ATTENDANCE
Board Member Attendance: Steve D, Sue G, Victoria F (meeting minutes), Terese M, Terry H | Neighborhood: Brenda F, Dru D, Ginger P, Heidi K, John C, Ken P, Rick K | Online: Corrie T
ITEM 1 - Approved October Meeting Minutes
December HOA Meeting: Canceled. Time will be spent this month and in December creating a revised version of the Declarations and communicating those changes to the neighborhood.
ITEM 2 – Board Treasurer
Cindi, the current Treasurer, plans to retire as a board member at the end of the year.
She and her office are willing to continue with the following tasks: mailing invoices; collecting dues (quarterly or annual payment options); approving expenditures and issuing checks; creating monthly budget-to-actuals; filing for insurance; and maintaining files. A reliable person or office that buyers and sellers can contact is also necessary.
New Board Treasurer: To service as the liaison to Cindi, present the monthly budget-to-actuals report during HOA meetings, and research the best next steps for when Cindi’s office is no longer involved. Some options include: 1) outsourcing the work to an accounting department, which would potentially cost $500–$800/month; 2) finding a less expensive outsourced connection, such as a private bookkeeper; or 3) finding a neighbor who may have the skills necessary to do the job and who could also research database options (such as QuickBooks) and office supplies (such as label makers).
ITEM 3 – Email System
Victoria researched a few email systems that required an annual fee and others that were free.
Both types offer more options than using gmail with a BCC line. MailerLite was determined to be the best option. It’s free for up to 250 users, and there are currently 116. The promotion of the product is low-key; it’s just a note in the footer. You can track open rates, click rates, and email bounce-backs.
It is to be used for important updates and announcements only. The working group also has a list from people regarding their email preferences.
Add a note to the Get in Touch page: Remind people that they can submit their email addresses via that form as well.
Victoria: Made a request for new entrance signs; the wooden boards that are now being used are falling apart. She was authorized to spend up to $500.
ITEM 4 - Neighborhood Volunteers
We need more volunteers throughout the year rather than just during the spring and fall clean-up times.
We can add volunteer tasks to both the website and FB page to remind people that they can help with watering entrance plants, hosting a board meeting, cleaning up the regular common spaces, etc.
Note from Terese: After a couple of decades, she’s now handing the dog poop station duties over to Sarah Cassano. Thank you to both!
ITEM 5 - Rock Entrances
After the first round of work was done by the contractor, a small group added more rocks to the entrances, it was determined that a few more bare spots needed to be covered. Thanks to Terry, Sue, Dru, Ginger, Geoff, and two hard working neighborhood kids. This project should now be complete.
ITEM 6 - HOA Covenants Update
The original document that was mailed: 43 neighbors were in favor of the declaration and 23 were not. The required 75% threshold in order to pass the declaration was not met.
REVISED DOCUMENT
Covenants: A note about the revised document and feedback form was sent to 116 people. There was a 75% open rate, which is 87 people, and no one unsubscribed.
Neighbors used the feedback form, which requested that they rewrite certain covenant sections. About 40 comments were received.
Some of the issues will be easier to resolve, such as removing irrelevant information that has been there for years.
RENTALS
The most difficult section to finalize will be regarding rentals. There’s a concern that if the verbiage is changed too dramatically, we may lose the people who have already voted yes. However, the opinions are diverse.
Percentage: The current language allows for 10% of the neighborhood to be rentals, and it was determined that number could go up to 15%. However, some people want it as low as 5%, and some people want no cap at all. Right now, the percentage of homes renting in this neighborhood is so low that it may not be an issue to keep a low percentage, as there is also language about variances and exceptions for hardship situations. An additional note: After a renter leaves, the homeowner needs to reapply for renter status.
Limit on Number of Years: Right now, the covenants note that a homeowner may have their house rented for up to 3 years. There was a concern from people who don’t want any limits that if they had a great multi-year renter, they wouldn’t want to lose that person.
There was a suggestion that we pass the Declaration ASAP without the clause about rentals and work on the rental clause at a later date. This is not ideal. This project has been in process for 9 months and needs to be finalized in the next 2 months or by January 2027.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
There were a number of concerns that the board might have too much power and may not be flexible. However, it was pointed out that there are ways to change out board members even mid-year.
There was a question about the foreclosure language and whether it is a state law to have it. It was noted that we can state in our bylaws and rules that the HOA wouldn’t proceed in this manner. The working group will ask the lawyer about how to mitigate the language.
Borrowing money: If there is a need for the HOA to borrow money, we would need a neighborhood-wide 67% approval.
NEXT STEPS
The feedback form has been closed, though it was noted that comments can still be submitted through the website comments form. The working group will review them as needed.
Final questions will be sent to the lawyer to address remaining concerns.
A revised Declarations document will be created, and a new communications plan will be put in place.
ITEM 7 – Additional Items
The North Table Mtn Water Board will implement a system so that they can charge people for their water usage on a tiered basis.