Quorum Failed. Annual Meeting Take 2 on Dec. 19

We did not have enough people either attend the annual meeting or return proxy forms for the HOA to elect a board of directors for next year. So we must try again, and you will soon get a notice mailed to you of the new meeting December 19.

The board did pass the budget for next year. It did include a $10 increase in monthly dues, mainly because of a sizeable increase in our insurance bill. The HOA insures the exterior structure and unit owners remain responsible for the interiors, including the drywall, plumbing, electrical wiring, as well as our possessions.

At the meeting several people complained about the increase, with one asking, "what do we get for our money?"

In the 2018 budget, here were the biggest line items:

1. Water/Sewer: $215,000
2. Landscaping (i.e. mowing the lawns): $107,400
3. Insurance: $67,440
4. Building Defects Lawsuit: $60,000
5. Electricity (i.e. street lights): $39,000
6. Trash removal: $35,000
7. Property Management: $32,160

Obviously, the board hopes that once the lawsuit against KB Home concludes, we will get our buildings up to code and that will eliminate number 4 on the list and reduce number 5.

But, for now, the board can't change any of them. These are not discretionary expenses.  The board, for example, can't control how much water people use.  The irrigation comes from well water not part of the water bill. The HOA has bid out the landscape maintenance contract to make sure we get the best price available.

Of course, the board welcomes ideas on how to save money. Board members, including your humble correspondent, pay dues too and don't like them to go up any more than any other owner.

Annual Meeting Wednesday

It's that time, the one HOA meeting a year that needs your attention. You should have gotten notice in the mail for the annual meeting November 14 at which the outgoing board passes the budget for next year and elections for next year's board takes place. We need a quorum of 30% of owners either to attend in in person or return a proxy form to make the meeting official.

If we don't reach a quorum, the HOA (that is YOU) must spend the money to mail out another meeting notice. So even if you don't attend in person, it's important to return your proxy form, which basically gives your consent for the meeting to happen. It's too late to mail them now, but you can drop them in the box outside the door of Excelsior Property Management at 6554 Krycul Avenue in the Krycul Business Center. See the map below.


That's also the meeting location Wednesday at 7. Returning your proxy form does NOT forfeit your right to vote in person. If you show up, they toss out the proxy. It's just a backup.

Besides the annual election for the board, the HOA membership will vote on whether to install speed tables in the community. People speeding on our streets — especially on the long straight roads of Johanna Ave. and Kensington Park Ave. — happens often enough to present a genuine hazard. It's one of the regularly-occurring complaints that the board has gotten.