Fairhope Single Tax Colony August Meeting

     The August meeting of the Fairhope Single Tax Colony was brought to session promptly at 6:30pm by President Turner. The member and lessee portion of the meeting had a few speakers mainly concerning prior actions taken by the board and the rejection of three lessees for membership. The Colony does not maintain a set criteria for acceptance and the lessees were not given a reason they were denied. The Colony allows 20 people per year to take the class to make them eligible for membership. At the current rate, it would take about 160 years for the 3,200 lessees to become members. 
     Director Jester spoke about the editorializing of minutes produced by Secretary Stejskal. He researched past minutes and stated the secretary has power to edit the minutes but not the ability to interject personal preferences. He noted the struggle to get by-laws passed and mentioned the Colony is currently being sued for the expulsion of members. The agenda listed attorney fees paid for services rendered for removal of the three members totaling about $8,200. This does not include the current lawsuit, only counsel during the revocation of membership.
     At this point, President Turner stated the member/lessee portion was over and it was time to enter the business portion and required all non-members to leave the meeting. All non-members then left the meeting and assembled outside to discuss the happenings of the meeting. The rejected applicants questioned why they were denied and made assumptions about the possible reasoning. Those lessees and other interested parties conversed for about an hour and then left, vowing to return again next month.

The 2014 membership class begins September 2 at 7:30pm.

The next Colony meeting is September 10, at 6:30pm.