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Summary:

As questions about Hideaway's traffic enforcement, finances, and Board decisions grew, we began requesting records so we could better understand how the HOA was operating. We wanted to see the documents behind traffic stops, radar use, security training, fines, financial activity, Board decisions, and the General Manager's employment contract. Members can see financial summaries online, but summaries do not show the same level of detail as the underlying records.

We followed the formal records-request process under Texas Property Code §209.005 and waited the required 10 business days. After that period passed, we went to the administration building expecting either the records or a clear explanation of when they would be available. Instead, General Manager Del Polikretis handed us an envelope and said, “That's all you need.” When asked directly whether he was refusing to comply with the Texas Property Code and our document request, he repeated the same statement, smiled, and walked away.

Inside the envelope were no financial records, security records, Board records, or employment contract. There was only a piece of paper containing an attorney's name, address, and phone number. When we called, the person who answered said she handled overdue HOA accounts and payment arrangements and could not provide the records or arrange a conversation with the attorney.

The General Manager's employment contract remains a particular concern because Hideaway's bylaws state that employee contracts are to be made available to members upon request. On other occasions, Del has also told us to email him for information about obtaining records, but several of those emails received no response.

The Board and General Manager have repeatedly described the HOA as transparent, but that has not been our experience. Members should not have to repeatedly chase their own association for records they are entitled to request. Transparency should mean giving members a clear process, responding when they follow it, and allowing them to review the records behind the decisions, spending, policies, and enforcement actions that affect the community.

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Questions Grow After HOA Records Requests

As the questions surrounding our family's experience with Hideaway grew, we kept coming back to the same problem:

We needed to see the records.

We wanted to understand how traffic enforcement inside Hideaway actually worked. We wanted to know what authority security had been given, what policies governed traffic stops and tickets, what equipment was being used, and how fines issued to nonmembers could eventually appear on a member's account.

We also wanted a clearer understanding of the HOA's finances.

Members can see financial summaries online, but summaries are not the same thing as the underlying financial records. A summary may tell members that money was spent in a particular category. The underlying records can help explain where it went, who was paid, what was purchased, what contracts existed, and how the spending was approved.

That is why we began requesting records.

The requests were not made simply to create work for the HOA or to search for something wrong.

They were made because we were trying to understand why things were being done the way they were being done.

Instead of getting clear answers, however, our experience has repeatedly left us feeling like we were being given the runaround.

What We Were Asking For

The records requests generally fell into four areas: traffic enforcement, security, finances, and governance.

Among the records and information requested were:

Records explaining the authority for Hideaway security to conduct traffic stops and issue monetary citations
Policies and procedures governing traffic enforcement
Radar and speed-detection records
Information concerning the equipment used to determine vehicle speeds
Maintenance and calibration information
Security employee identification and licensing information
Training and certification records
Policies, post orders, and directives given to security employees
Records explaining how traffic citations are processed
Records showing how fines involving nonmembers can be transferred to member accounts
Board minutes, resolutions, votes, and other records showing how traffic-enforcement policies were authorized
Financial records and underlying accounting information
Records showing expenditures, contracts, and other financial activity
Board records concerning significant financial decisions
The General Manager's employment contract
Records concerning policies governing member access to HOA records

The goal was simple.

We wanted to understand how traffic enforcement was being handled, what authority existed for it, how the financial side of the HOA operated, and how important decisions were being approved.

Those are questions records should be able to answer.

Financial Summaries Don't Show the Full Picture

One issue that continues to bother us is the financial information available to members online.

Hideaway publishes financial information, but much of what members see consists of summaries.

Summaries can be useful.

But a summary is not the same thing as the underlying books and records.

If a category shows that money was spent, the summary may not tell members which vendors were paid, what services were purchased, what individual expenditures made up that total, or what contracts created the obligation.

That fuller information matters when members are trying to understand how their money is being used.

Texas Property Code §209.005 says that, subject to the statute's procedures and exceptions, a property owners' association must make its books and records, including financial records, open to and reasonably available for examination by an owner.

The law also allows an owner to obtain copies of information contained in those records.

We wanted to understand why members were not being given routine access to more of that fuller financial picture.

The General Manager and Board have repeatedly described themselves as transparent.

That has not been our experience.

Despite repeated requests, follow-up emails, and conversations about obtaining records, access has been anything but simple.

In our view, members should not have to fight for basic association records they are legally entitled to request.

Transparency should mean more than posting summaries.

It should allow members to look at the records and verify the information for themselves.

We Followed the Formal Records-Request Process

We did not simply walk into the administration building and demand documents.

A formal HOA records request was submitted under Texas Property Code §209.005.

The statute establishes a process for owners seeking association records, including a written request and a response period.

After the HOA received our request, we waited the required 10 business days.

Then we went to the Hideaway administration building.

At that point, we expected one of two things:

The requested records, or a proper response explaining what would be produced and when.

Instead, we met General Manager Del Polikretis.

He handed me an envelope and said:

“That's all you need.”

I asked him directly whether he was refusing to comply with the Texas Property Code and our HOA document request.

He responded again:

“That's all you need.”

Then he smiled and walked away.

We Opened the Envelope

After Del walked away, we opened it.

There were no financial records.

There were no traffic-enforcement records.

There were no security policies.

There were no Board records.

There was no General Manager employment contract.

There was no detailed explanation identifying which records were being withheld or when anything would be produced.

Inside was a single piece of paper containing a lawyer's name, address, and telephone number.

That was the response we received after waiting the 10 business days following our formal records request.

That is why the words “That's all you need” have stuck with us.

We asked for association records.

After the statutory response period passed, we physically went to the administration building expecting documents or an explanation.

Instead, we left with an attorney's contact information.

So We Called the Number

Since that was what Del gave us, we called.

The person who answered told us that she handled matters involving overdue HOA accounts and payment arrangements.

She could not provide the records.

She could not arrange a conversation with the attorney.

The call did not result in a date for document inspection.

It did not explain why the records had not been produced.

It did not answer our questions about the General Manager's contract.

So we were left wondering:

How was this supposed to help us obtain the records we had formally requested?

This is one of the clearest examples of why we feel the process has been unnecessarily difficult.

The General Manager's Employment Contract

One particular request raised an additional issue because Hideaway's own bylaws appear to address it directly.

We requested the General Manager's employment contract.

Hideaway's bylaws, Article VIII, Section One, contain language stating that employee contracts are to be made available to a Club member upon request.

We even have the General Manager reading that exact bylaw language himself.

That seems straightforward.

So the question remains:

If the bylaws say employee contracts shall be made available to members upon request, why can't a member review the General Manager's employment contract?

That contract still has not been provided.

Then Came the Repeated “Email Me” Responses

The envelope incident was not the end of our attempts to obtain information.

On other occasions, Del has told us to email him and said he would provide the information needed to obtain records or answer our questions.

We followed those instructions more than once.

Several of those emails received no response.

That added to the frustration because the issue was no longer simply whether records existed. It became a question of how a member was actually supposed to obtain them when the person directing the process did not respond after telling us to contact him.

If there is a required procedure, members should be told what it is.

If a document cannot be produced, the reason should be explained.

If more time is needed, that should be communicated.

Members should not have to keep repeating the same requests just to find out what happens next.

Texas Law Provides a Records Process

Texas Property Code §209.005 sets out the process for obtaining HOA records.

Among other things, an owner seeking records under the statute must submit a sufficiently detailed written request by certified mail to the appropriate association address and state whether the owner wants to inspect the records or receive copies.

Once a proper request is received, the association generally has 10 business days to provide access, produce the records, or take the other action permitted under the statute.

If the association cannot produce the records within that period, the statute provides a process for notifying the owner and giving a later production date.

Texas Property Code §209.005

We are not saying every HOA record must automatically be handed over without limits.

The statute has procedures and exceptions.

But when a member follows the process, there should be a meaningful response.

That is what we expected.

Why Board Minutes Matter

Texas Property Code §209.0051 addresses Board meetings and meeting records.

Among other things, Texas law requires written minutes of regular and special Board meetings and contains requirements concerning Board action, open meetings, and executive sessions.

Texas Property Code §209.0051

Minutes matter because they can answer basic questions.

They can show whether an issue was discussed.

They can document motions.

They can record votes.

They can establish whether a policy was approved.

They can show what authority was given to management.

Without those records, members may be left trying to piece together how major decisions were made.

That does not feel transparent.

Records Are How Members Verify What They Are Being Told

This is why the issue matters beyond our family.

Hideaway leadership frequently describes the association as transparent.

Records are how members can verify that transparency for themselves.

Financial records help explain where member money goes.

Board minutes show how decisions were approved.

Contracts show what obligations the HOA has entered into.

Policies show the rules management says it is following.

Security records can explain what authority guards were given and what procedures they were instructed to use.

Traffic-enforcement records can help answer why private security is stopping motorists, measuring speed, issuing tickets, and placing fines on member accounts.

These are not meaningless pieces of paper.

They are the record of how the association operates.

Transparency Should Mean Access

Our frustration comes partly from the repeated claims of transparency.

If leadership wants members to believe the HOA is transparent, then members who ask legitimate questions should be able to obtain records through a clear and predictable process.

Instead, our experience has included a formal records request followed by an envelope containing only an attorney's contact information, unanswered emails, repeated requests, and records that remain unavailable.

That is difficult for us to reconcile with repeated claims of transparency.

Members should not need to repeatedly ask for the same information.

And legitimate questions about finances, Board actions, security policies, and employee contracts should not turn into months of trying to figure out how to access the underlying documents.

What We Are Asking For

The request remains straightforward.

Provide the records members are entitled to inspect.

If a particular record cannot legally be produced, explain why.
If a statutory exception applies, identify it.
If additional time is needed under Texas law, provide the required notice.
If there is a procedure members must follow, explain it clearly and then respond when members actually follow it.

And if leadership says it is transparent, demonstrate that transparency by allowing members to review the records supporting the decisions being made.

The goal has never been to make operating the HOA more difficult.

The goal is to understand it.

How is traffic enforcement authorized?
How are fines handled?
How is member money being spent?
What decisions has the Board actually approved?
What contracts has the association entered into?
What policies govern the people exercising authority over members and visitors?

Those questions should have answers.

And many of those answers should be found in the records.

This Matters to Every Hideaway Member

Most members may never submit a formal records request.

But every member benefits from an association where records are maintained, decisions are documented, and records members are legally entitled to inspect are reasonably accessible.

Today the question might involve traffic enforcement.

Tomorrow it could involve:

A major expenditure
A special assessment
A land transaction
A new contract
A security policy
A Board vote
A change in the rules
A decision affecting your own membership or property

Members should not be expected to rely entirely on summaries.

They should not be expected to accept “trust us” as a substitute for documentation.

And after properly requesting records and waiting the required response period, a member should not arrive at the administration building expecting records and instead leave with nothing more than an attorney's name and phone number.

Transparency is not simply telling members that an organization is transparent.

Transparency is allowing members to look at the records, understand the decisions, ask questions, and verify the answers for themselves.

That is what we have been trying to do.

And it should not be this difficult.

Sources and Supporting Documents

Hide-A-Way Lake Club Public Documents — Hideaway publishes its governing documents and other association materials through its public-document portal. The bylaws include provisions addressing association records and employee contracts.

Hide-A-Way Lake Club Public Documents

Texas Property Code §209.005 — Association Records — Texas law generally requires property owners' associations to make association books and records, including financial records, open and reasonably available for examination by owners, subject to statutory procedures and exceptions. The law also establishes the certified-mail request process and response requirements.

Texas Property Code Chapter 209

Texas Property Code §209.0051 — Board Meetings and Records — This section addresses Board meetings, meeting notices, executive sessions, written minutes, and access to approved Board meeting records.