September 18 HOA Meeting Minutes

CALL TO ORDER

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
In attendance: Joe Merlo (5), Scott Thompson (66), Kathlee Admanson (34), Steve Easthope (61), Wade Albee (10), Joe Latkowski, Property Manager- Cornerstone Properties

APPROVAL OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES

The August minutes were approved as published on the blog.

HOMEOWNER DISCUSSION

Kathy Adamson is concerned that there a several homes that have “faded” screens and one home that has “damaged” interior blinds. There was discussion about if there was any course of action the board could take to rectify these concerns, as some board members felt no formal course of action could or should be initiated. As a result, a board member will approach the homeowners informally to discuss the concern to see if any changes could be made.

FINANCIAL REPORT

The current financials are on budget.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE REPORT

There were no requests submitted for consideration. It was noted that #43 has a new screen door that appears to be recently installed that has not been painted to match the trim of the house. An ARC request will be required.

OLD BUSINESS

Planting new bushes will be deferred until mid October. The proposed layout will be “flagged” so installation and drip tubing can be installed.

An effort to inform the HOA members of the need for street repairs will be done at the annual meeting in November. The issues raised during the special assessment voting will be helpful to educate everyone on why street repairs are needed sooner than later. The board will look at the concerns raised by homeowners, and seek to address those concerns regarding road repairs.

Another special assessment vote is being evaluated. The request for new bids will be made due to the recent changes in oil prices which might impact the amount needed. There was a request made to get clarification on “eligible” voting members that can impact the amount of votes needed to pass an assessment.

NEW BUSINESS

The “pink” R&R booklet will be updated and reprinted for distribution to all homeowners. This is intended to ensure that the basic operation of the HOA is known to everyone since it is believed the HOA documents provided at the time a home is purchased are stored away, forgotten, and/or missing in many cases.

The winter lawn will not be planted this year to save costs (especially with road repairs in mind) and support the city of Mesa’s request to conserve water.

A proposed budget for 2009 was submitted by Cornerstone for review. The monthly assessment adjustment for next year is tied to the CPI which was 5.6%. This would allow a $2.91 increase. The proposed increased would be to $54 from the current $52. The details will be available for review at the annual meeting in November for discussion by all attendees.

A notification of the upcoming annual November meeting will be mailed to all homeowners.

Steve Easthope provided information obtained from SRP about installing street lights. SRP provided the power layout for the subdivision and guidelines on locations that will make it easier to install. The HOA is responsible for getting the footing and trench to the power source and the monthly fee of approximately $20-$35 for 20 years for the pole and light. The installation of street lights in the common area between #56 and #57 and in other places is being evaluated.

Next board meeting is scheduled for October 7, 2008.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

There are no homeowners in a serious situation with payments at this time.
Violation letters from the property inspection will be submitted for the “serious” violations.

ADJOURNMENT

Meeting was closed at 8:00 pm.

LOCATION CHANGE FOR SEPT MEETING

The meeting location had to be changed for our meeting this Thursday - it will now be held at the Thompson's (House #66). The time is still 6:30 pm. Please come and participate!

Thanks.

September HOA Meeting

Our September HOA meeting will be held on Thursday, September 18, at 6:30 PM. The location is house number 14 - the home of Michael Vavrinec.

Please make an effort to attend! We will be discussing the following:

1. Homeowners reports, questions, and feedback
2. Old business
3. New business
4. Voting for board positions (President, Vice President, etc)

Thanks.

The Vote Is In

The final tally for the special assessment is in. Thursday, August 28th was the deadline to submit the ballots.

The final total was: 27 "yes," 23 "no", and 1 "blank," so about 53% - short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the special assessment (one ballot was mailed in without a yes or no vote). The quorum requirement was met. Approximately three -fourths of the total ballots sent out were returned by homeowners.

Some concerns expressed by homeowners before and at the meeting and written on some ballots were:

1. a desire for more information about what a slurry seal is
2. a desire to hear about what other reasonable street repair options are out there, if any, and how much they would cost
3. tough current financial situations
4. not feeling that the streets need repair at this time
5. a desire to understand other options, if any, for funding the street repairs

The board will look at ways to address these concerns in the near future. The roads do require our maintenance, and it is important for all to know what options (both for repairs and for financing the repairs) are out there so that informed decisions can be made. The main vehicle for HOA information are the monthly and annual meetings. The board tentatively scheduled the next meeting for the week of September 15 - most likely on Tuesday the 16th or Thursday the 18th. They will shortly let the neighborhood know the exact location and time as soon as it is available. Please come and participate.

In addition, feel free to also call any board member at any time for more information. If a board member doesn't know an answer, they can find out for you. They want to encourage suggestions and help with concerns that come up.

For your information, Joe Latowski did contact street contractors about getting samples or diagrams of a slurry seal to show to the homeowners in a meeting. The contractors do not have samples or diagrams that can be provided for a meeting, but they can provide locations where people can look at slurry seal jobs they have completed, which is helpful. In our July meeting, questions came up about the speed bumps as well. The speed bumps can be modified, but any change must be voted on by the board. Removal of a speed bump will run about $1,500, and modification from a speed bump to a speed HUMP runs from $1,250 to $1,500. Joe also confirmed with the city of Mesa that we could have an independent city inspector inspect slurry seal job, should the time come.

Another thing to anticipate putting on your calendar: our annual meeting will be coming up in early November, where the budget will be discussed and determined. Please take the effort to come and share your thoughts.