On Saturday, June 1, 2024, my office hosted Anne Arundel County's first Community Association Summit. We invited leaders and stakeholders of homeowners, condominiums, improvement, civic associations, and resident and tenant councils for a half-day of insightful discussions, interactive workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. The event featured concurrent sessions covering hot topics our office receives concerns about from community associations, including Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution Strategies, Stormwater Best Management Practices, Fundamentals of Governance for Common Ownership Communities, and Financial Stewardship in Community Associations.
The idea came about after a discussion between me, a staff member, and the Growth Action Network of Anne Arundel County, with whom we partnered on the event. We also partnered with the Anne Arundel County Conflict Resolution Center, the Department of Public Works, Inspections and Permits, the Anne Arundel Watershed Academy, the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and M&T Bank to create dynamic presentations and exhibits designed to empower community leaders with the knowledge and tools to create sustainable and thriving neighborhoods. We had over 100 residents register for the event and had to shut registration off due to the size of the venue. It's safe to say we will need to find a new location next year.
We were thrilled to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, with 20% of survey respondents rating their overall experience as good and the other 80% as very good or excellent. This feedback is a testament to the success of our event and the satisfaction of our attendees!
