1/9/24 UPDATE: They reactivated my card and reinstated my membership immediately.
NO notice of ANY incorrect information was provided.
Everything I publish is ACCURATE.
3/8/23 UPDATE: My text to president Bill Needham:
Hello Mr. Needham, I am looking forward to your factual written response to my post, including notice of any incorrect information. [Link to this post.] Thank you! Christine Baker.
NOTICE TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS:
Due to potential litigation, please do NOT shred, delete or otherwise destroy any documents, notes, Facebook comments, postings and submissions, audio recordings of board meetings, and any other material related to co-op business or the board’s efforts to silence me.
I realized that I had been banned from the Lake Mead City Community Co-operative (water co-op or LMCCC) official Facebook group with the announcements of well closures, repairs, etc. when I searched for the group after not receiving any notifications for a long time.
On 1/30/23, I asked LMCCC treasurer Cheryl Smith why I was banned from the FB group. She referred me to co-op president Bill Needham and he stated that he would call Eldon St. Ledger (board member?). I patiently waited for a month and when Mr. Needham failed to get back to me, I texted again on 3/2, just a few days before the next co-op meeting last Sunday.
Mr. Needham advised that Eldon was in charge of FB and he wanted me to call Eldon. Since a phone call would likely result in lots of unnecessary stress for me, I advised that we would discuss the issue at the meeting.
2023/3/2 Texts with Bill Needham re FB ban (click for larger image)
At the 3/5/23 meeting I asked for $500 and to be unbanned from the official co-op FB group. Bill Needham and other board members blatantly LIED to the members and falsely proclaimed that I had harassed the board members and that I had accused them of embezzlement.
They showed me a printout of one of my posts here as proof of the “harassment” and embezzlement allegation. Eldon was in my face and screaming at me. I hope they have a high-quality audio recording!
I don’t see any harassment or false allegation of embezzlement in my posts:
https://highdesertdirt.com/blog/2022/10/01/10-2-22-2-pm-lmc-water-co-op-meeting/
Incredibly, they admitted that I had submitted the link to the post in the official FB group, yet they chose NOT to advise of any objectionable statements!
Bill Needham threatened to call the sheriff to have me removed from the meeting and I did not object. Been there, done that: https://youtu.be/nVhSzQDbgds.
Then Mr. Needham changed his mind, claiming that because the meeting was at Ollie Freihaut’s property they couldn’t call the sheriff. Next, he called for a vote to have me expelled from the co-op. Unsurprising, nobody objected.
Most members attending these meetings are either part of the directors’ clans, suffer from severe cognitive decline or never were very smart, and/or are terrified of also getting kicked out, abused, and slandered. Members with concerns about mismanagement and lack of transparency show up occasionally, ask a few questions or have suggestions, are shut down by the board members and their friends and families, and never come back.
I have been very quiet, had so much stress this last year. I suffer from stress-induced brain damage resulting in working memory loss when very stressed and I often have extremely high blood pressure. A heartbeat away from a heart attack or stroke. I need this BS like a hole in the head. But like everybody, I need water even more.
While I’m very glad that Mike Kelly’s new well at Pierce Ferry and Charles is now open and he currently charges LESS than the co-op with NO dues, it takes twice the time and miles to haul water for my greenhouse and orchard garden. And then the STRESS when that well is down for repairs, it’s only a matter of time until something breaks.
I can’t just watch the water co-op be mismanaged into bankruptcy without at least documenting the board members’ actions and how so much money was wasted, but most of all, our many old and/or sick residents should not be forced to use Mike’s well on the other side of Pierce Ferry. It’s dangerous.
I also need to clear my name and restore my reputation.
I never stole water, never harassed any board members, and as evidenced by my public posts here and by the board’s FAILURE to respond, I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.
Before I contact lawyers, the water co-op board has the opportunity to resolve this dispute by Monday, 3/13/23.
The board must agree to:
- reinstate my membership
- provide me with a written apology to be published here and on Facebook, including at the official co-op FB group.
- email to me all financials, the agenda and minutes of all meetings including board meetings not open to the members and all versions of bylaws (with redlined changes) since 2008 for publication here OR post these documents at another public website so that (prospective) co-op members can review, analyze and assess the co-op financial condition, the board’s (in)actions and the likelihood of insolvency.
- agree to provide future financials, meeting agenda and minutes of all meetings to me and other members who wish to be informed by email, post the meeting agenda at the wells at least 2 weeks prior to meetings and post all meeting minutes (including special board meetings) within 5 days of the meetings at the wells and at the co-op website.
- provide a written explanation for the missing funds and a realistic plan on how to maintain the wells without future bailouts.
If the board does NOT agree to settle this matter by Monday, 3/13/23, I will be contacting attorneys.
I just noticed that the registered agent info lists Well 3 as the address for Dan Doughty. That’s obviously false and process servers need the agent’s physical address to serve legal documents.
From https://ecorp.azcc.gov/BusinessSearch/BusinessInfo?entityNumber=01085508:
3/8/23 ACC water co-op info
- The co-op needs to update with the state.
- The list of directors is also rather short.
The board members’ continued refusal to provide financials and other requested information indicates that something is seriously wrong. What are they hiding?
WHERE IS THE MONEY???
In 2008 the co-op had $94,450 in the bank AFTER paying for the new Well 3!
2008 Water Co-op Financials (click for larger image)
I became a co-op member in 2006 shortly after Well 3 had opened.
Now it can’t even pay for the badly needed repairs at Well 3.
Embezzlement, mismanagement, corruption, incompetence …
WHERE IS THE MONEY???
If we end up in litigation, I will ask all board members who served since 2009 and are still alive and in the area what happened to the money. I don’t think I ever went to any meetings until the alleged EMBEZZLEMENT and Becky Montgomery became treasurer and dealt with the mess. She will obviously be a key witness. I wonder why she suddenly resigned.
It has been mentioned at meetings that if the co-op goes bankrupt the STATE will step up.
I’d like nothing more! No more harassment, abuse, stress and frustration!
- I’ll be contacting the state to find out whether it is true that they would take over and if so, how soon can they step in? [UPDATE 1/9/24: TOTAL BS. The state could not possibly care less.]
The $573k Biden infrastructure grant for co-op improvements
The board plans to spend over $100k on the deferred maintenance for Well 3. Sadly, the co-op is so badly mismanaged, “somebody” will have to provide continual bailouts for repairs.
Should I not be convinced that the board will turn our water co-op into the transparent and member-oriented organization it always should have been, there is no need to waste another tax dollar and the money should be used to get a building for medical and community services. Let’s do something worthwhile with those $573k!
- I will notify the Mohave County board of supervisors of the co-op dire financial situation and mismanagement and I’ll request to put a hold on all projects until an independent auditor assessed the co-op financials and future viability.
At Sunday’s meeting the word “unfortunately” was used to describe the County requirement to review bids, award the jobs and disburse funds directly to contractors.
Seriously?
Somebody should also look at grant applications submitted by the board containing false information to make it more likely to get grants awarded. Is it NOT stupid to admit to that at a meeting?
This entire situation is just like our fire district shitshow.
Embezzlement, incompetence, mismanagement, corruption:
https://highdesertdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Exh-2-2018-9-9-my-post-Jackson-injunction.pdf
WTF happened since I moved to Meadview in 2000?
I could have moved anywhere in 2006, but chose to move just a couple of miles closer to the cliffs. Meadview was thriving.
Since then, we’ve lost our wonderful Grapevine fire district and so many residents have subsequently needlessly died. The ambulance might show up in an hour, or never. The fire station is often closed.
We have no community health or social services, no place for meetings, and many of our old and sick residents end up committing suicide or dying from neglect. Nobody cares.
Meadview is nothing but fodder for real estate agents and investors:
