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Sun City Home Owners Association will add a committee to its roster to help sort out technology issues.

The five-member committee is designed to research technology issues for the HOA and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. In addition to computers, the committee will study all equipment issues, according to Walt Patterson, SCHOA board president.

Board member George Davis suggested the committee because of increasing use of technology in day-to-day business at the HOA.

"We have marched into the computer world," he said. "We need a computer group for now and in the future."

Mr. Patterson constructed a committee proposal and presented it during the SCHOA board’s May 26 meeting. The proposal called for a five-member group with a board member as chair. Newly appointed board member Linda Lindquist was approved for the post. Other committee members suggested were the SCHOA operations and compliance managers, a resident and a representative of the company contarcted to handle the HOA’s technology needs.

The board approved the makeup of the committee, altering the format so the IT company representative would be an "ad hoc," non-voting, committee member.

Board member Rick Gray believed having the IT company representative as a voting member would be a conflict of interest.

"We do not want to exclude them, they can be involved," he said.

He suggested the IT company representative not be a member of the committee but be allowed to attend meetings to provide input. Mr. Davis also believes other members of the SCHOA board be allowed to fill seats on the committee.

"We have several members on the board who have good knowledge of technology," he said. "But with five committee members it is large enough to include all the expertise on the board."

Mr. Patterson said committee meetings would be open and anyone could provide input.

"The committee could also call someone specific in to provide input," he said.

Board member Paul Barnes said if the vendor representative was a member of the committee they should excuse themselves from any votes taken on recommendations to be made to the board.

Board members believed it was important to have the IT vendor represented at committee meetings and Mr. Patterson said including the vendor as a member would assure that. However, board member Pete Granucci believes the vendor would want to attend.

"If they did not want to participate, I would wonder about their commitment to the contract," he said. "We should welcome and invite them, but I don’t see a need to have them as a committee member."

Mr. Davis countered the IT vendor needed to be part of any committee deliberations because they would have information committee members may not.

"It would be in their interest to be there whether they were committee members or not," Mr. Granucci said.

In the end, all board members were satisfied with the ad hoc status of the IT vendor representative.

Also at its May 26 meeting, the board approved re-establishing the beautification committee as part of the SCHOA offerings. The committee had been active until it was disbanded several years ago. Mr. Patterson believes that action was a mistake. The re-established committee will work closely with the Sun City PRIDES.

"We don’t need to have a separate meeting (for the committee)," Mr. Patterson said. "They will work jointly with the PRIDES."

Mr. Davis said the committee and the proposal to work closely with the PRIDES will show a spirit of cooperation with the rest of the community. He suggested Mr. Patterson chair the beautification committee and the board approved the motion.