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Quality of Governance
Another key to understanding the success of the Towers lies in the quality of our governing body--the Association Council. Over the years, the members of our Council have included some of the most accomplished business and professional leaders in Philadelphia, who spend countless hours of valuable time for no compensation other than knowing they are contributing to the quality of life here. One of Management's most important contributions is supporting and advising members of Council. New members receive a warm welcome and special orientation to help them speedily become familiar with procedures.
Benefiting from the expertise and experience of Management, the Councils of the Society Hill Towers Owners Association have been successful in a number of ways. One has been the formulation of rules and regulations together with fair but firm enforcement. This is not a simple matter because rules and regulations have a cost--a limitation of personal freedom. For example, the cost of the rule prohibiting move-ins and move-outs on weekends is the loss of a work day for busy professional and business people. The loss must be weighed against the gain for the quality of life on weekends for the entire community. Management has been careful and thoughtful in weighing the delicate balance of such gains and losses, and as a result, most residents have come to accept the occasional sacrifice of a personal convenience as a gain for the community.
The effectiveness of Council's and Management's handling of rules and regulations is suggested by a statistic: during the past 12 years, there have been exactly two incidents that required the convening of the Internal Dispute Committee. This fact is attribute to the ability of Management to resolve amicably disputes that occasionally arise between residents.
The Towers is 100% owned by residents or by investors who rent their units. Owners vote annually for a Council of seven members who have the authority to establish policy for the community. General meetings of owners and residents are held to discuss issues of interest, review budget and financial statements, and elect Council.
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