If you are interested in applying for membership in
Property Owners Who Care – South Padre Island (“POWC”),
please contact us by sending a letter to:
Property Owners Who Care – South Padre Island
P.O. Box 2778
Town of South Padre Island, TX 78597
All applications for membership are first reviewed by the organization’s Membership Committee and then forwarded to the Board of Directors.
There will be two classes of membership; namely, (1) voting
and (2) non-voting. Voting members must own property in the
Town of South Padre Island but non-voting members may or
may not own property in the Town of South Padre Island.
For purposes of membership, a husband and wife are considered a single member.
Membership dues are as follows:
Voting membership - $500 initial dues
Non-voting membership - $50 initial dues
Association non-voting membership - $250 initial dues
Future dues will be paid on an assessment basis when deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. Assessments will be structured to be in increments of 20% of the initial dues paid by a member (voting or non-voting).
TEN QUESTIONS
Property Owners Who Care – South Padre Island
Question No. 1: Why is Property Owners Who Care
– South Padre Island (“POWC”) being formed?
Answer: Because it is needed.
Question No. 2: Why is POWC needed?
Answer: Because of the significant growth of the Town of
South Padre Island over the last 10-15 years.
If the Town of South Padre Island was a small hamlet of ten
families, an organization such as POWC would not be needed.
However, that is not the case today with the Town of South
Padre Island. (This might have been the case 20-30 years
ago but it is not the case today.)
Today, the issues confronting the Council of Aldermen and
other elected officials, whose decisions impact the quality
of life of everyone associated with the Island, are complex
and difficult. Further, there are many “stakeholders” who
are affected by these decisions – not all of whom are
registered voters of the Town of South Padre Island.
Question No. 3: Is creating an organization like
POWC an unusual approach in our society to addressing
issues of mutual interest or concern?
Answer: No.
The entire society of the United States of America has been
built upon the concept of “participatory democracy.”
Today, property owners in the Town of South Padre Island do
not have a vehicle by which to participate in the very
proper debate which accompanies any issue of public
concern. POWC would seek to be a vehicle (but not the only
vehicle) by which property owners who do not currently vote
in the elections of the Town of South Padre Island could
have their opinions heard.
Question No. 4: If this is not an unusual approach
in our society, is it still not an unusual approach for
issues relating to the Town of South Padre Island?
Answer: No.
Again, American society is characterized by people coming
together because of common interests and/or common
concerns.
With respect to South Padre Island, there are many examples
of this having happened in the past. Two examples (one old
and one new) are the following:
In the 1970s, Ila Loetscher, a resident of South Padre
Island, became interested in the preservation of the Ridley
turtle. She caused other people to become interested in
this cause. She became known as “The Turtle Lady of South
Padre Island” and because of her interest in this subject –
and the following that she attracted – she developed not
only a regional, but a national, reputation of respect and
was interviewed at least once on national TV.
The most recent example occurred when a number of
individuals ("Friends of Isla Blanca") came together to support maintaining open
access for the public to Isla Blanca Park. This group
interacted very effectively with a number of officials and
was highly successful.
Thus the concept of multiple people coming together from
different backgrounds to unite in support of a common
cause, or to promote a shared objective, is very much a
part of the fabric and history of South Padre Island.
Question No. 5: Will POWC be a permanent
entity?
Answer: Yes.
Property Owners Who Care – South Padre Island is a legal
entity incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas.
It is a not-for-profit corporation. (One can review the
bylaws of POWC on our web site.)
The major difference between the activities of a
corporation and the activities of a single person or a
partnership is that, once formed, a corporation is
permanent (unless the shareholders of the corporation
affirmatively vote to disband the corporation). The
significance of a corporation being permanent is that if an
individual who has been active in the corporation (as a
founder, a director, an officer or a member) for any reason
ends up being less active in the future, the corporation
will continue to function, and others will take the place
of the person who has ceased to be active.
With respect to POWC in particular, the fact is that, even
if individuals who are active in the organization today
cease to be as active in the future, the organization
itself will continue.
Question No. 6: Will POWC become a political
entity?
Answer: No.
The purpose of POWC is to educate and inform its members
(and others) on matters related to the areas of interest to
the organization. (Please review POWC’s “Statement of
Purposes” posted on this web site.)
It is true that a Political Action Committee (“PAC”) has
recently been formed which has as one of its areas of focus
matters that affect the Town of South Padre Island. The
name of this recently created PAC is Rio Grande Valley
Committee for Good Government and its web site is
www.RGVgoodgov.org.
Even though the interests of the PAC (i.e., Rio Grande
Valley Committee for Good Government) and Property Owners
Who Care – South Padre Island are similar, there is no
formal or legal relationship between these two separate and
distinct entities.
Members of POWC may contribute to the PAC but their
decision in that regard will be an independent and personal
one for each individual and will have no bearing on that
individual’s relationship to POWC.
Question No. 7: What is the governance structure of
POWC?
Answer: POWC will have a Board of Directors – elected by
its members – whose number will be no less than three and
no more than eleven.
It is the objective of POWC to have a very diverse Board of
Directors with some directors who live in the Town of South
Padre Island and others who own property in the Town of
South Padre Island but who live in other communities
(including communities in Mexico).
POWC will also have officers consisting of a president, a
secretary, a treasurer, an assistant secretary and an
assistant treasurer.
The officers will hire an Executive Director to oversee the
day-to-day affairs of the organization.
The directors of POWC will be elected at the organization’s
Annual Meeting in January of each calendar year.
Question No. 8: Do you have to be a property owner
to join POWC?
Answer: POWC has two categories of membership, one voting
and one non-voting (individual or association).
In order to be a voting member, one must own property in the Town of South Padre Island.
A non-voting individual member is not required to own property in the Town of South Padre Island. A non-voting association member must have on its membership roll individuals who own property in the Town of South Padre Island.
Note: POWC contemplates forming committees in the future to
address very specific issues or activities. Membership on a
POWC committee will not be limited to members of POWC.
(Individuals who are not members of POWC could become
members of a POWC committee if the Board of Directors of
POWC concludes that those individuals could be helpful to
the committee.)
Question No. 9: What is the dues structure for
POWC?
Answer: A voting member will pay initial dues of $500 (and,
again, a voting member must own property in the Town of
South Padre Island).
A non-voting individual member will pay initial
dues of $50 (and, again, a non-voting individual member might or might
not own property in the Town of South Padre Island).
A non-voting association member will pay initial dues of $250 (and,
again, a non-voting association member must have on its membership roll
individuals who own property in the Town of South Padre Island).
Further, when the bank account of POWC falls to a certain level (to be
determined by the Board of Directors of POWC), the Board of Directors may
assess all current members for additional dues payments. Assessments will
be made in increments of 20% of a member’s initial dues payment (i.e., a
voting member – whose initial dues were $500 – would be assessed $100,
whereas a non-voting individual member – whose initial dues were $50 –
would be assessed $10 and a non-voting association member – whose initial dues were $250 – would be assessed $50).
A married couple is considered a single member for purposes
of dues.
Question No. 10: How does one apply for membership
in POWC?
Answer: If someone has an interest in becoming a member of
Property Owners Who Care – South Padre Island, the
individual should send a letter to P.O. Box 2778, South
Padre Island, TX 78597.
Applications for membership are first reviewed by a
Membership Committee that is appointed by the Board of
Directors (but whose names are not publicized). The
Membership Committee will, in turn, recommend to the Board
of Directors whether or not an application for membership
should be approved. If the Board of Directors then approves
an application for membership, the prospective member will
be sent a dues statement and other materials relating to
POWC.
For purposes of membership, a married couple is considered
a sole member.
A condition for membership in POWC is that each member
allows his or her name to be listed on the membership roll
posted on the organization’s web site. It is the express
purpose of POWC to be totally transparent with respect to
all of its activities and its membership.
The questions above relate to the legal structure and
organization of POWC. However, the “soul” of POWC is best
summarized by a statement made by Lady Bird Johnson in her
speech at the dedication of the Padre Island National
Seashore on April 8, 1968.
Lady Bird Johnson said, “It takes not only the dreamers,
the believers, the legislators, it will also take the
keepers – the watchful stewards – [to protect a] . . .
national belonging such as Padre Island . . . [it is] the
miracle that man can tear apart but not reassemble.”