Success! We have a board.

We made the quorum for our annual meeting. By two people. Thank you if you showed up in person, or if you took the time to return a proxy form to reach quorum. Or did both. It makes a difference. I will lobby that next year we make it clear right on the proxy form that you can scan and email them back to make it more convenient.

But we made it.

All five board members ran for re-election and no one else decided to run so the board does not change, except that John McQuiston (alias your humble blog author) will become the HOA Secretary and Lauren Brusa becomes the at-large member. This means that I must take the minutes at the meetings instead of Lauren, and that I might have to pay closer attention!

(Kidding!)

Members of the HOA also voted unanimously to approve a change in how we save money in our reserves, going from what's called the component method to something known as the pooled method. It's also called the cash-flow method. It will give the HOA more flexibility in spending money from the reserves on things we need to repair.

For instance, we've re-painted some of the buildings after repairing cracks in them. We spent money from the general fund for that. It means we can reduce - some - how much we contribute to our painting reserves, and also means that if, say, our roads wear out faster than we expected, we can move money from the painting reserve to fix the roads.

I think I got all that correct.

I know this is true: our next HOA meeting is December 17.  I hope to see you there.

Annual Meeting TONIGHT

Our annual meeting to elect our new board is tonight. If you can't make it, please scan and e-mail your proxy form to JCalcagni@lelandmanagement.com, or hand it to HOA board member John McQuiston, who will camp out at the mailboxes from about 5 p.m. until he has to leave for the meeting at River of Life Christian Center on Krycul Ave.


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Note about proxy forms

Turning in a proxy form does NOT forfeit your right to attend the meeting and vote, so please turn one in even if you plan to go to the meeting November 19.

Annual Meeting Next Tuesday, November 19

Important!

We have our annual meeting next Tuesday. It happens at the usual location, the River of Life Christian Church on Krycul Avenue in Riverview. Start time ins 7:15 p.m.

This is the meeting at which we elect the board members for the next year. We need a quorum of owners (approximately 80) either to attend the meeting, or to return a proxy form for the meeting to happen.

This is important. If we fail to reach a quorum, and can't elect a board, our HOA could go into receivership, and we'd pay lawyers a lot of money to do what our fellow owners currently do for free.

Notice of the meeting, including a proxy form, should have arrived in your mailbox by now. If not, please email board@stcharlesplace.us and we'll email a copy of the form to you.

You need only fill out the first two parts of the form. If you want to designate someone to vote in your place, you can select (b) and write that person's name. Otherwise choose (a). That basically says you give consent for the meeting to happen. Then complete the section that asks for your name, unit address, and signature.

You can scan and email your completed form to the board (at the address above).

Please take a few minutes to do this vital service for your community.

Will HOA Rates Rise? HOA Meeting Tomorrow, Budget on Agenda

The St. Charles Place HOA board will discuss its budget for next year at tomorrow night's meeting. Our HOA fees will almost certainly rise next year.

The board had what's called a reserve study done. That's when a company comes in, inspects our community and its finances, and writes a report about how well we're putting money away for future repairs on our buildings, our roofs, our roads, our pool, and anything else that might need fixing or replacing someday.

Its verdict? We're not doing as well as we should.

We are lucky that one of our board members happens to be a CPA, and she has diligently crunched numbers to see what we can do to save the money we need, while also paying our regular expenses, such as the water, electricity, and insurance bills (which are our largest costs).

Her verdict? We can't do it without raising HOA fees.

Don't blame her. Our management company's accountant submitted a preliminary budget with a pretty sizable fee hike. The board had a lot of discussion both at at the last regularly scheduled meeting, and at a special meeting the following week devoted solely to the budget, which was also open to any unit owner.

But it's not too late to offer your input. Are there things we spend money on that we don't need? Are there ways to get the goods and services we do need for less money? Bring your ideas to the meeting tomorrow night.

How much might fees rise? The board doesn't know yet. It will depend in part on whether we can change the way we fund our reserve accounts. That will also come up at the meeting, which happens at the usual place, the River of Life Christian Center on Krycul Ave., at 7 p.m.


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HOA Fees May Rise

After staying flat for at least six years, our HOA fees may rise next year, and somewhat significantly. That's a major takeaway from tonight's HOA board meeting.

Thank a hike in the community's insurance premiums for a lot of that. And thank an examination of our budget that revealed that we don't contribute enough to our reserves for the rest.

The HOA had a reserve study done this summer. It looks at how much money we sock away for things like replacing the roofs of the buildings when they reach the end of their useful lives.  The board had been careful to fund the reserves at the levels recommended in our initial reserve study that our home builder, KB Home, had done when it first established St. Charles Place.

It wasn't enough.

The new reserve study recommends saving more. We could ignore that advice, but we'd expose ourselves to the risk of having to pay for a large repair all at once. Then we'd all get a giant bill, in addition to our regular dues, called an assessment to pay for it.

You can see why the board wants to avoid that possibility.

You might wonder where all the money currently pay goes. Our biggest expense is our water bill, followed by our property insurance, landscape maintenance, and building repair.

We also have coming expenses getting rid of dead trees so that they don't fall onto our homes, and removing those live oak trees that KB Home planted right next to our buildings that will eventually damage the foundations if left in place.

We also look for ways to better secure our community from crime. We've not had a lot of it, but some car break-ins a few weeks ago reignited discussion about possible ways to deter crime.

We plan to have a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy speak at our next meeting about what we can do. Ideas range from paying for patrols to installing security cameras. One board member favors installing a gate, though that doesn't seem popular on the board, and our bylaws would make it hard to get that done even if everyone favored a gate.

Whatever we do will cost money. My money. Your money.  So you should give some thought about what you'd like to see, and how much it's worth it to you to see it. The board wants to hear your thoughts.

The next meeting comes September 24 at the usual location, River of Life Christian Church on Krycul Ave. I'll post reminders as we get closer to the date.

HOA Meeting Tuesday -- With Special Guests

The next HOA meeting Tuesday will include some guests who can shed expert light on issues people frequently ask about our community.

• Jamie McManus from Waste Management on recycling.
  
  
  Long-time residents will remember that we once had curbside recycling. After three years, Waste Management notified us that it was a mistake because we don't have curbside trash pickup, and stopped the service. We'll hear what options we might have to begin it again in some form, though probably not curbside pickup.
  
  
• Patrick Brockus from Gulf Coast Outdoors on landscaping.
  
  
  We've had one person at recent meetings ask about our landscaping, specifically, can we spruce it up around the community's entrances. Some have also wondered what the landscaping company's responsibilities are, and have had questions about yard waste left behind.
  
  
• Mark Hughes from Arborist Abroad on tree trimming
  
  
  Some of our trees touch buildings and serve as roadways for ants and other insects. We also have many oak trees too close to our buildings that we need to move. Our builder, KB Home, planted them there not caring that one day they could grow large enough to damage the foundations of our buildings. KB knew they looked nice and grew fast, and that would help them sell units.

If you have questions, or comments, about any of these things, this will be a good meeting to attend. The presentations might leave little room for discussion about other issues, but we did get reports of some car break-ins in the last month, and a board member asked that to go on the agenda.

We meet at the usual place, Tuesday at 7 p.m.:

River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Special Meeting Tomorrow

Members of the HOA board will meet tomorrow to discuss our property management contract. Because they expect a majority of them to participate, the meeting is open to any HOA member (homeowner). It will happen at the Super Target store on Bloomingdale Ave. at 7:15 p.m. They'll meet at the dining area in the front of the store. Because the agenda includes only that one item, the meeting should not last as long as a normal board meeting.

HOA Meeting Tuesday

After skipping the June meeting, in part because of few issues confronting us, a full agenda awaits Tuesday at our July meeting. We've had homeowners ask to discuss issues ranging from the landscaping to the management company. The board will will hear them all, and anything else that comes up at the meeting Tuesday, July 23rd, at 7 p.m.

Location: River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Have a happy -- and safe -- Independence Day

Uncle Sam looks pretty good for a guy about to turn 237 years old. As we enjoy a day off to celebrate Independence Day, please take care to keep yourself and your neighbors safe. Also remember that our community has 268 homes in tight proximity. Consider your neighbors when you decide how to celebrate. I know at least one who must get up to go to work Thursday and Friday mornings.

I know you can't spit without hitting one of those roadside stands that sell fireworks. A quirk in state law prohibits local governments from banning fireworks sales, even though you can't legally set them off without a permit unless you run a fish hatchery or are a farmer using them to scare birds away from their crops. I swear to God that's true.

Fortunately, no none that I know about in our neighborhood has ever fired gunshots in celebration of any holiday. But a boy in Ruskin still recovers from injuries suffered when a stray bullet, apparently fired in elation, struck him in the head January 1 of last year.

No HOA Meeting Tuesday

With a light agenda and our property manager unavailable to attend, the board decided to cancel this month's meeting. As always, if an issue arises in the community that needs addressing, you can email either our property manager or the board. You can find contact info for both in the right-hand column of this page.

HOA Meeting Tuesday

Our monthly HOA meeting happens Tuesday, May 28, at the usual location, at 7 p.m. Scroll down to see a map of the location if it's unfamiliar to you. All owners are welcome.

Also, HOA board president David Hey reports that the commercial property next to us (between US-301 and Dartmouth Hill Road) has changed hands. Mitusina Miroslav of Ruskin bought it last month for $475,000. He runs a business and does not appear to be a developer so we're not sure what plans he has for the property. The board plans to invite Mr. Miroslav to one of our HOA meetings.

River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Our water is safe + meeting Tuesday

The boil water advisory does not apply to us. Here is a link to a map of the coverage area:

http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Water/files/Forms_Publications/Service_Area.pdf

Second, our monthly HOA meeting happens Tuesday, at the usual location, at 7 p.m.

River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Victory for Now

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 6-0 yesterday to deny a developer's application to waive the rules for building on the commercial parcel next to us. The developer can come back with another proposal for the property or, as its lawyer threatened, sue the county.

But, for now, we win.

While sympathetic to the Barclay Group's right to develop the property (as were we in our presentation), commissioners heard from us a now common thought among their constituents: People want development that does more than make their communities another in the long line of strip malls that populate too much of our state.

We also tried to impress on commissioners that the unusual proximity between the commercial development and ours meant that the developer had an obligation to build something that was compatible with hundreds of homes so close by.

Commissioners seemed open to changing the Riverview Uptown Overlay District that rules what developers can build in the 4-acre plot next to us, and we'll need to stay involved in any process that could alter the overlay district, and to see what the developers come back with.

This will be one topic of discussion when we have our next HOA meeting next Tuesday, January 22, at the usual location. Time is 7 p.m. Map to the location is below.

River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Commercial Development - Your Help Needed

Help us. And help yourself, your quality of life, and your property values.

Regarding the commercial development at the entryway to our community, it the County's Development Services Department supports the developer's request to waive a number of the design rules for the parcel.

The County's Planning Services Commission opposes the request.

The difference could come down to you when Hillsborough County Commissioners hold a hearing this coming Tuesday, January 15, and decide whether to grant the developer's request.

Please call your County Commissioners and let them know you object to PRS 12-0600 and that you support the Riverview Uptown Overlay District. 

 Al Higginbotham - 813 -272-5740 (Our District Representative)
Kevin Beckner - 813-272-5730 (Countywide)
Mark Sharpe - 813-272-5735 (Countywide)
Ken Hagen - 813-272-5725 (Countywide)
Les Miller - 813-272-5720
Victor Crist - 813-272-5452
Sandra Murman - 813-272-5470

You can also write a letter to County Commissioners asking them to reject the application. Send it to the planner with Hillsborough County Development Services that is leading the review of this application. Her name is Isabelle Albert. Her email is AlbertI@hillsboroughcounty.org.  Again, be sure to refer to application number is PRS 12-0600.

If you want details about the developer's plans, and why they're bad for St. Charles Place, find background here, as well as a copy of the letter I wrote to commissioners. Read more details on this page.

Strategy Session Tuesday

Several HOA board members (perhaps all of them) will meet at the pool area Tuesday, Janauary 8, at 7 p.m. to plan our approach to convincing county commissioners to deny a waiver of development rules for the parcel of land next to our property.

If you live in the community, you are welcome to attend, even if you cannot appear at the hearing itself, which happens at the county building in Tampa the following Tuesday, January 15.

The board believes that granting the waiver for developers of the land between Dartmouth Hill Road and US-301 would do great harm to our community. We believe the rules in place (the Riverview Uptown Overlay District, if you want to do some research on it, or just look through previous entries on the blog here for details) allow the developer plenty of latitude to develop the land in a way that honors its right to develop it, while protecting the rights of the people who have to live in very close proximity to it.

We have some ideas already on a multi-pronged strategy that will illustrate our story for commissioners. But if you have something to add, even if it's simple silent support, please join us.