then read $0 in 2024 and 2025 — unclear whether that reflects no qualifying home sales or a fee that stopped being charged.

Every figure above is drawn from the Association's own year-end financial statements and reconciles to their printed totals. This is a plain-language summary for understanding; the source statements (with personal information removed) are the record. If you believe something here is inaccurate, tell us. Contact the director who maintains this site.

See also: Your Property — the rules that apply to your lot.