March Board Meeting Report

The March 12 Board meeting was quite well attended. Nine owners were present; Sue and Katie Besek represented the management company; and the entire (reduced) Board was presented by president Marilyn Dupree, vice-president Sam Goldberg, treasurer Glenn Lyons, and member-at-large director Marius Ardeleanu. It was a meeting that saw some open discussion and raised voices at times but nothing really that crossed the line. The main points discussed at the meeting:

• Cathy McVey has resigned as Board member. The remaining Board members have decided not to fill the position because it is up for election in May. The Association’s Bylaws are quite explicit, however, that there “shall” be five directors at all times and that the remaining Board members “shall” appoint someone to fill any such open positions. It is also unclear who the new secretary is, a position that must be filled according to the Bylaws; all current Board members except for president Dupree are eligible.

• As reported here earlier, the Annual Meeting will take place on May 14 and two Board positions are up for election. You should send in your nomination before March 28, or you can nominate yourself from the floor at the meeting itself. That last strategy is problematic, though, because many people will be voting through the mail before May 14.

• After some heated discussion about procedural questions concerning the recent Recall elections, the Board decided it would let an independent company organize the upcoming elections. The management company was asked to get three bids.

• Money matters: another $50,000 is being moved into the savings account! That’s obviously good news though questions remain about how much money will need to be spent on the wood repairs that have been discussed for several months now.

• A Reserve Study is being requested to help feed the annual budget for next year. (A Reserve Study lists all the items in the complex that the Association is responsible for, describes their current state, and projects the expenses associated with maintaining and replacing them in the future.)

• As pointed out by owner Larry Harris, the discussion of next year’s budget should be held in an open session. However, there seems to be a feeling among some Board members (including president Dupree) that it is easier to create a budget in a small group. It remains to be seen whether convenience will trump transparency.

• Sue Besek reported that they had received three bids for independent inspections of all the fences and decks in the complex. The Board decided to go ahead with one of them as long as they have a valid California contractor license.

• Owner Ezra Van Everbroeck reported back on web site options for an official HOA web site. He recommended using http://www.hoatotalaccess.com because they offer lots of features for little money ($35/month). Let us hope that the official site goes live in the near future.
  

It’s Your Chance to be a Board Member!

All owners should have received a letter from Stratus Management earlier this week with a call for nominations to serve as Board member for our Association. If you are elected — with the elections to be held on May 14 — you will serve for two years. Please note that your nomination must be received by March 28.

There are two Board positions up for election in May: one held by president Marilyn Dupree and one that is currently vacant as former secretary Cathy McVey recently resigned.

Garage Sale, Saturday April 5

There are fliers next to all the mailboxes officially announcing the Association-wide ‘garage’ sale (i.e. in one of your parking spaces) that will take place on Saturday April 5. It is an all-day event, from 7am to 4pm. If you want to participate, you need to send $5 to the management company by March 28.

Agenda for March 12 Board Meeting

The regular monthly Board Meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday evening, i.e. March 12 at 6pm. It will take at the regular location, i.e. the Doyle Recreation Center on Regents Road. The agenda for the meeting has been posted at the pools. In addition to the usual agenda items such as the approval of the previous minutes, the financial report and homeowner discussion, the agenda also contains the following interesting topics:

• Draft Budget 2008/2009

• Unfinished Business:

1. Wood Inspection Estimates
2. Web Site Update

• New Business:

1. Annual Meeting Information
2. Reserve Study Estimates