President's Message: We are not in the City of Gaithersburg

by Doniele Ayres, MVF President

When I moved to the Village, I was excited to list my address in Montgomery Village. Over the years, I would interchange Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village, mostly because it is an easy point of reference for people in the area. Then there is the confusing thing about the post office and the library referencing Gaithersburg when they are both in Montgomery Village.

Montgomery Village is the second largest Homeowners Association (HOA) in the State of Maryland, and Columbia is the first. Our resident population is nearly the same as that of the City of Gaithersburg. As a matter of fact, the State of Maryland has 157 municipalities and 19 of them are in Montgomery County. Why am I referencing stats and pointing out the fact that we’re not in the City of Gaithersburg? Because the management of our HOA is the responsibility of all of us.

How are we structured? We have two HOAs or if you live in a condominium community, an HOA and a Condominium Owners Association (COA). I think of Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) as the ‘state,’ and the HOAs could be the ‘city’ and our government. Montgomery Village doesn’t have a police or fire department; the county provides those services. Our relationship with elected officials is even more important to me, because we’re not a municipality. What does it mean to have the ‘state’ and ‘city’ separate in Montgomery Village? In your community, your local board of directors makes and enforces the rules specifically for your community (such as parking and trash). MVF is responsible for rules that apply to all communities (such as architectural standards) and those that specifically apply to MVF operations and services.

What is the point? From my perspective, it’s the fact that we are the second largest HOA in the State of Maryland. That is a big deal since we’ve been able to impact statewide legislation related to HOAs. Our status means that you directly interact with the people who represent you, the board members. Your voice is important in matters both big and small, and you have a responsibility in your ‘city’ and in the ‘state’. HOAs are also unique because of the covenants, which are the bylaws and standards of the community. There is always the 50/50 issue where some people like the rules and some don’t, and in my city/state analogy, the same is true about laws. Architectural guidelines, assessment fees, parking rules, etc., are the way homes corporations ‘govern’ and are only slightly different from the way a city or other municipality governs.

Montgomery Village has seen a lot of changes and growth in its 59 years. I’m excited for the things that are ahead. While we are celebrating the Village, let’s keep in mind that we are Montgomery Village, and although we are neighbors, we are not in the City of Gaithersburg.