Since you asked..
Here are some questions that have been asked by homeowners, together with responses from directors, usually the president.
_____________________________________
2007 Board Minutes: Homeowner - "Are dues going to be increased?
Response: If dues are increased in the future, it will be due to the budget..."
[And how is the budget determined? By the board, of course, so the answer was completely bogus.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes of the following month: Different Homeowner - "Are dues going to be increased?
Response: Homeowner involvement was encouraged."
[You can't make this stuff up. Question: "Are dues going to be increased? Non-Answer: Homeowner involvement was encouraged." These are taken verbatim from the official Board Minutes.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes months later: "Homeowner asked the Board to explain why the decision to raise the dues for 2008. The Board explained that they are trying to increase the reserves so that work will be done as needed."
[Very few homeowners agreed, then or now, with any "need" to spend $160,000 on clubhouse exterior changes and $12,500 on volleyball court sand and net, which is almost never used.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes of 2008: Homeowner: "The Association should not spend $15,000 so that 40 people can play volleyball. ... The Association needs to be responsible with money.
Response: ... There is a budget for each item within the Association to be made safe and useable. (sic) The Board did not decide this, the homeowner's (sic) did. The cost of the sand is not that great ($9500, and adjustable net $2400)."
[The Association pays for a Reserve Data Analysis, which sets a dollar amount for theoretical replacement of Colony infrastructure and equipment. The Board regularly blows the line items of the RDA, as it did with volleyball sand. How can sand possibly be "unsafe"? Somebody tell me, please.]
____________________________________________
Two Other Homeowners repeat concerns of unnecessary spending:
Board president: "Response: There is an interest in the use of the volleyball courts (sic) if it was usable and maintained properly. It does not matter how many people would use it or not, it is already here and needs to be functional and safe."
[In the words to the Board of my late and esteemed friend, Stan Alsko, like me, a retired chemical engineer, "What is the lifetime of sand?"]
____________________________________________
JUNE 28 UPDATE: Since you didn't ask...
But rather, truth will always be paucorum hominem [Of few men] and must therefore quietly and modestly wait for the few whose unusual mode of thought may find it enjoyable. . . . Life is short, but truth works far and lives long; let us speak the truth. - Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
The document below, notifying homeowners of their newest dues increase to $215 quarterly, was authorized by the Board in office November 2007.
Note that the announcement claims, "The increase was due to rising costs to maintain the Association,..." In fact this increase was due to the extraordinary expenditures for river rock, new stucco, new concrete, volleyball court sand, and net, totaling something on the order of $180,000, seriously depleting our reserve account. These constitute upgrades, a step beyond replacements, which come from reserves. Examples of expenditures for maintenance include gardening and landscape costs, clubhouse cleaning, and the pool contract. These costs come from operating funds, not our reserves.
Click on image to enlarge
_____________________________________
2007 Board Minutes: Homeowner - "Are dues going to be increased?
Response: If dues are increased in the future, it will be due to the budget..."
[And how is the budget determined? By the board, of course, so the answer was completely bogus.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes of the following month: Different Homeowner - "Are dues going to be increased?
Response: Homeowner involvement was encouraged."
[You can't make this stuff up. Question: "Are dues going to be increased? Non-Answer: Homeowner involvement was encouraged." These are taken verbatim from the official Board Minutes.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes months later: "Homeowner asked the Board to explain why the decision to raise the dues for 2008. The Board explained that they are trying to increase the reserves so that work will be done as needed."
[Very few homeowners agreed, then or now, with any "need" to spend $160,000 on clubhouse exterior changes and $12,500 on volleyball court sand and net, which is almost never used.]
_____________________________________
Board Minutes of 2008: Homeowner: "The Association should not spend $15,000 so that 40 people can play volleyball. ... The Association needs to be responsible with money.
Response: ... There is a budget for each item within the Association to be made safe and useable. (sic) The Board did not decide this, the homeowner's (sic) did. The cost of the sand is not that great ($9500, and adjustable net $2400)."
[The Association pays for a Reserve Data Analysis, which sets a dollar amount for theoretical replacement of Colony infrastructure and equipment. The Board regularly blows the line items of the RDA, as it did with volleyball sand. How can sand possibly be "unsafe"? Somebody tell me, please.]
____________________________________________
Two Other Homeowners repeat concerns of unnecessary spending:
Board president: "Response: There is an interest in the use of the volleyball courts (sic) if it was usable and maintained properly. It does not matter how many people would use it or not, it is already here and needs to be functional and safe."
[In the words to the Board of my late and esteemed friend, Stan Alsko, like me, a retired chemical engineer, "What is the lifetime of sand?"]
____________________________________________
JUNE 28 UPDATE: Since you didn't ask...
But rather, truth will always be paucorum hominem [Of few men] and must therefore quietly and modestly wait for the few whose unusual mode of thought may find it enjoyable. . . . Life is short, but truth works far and lives long; let us speak the truth. - Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
The document below, notifying homeowners of their newest dues increase to $215 quarterly, was authorized by the Board in office November 2007.
Note that the announcement claims, "The increase was due to rising costs to maintain the Association,..." In fact this increase was due to the extraordinary expenditures for river rock, new stucco, new concrete, volleyball court sand, and net, totaling something on the order of $180,000, seriously depleting our reserve account. These constitute upgrades, a step beyond replacements, which come from reserves. Examples of expenditures for maintenance include gardening and landscape costs, clubhouse cleaning, and the pool contract. These costs come from operating funds, not our reserves.
Click on image to enlarge
_______________________________________
"How come I got a violation letter, huh?"
Answer: Because.
The Colony has CC&Rs, and rules, and we all signed on to them before we bought. Everybody wants them applied... to everybody else, but not to themselves. Paint, trim, fix up, clean up, and that's it.
___________________________________
Since you didn't ask...
January 2006 Board Minutes - "It was noted by Mrs. ******** that rarely are all members in attendance [at] Board Meetings and [a board member] concurred."
_____________________
February 2006 Board Minutes - " Mrs. ********* attended the meeting noting that she has been present at the past four or five meetings and believes that there is a very serious problem of division on this board. She asks that the members put aside personal differences, get on the same page, and try to work together."
"[Director] moved to replace the five toilets in the Clubhouse restrooms with air flush units not to exceed $3,600.00... passed by a unanimous vote of the members."
[How many Colony residents would pay $700 for an air flush toilet in their own home? I certainly would not. But the Board spends your money, very little of their own.]
_________________________
April 2006
"[President] is still investigating the creation of a website for the Colony."
Comment: I created this website for Colony residents on January 8, 2009. In 2011, the Board authorized Namco to create an "official" website, which features twenty question marks all in a row.
________________________
May 2006
"[Board member] put forward the recommendation by *** ******** to keep homeowner communications to three minutes of uninterrupted time. The motion was unanimously approved. This will be new policy."
"There have been no volunteers coming forward to fill either the four vacant Board positions or the Hearing Panel."
___________________________
June 2006
"[Board member] noted he had received telephone calls from angry residents saying that the swim team had closed the pool to residents by blocking the entire sallow (sic) end. [Board member] told the members that the pool had been closed in this manner for the first two weeks of the season for the past 18 years. There was no further discussion."
[Comment: In other words, that's the way we've always done it, and it will continue.]
____________________________
August 2006
"[Board member] is also looking at potentially replacing the existing Clubhouse refrigerator rather than simply replacing the handle and will report back at the next meeting; the manager will search for a replacement handle."
[Comment: Why replace one handle when you can simply buy a new refrigerator!
Ultimately, the board neither replaced the refrigerator nor the missing handle, which was replaced June 29, 2010.]
_____________________________
September 2006
"[Board member] noted that he is looking forward to renovating the interior of the Clubhouse. Two estimates were available for refinishing the table tops."
[Comment: The Clubhouse was never renovated by that Board, nor were the badly marred and scratched table tops ever refinished by them either. "Fine words butter no parsnips."]
______________________
October 2006
"[Board member] moved to approve the reseeding of the common area at a cost not to exceed $5,000.00; following discussion the motion was unanimously approved."
[Comment: How many of you reading this reseed your own yards?]
____________________________
"One of the more exciting efforts this year will be putting all of our documents into electronic form. These will include the CC&Rs, the Association Bylaws and the Rules and Regulations. With this new effort we will be able to print up a clean set of any of the documents easily and more efficiently. Ultimately, these documents will be available via e-mail so that we can view them from our computer monitors." - "The Corner", Colony Association President, Colony Club Community Association newsletter, volume 32, number 01, February 2003
[It was so exciting that nothing was ever done.]
_________________________________________
_________________________
April 2006
"[President] is still investigating the creation of a website for the Colony."
Comment: I created this website for Colony residents on January 8, 2009. In 2011, the Board authorized Namco to create an "official" website, which features twenty question marks all in a row.
________________________
May 2006
"[Board member] put forward the recommendation by *** ******** to keep homeowner communications to three minutes of uninterrupted time. The motion was unanimously approved. This will be new policy."
"There have been no volunteers coming forward to fill either the four vacant Board positions or the Hearing Panel."
___________________________
June 2006
"[Board member] noted he had received telephone calls from angry residents saying that the swim team had closed the pool to residents by blocking the entire sallow (sic) end. [Board member] told the members that the pool had been closed in this manner for the first two weeks of the season for the past 18 years. There was no further discussion."
[Comment: In other words, that's the way we've always done it, and it will continue.]
____________________________
August 2006
"[Board member] is also looking at potentially replacing the existing Clubhouse refrigerator rather than simply replacing the handle and will report back at the next meeting; the manager will search for a replacement handle."
[Comment: Why replace one handle when you can simply buy a new refrigerator!
Ultimately, the board neither replaced the refrigerator nor the missing handle, which was replaced June 29, 2010.]
_____________________________
September 2006
"[Board member] noted that he is looking forward to renovating the interior of the Clubhouse. Two estimates were available for refinishing the table tops."
[Comment: The Clubhouse was never renovated by that Board, nor were the badly marred and scratched table tops ever refinished by them either. "Fine words butter no parsnips."]
______________________
October 2006
"[Board member] moved to approve the reseeding of the common area at a cost not to exceed $5,000.00; following discussion the motion was unanimously approved."
[Comment: How many of you reading this reseed your own yards?]
____________________________
"One of the more exciting efforts this year will be putting all of our documents into electronic form. These will include the CC&Rs, the Association Bylaws and the Rules and Regulations. With this new effort we will be able to print up a clean set of any of the documents easily and more efficiently. Ultimately, these documents will be available via e-mail so that we can view them from our computer monitors." - "The Corner", Colony Association President, Colony Club Community Association newsletter, volume 32, number 01, February 2003
[It was so exciting that nothing was ever done.]
_________________________________________
Comments
Post a Comment