What is the EPOA?
The Eastern Property Owners’ Association (EPOA) is one of four property owners’ associations within the Village of Garden City. The EPOA represents the residents of the Eastern section of the Village, where approximately 40 percent of the Village population resides. It was incorporated in April of 1918. Eastern is defined as Garden City residences located east of the center of Franklin Avenue. The other POAs represent the West, Estates and Central sections.
The EPOA has 19 elected directors, 5 of whom serve as officers.
The EPOA motto is “Representing Residents of the East since 1918.”
What does the EPOA do?
The EPOA represents the residents of the East in the governmental structure established by the Community Agreement of 1919. (click the Community Agreement Tab for information on how the Village government works).
It does this in two main ways:
- It provides the mechanism for nominating candidates for election to the Village Board of Trustees (BOT) and the School Board through the Garden City East Nominating Committee. This 15-member committee consists entirely of residents of the East, five of whom are elected each year by a majority vote of the EPOA board of directors to serve a three year term. The East Nominating Committee traditionally selects residents for Mayor and Trustee positions who have experience working within the POAs to ensure officials have an overall understanding of the Village infrastructure, the various commissions and the Village Code, as well as the duties and responsibilities of a mayor and trustee vested by New York State.
- It serves as a civic association, so that residents can bring concerns and suggestions to their POA as well as the BOT. It promotes communication and cooperation among the four POAs through the Joint Conference Committee, where the section presidents and vice presidents discuss issues that affect the Village as a whole and create Village-wide awareness of issues that are unique to any given section.
Everyone in the EPOA is a volunteer. The only prerequisites they share are a desire for local involvement, civic pride and a belief in serving the greater good of the community.
The POAs are not official government bodies. The Village and School Trustees (all volunteers themselves) are not bound by the recommendations or requests of the POAs, which nevertheless are an important source of feedback and public opinion for the Trustees. In addition, the Village relies upon volunteers to serve on many Village-wide committees and boards and the Village Trusteessolicit candidates for these boards through the POAs.
If you would like to join the EPOA, please click the membership tab and follow the instructions. If you would like to become more active in the EPOA please click the contact us tab and complete the form.
Membership
Every owner of real property and resident of Garden City, East, as defined in the by-laws, is a member of the EPOA. A voting member is any member who has paid the annual membership dues. Only voting members may be elected to the EPOA board of directors or serve or vote in internal circumstances as indicated in the by-laws.
