HOMESTEAD IN THE WILLOWS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Regular Board Meeting November 9, 2023 – Unofficial Minutes
CALL TO ORDER: President, James Keating called the meeting to order at 6:40pm. Present were Vice President, Chris Evans; Secretary, Ginny Karlberg; Treasurer, Kelly McCormick; Member at Large, Michael Garnsey; and Business Manager, Katie Kidwell.
MINUTES: The minutes of the October 9th regular meeting were approved as read.
RATIFICATION OF BOARD ACTIONS: There were no Board Actions to ratify.
MANAGER REPORTS:
BUSINESS: The Board and Katie reviewed collection of the special assessment payments, ongoing collection activity and the transition of the HOA financials to an online version of QuickBooks (the financial software utilized in the Business Office). The Board agreed that the suspension of dues and late payment fines for account 518 had ended and instructed Katie to issue an invoice to each party for immediate payment. The current bookkeeper for the Association has submitted his resignation and so a firm who can help with the QB transition and perform bookkeeping duties on a long- or short-term basis has been contacted. Chris moved and James seconded a motion to launch the newly designed HOA website. The motion passed unanimously. The launch will occur on or around November 13. Katie presented an offer from Metrum Credit Union to sponsor a shredding day for Homestead, however the HOA practice is to not sponsor events on HOA property, so the board agreed to turn it down. Ting has offered to provide free internet to each pool area. The fiber would run from the street to each lifeguard shack, however to cover the entire pool area would require the HOA purchase outdoor rated equipment. Katie is waiting for a breakdown of the charges from Ting before the Board takes any action.
FENCE REPORT: The Board thanked President, James Keating for taking on the owners’ representative role (unpaid) between Split Rail Fence Company and the HOA which will provide a significant savings on the project. James meets with Split Rail weekly, answers homeowner questions, and troubleshoots problem areas in real time so that the fence installation can proceed on schedule. The fence installation could not have occurred as smoothly as it has without James’ efforts. The Split Rail permit request to the City of Centennial was accepted for all of the new fence except the 8 foot height for five properties behind the South Metro Fire Station. Member at Large, Michael Garnsey, wrote a comprehensive request for a variance request outlining the hardship for these properties if they are denied an 8 foot fence height. The request has been submitted to the City and the Board is waiting for the City’s decision. Another section of fencing has been halted because of a retaining wall along the fence line. The Board is waiting for an engineering evaluation.
The Board reviewed the original perimeter fence installation map (insert date) and confirmed the contract for the new TREX fence is only for where the original fence exists. The Board also noted where HOA maintained split rail fencing exists on the property and James moved and Kelly seconded a motion to confirm the decision of the 2015 Board of Directors that all fencing that backs to a greenbelt, whether homeowner or Association owned, must remain split rail fencing and shall not be replaced with privacy fencing. The motion passed unanimously.
BUDGET: Kelly suggested that it should be a goal of the Board to not raise dues this year given the fence special assessment and the 10% increase in the prior year due to the uncertainty after the first failed fence vote. She explained that the goal of the Board is to build a budget that creates enough surplus to to cover the proposed capital reserve projects for the upcoming year. In 2023 the approved reserve fund expenditures totaled $262,000 and the actual expenditures are $216,000 to date. This reserve surplus will assure that all reserves collected for the fence fund will be transferred to the fence fund reserves Kelly requested that the Board review the final 2023 budget vs actual results in January and adjust the budget in early January and re-publish it if necessary based on prior year findings. This could all be accomplished well before the annual meeting of the membership. The Board agreed.
The Board reviewed the reserve expenditures requested by the managers noting that installation of an ADA ramp from the North Pool parking lot to the pool was a priority as stated in the May 15, 2023 meeting minutes: “ Kelly moved and Chris seconded a motion to approve the ADA ramp for the 2024 Reserve Fund immediately, ahead of the budget process for 2024. The ramp could be scheduled for installation as early as January or February before the pool opens in 2024. The motion passed unanimously.”
The Board agreed they did not want to raise basic operating dues because homeowners would be paying the Perimeter Fence special assessment, and the Board appreciates the community support for the fence. James moved and Kelly seconded a motion that the Perimeter Fence maintenance reserve assessment be increased by the 10% allowed under the Governing Document thereby raising it from $91 to $100. The motion passed unanimously. The preliminary review of the 2024 operating budget and 2024 reserve requests project that it will be possible to not raise operating dues leaving them at $1452 plus the $100 fence = $1552. Once the questions raised during the budget review process are answered, Kelly will finalize the draft budget and review it electronically with the board for final acceptance.
Kelly suggested that the operating budget should show the perimeter fence annual maintenance assessment separate from the operating dues income so that it is clear to homeowners.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Operating expenses for October totaled $ 103,594 and were comprised in part of $ 53,500 in trash & utilities; $17,408 in Administrative expenses; $15,861 in Landscape expenses; $14,189 in Pool expenses, and $1,101 in Tennis expenses. Social Committee expenses totaled $1,535 in deposits which will be returned to the HOA when owners pay for Holiday Carriage rides.
SWIM TEAM: 2024 Parent Representative Kristen Kraus submitted a written report informing the Board that the Swim Team is accepting applications for Coaches through mid-December and hopes to interview over Christmas break.
ADJOURNMENT AND CALENDARING: The meeting adjourned at 8:15pm. The next regular Board Meeting will be on Monday, January 15 at 6:30pm at the Business Office.