GRANDRIDGE MEADOWS HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION
Final minutes of the April 27, 2016 meeting of the Board of Directors
1. Call To Order. Brett Menaker, President, called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. at the Mid-Columbia Library.
2. Roll Call.
2.1. A quorum was present with the following directors in attendance:
Michael Galgoul
Vice President
Brett Menaker
President
Jim Lampman
Board and Architectural Committee Member
Pam Bisconer
Board Secretary
Jack Briggs
Board and Architectural Committee Member
Michele Burke
Board Member at Large
2.2. The following Board Members had an excused absence: Jack Donnelly. Gayle Stack and Debbie Cooper from EverStar were also present.
3. Secretary Report.
3.1 Approval of Minutes. Jack Briggs moved that the minutes from the January 2016 meeting be approved. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Financial Report.
4.1 Financial Report. Brett asked if there were any questions about the financial report. Jack Briggs asked if anything out of the norm happened and Brett indicated no. Jim Lampman brought up the issue of a homeowner that has declared bankruptcy located at 8413 W. Bruneau Avenue and asked if we should still send them violation letters. It was decided to send them a letter because their lot is not clear because they have brush and other material by their arborvitaes. The board decided to give them 15 days’ notice and then tell them we will clean it up at the homeowner’s expense. They also have not paid their dues. In accordance with the CCRs, the notice of the annual meeting will include, among other things, a schedule of assessments received and receivable identified by the number of the lot and the name of the owner so assessed. Any delinquencies will also be posted on the website.
5. Architectural Control Committee Report.
5.1 Jim Lampman mentioned the island coming into the development has brown spots and he said the timer is bad. Jesse’s will take a look at it and see if it is watering all areas. Brett stated he just completed his backflow testing and suggested we seek a discounted rate for homeowners. Since many have already completed backflow testing we will attempt to obtain a discounted rate for sprinkler blowouts in the fall and backflow testing in 2017. It was decided to inform homeowners that we have a discounted rate with one or two contractors and the ACC will work on this.
6. Old Business.
6.1 The rental policy discussion was cancelled. Jack Briggs asked how we enforce it if someone rents without our approval. Michael Galgoul stated that this is like any other violation and we can either educate, impose fines or revise the CC&Rs. Gayle stated that if she sees that an address is not within the subdivision she will notify the Board.
7. New Business
7.1 Method of notifying members of meetings. Gayle stated she has 60% of the emails for the subdivision. It was decided to send information via email to those we have and to mail the rest.
7.2 Revision of lien policy. Gayle suggested we modify our policy to impose liens 6 months after dues are due instead of two years after they are due. Jack Briggs moved that a lien be placed on property owners where fines or overdue amounts exceed $175. The motion was seconded by Michael Galgoul and it passed unanimously. The board agreed to notify homeowners of this change in policy as part of the next regular mailing.
7.3 Collecting past due dues and fees. It was noted that 12% of homeowners are not paying dues. See 7.2 for how past due dues and fees will be collected.
7.4 Xeriscaping of some portion of common areas to reduce expenses. Michael Galgoul stated that our biggest expense is water for Montana Street, arborvitaes and the maintenance of these areas. Our bill is $6,000 per year for Jesse’s to maintain these areas and we paid $3,000 for water last year. Jim Lampman stated an option might be to not have the arborvitae shaped and to just have them trimmed. Michael suggested that when we need to replace a plant that we replace it with a drought resistant plant. Gayle suggested we do a reserve study and put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Brett asked the ACC to talk to Jesse’s about ways to use less water in our landscape. The ACC will report at the next meeting.
7.5 Joining HOAleader.com. It was decided to join HOAleader.com. The cost is $100 per year and it enables all Board members to receive access.
8. Open Forum. There was discussion about the upcoming elections in June 2016. A letter will be put in the next mailing soliciting members to be on the Board. Jim Lampman stated that our dues will probably go up if we have no board members. Jack Briggs stated that we need to establish committees of home owners in order to share the workload of the HOA and not leave everything to the 7 board members. Fortunately we still have members who are willing to be on the ACC because if we turn this function over to EverStar, the HOA fee would be even higher.
9. Executive Session. (If required). No executive session was required.
10. Next Meeting Date. June 29, 2016
11. Meeting Adjourned. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
The foregoing minutes were approved by the Board of Directors on June 29, 2016.
Final minutes of the April 27, 2016 meeting of the Board of Directors
1. Call To Order. Brett Menaker, President, called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. at the Mid-Columbia Library.
2. Roll Call.
2.1. A quorum was present with the following directors in attendance:
Michael Galgoul
Vice President
Brett Menaker
President
Jim Lampman
Board and Architectural Committee Member
Pam Bisconer
Board Secretary
Jack Briggs
Board and Architectural Committee Member
Michele Burke
Board Member at Large
2.2. The following Board Members had an excused absence: Jack Donnelly. Gayle Stack and Debbie Cooper from EverStar were also present.
3. Secretary Report.
3.1 Approval of Minutes. Jack Briggs moved that the minutes from the January 2016 meeting be approved. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Financial Report.
4.1 Financial Report. Brett asked if there were any questions about the financial report. Jack Briggs asked if anything out of the norm happened and Brett indicated no. Jim Lampman brought up the issue of a homeowner that has declared bankruptcy located at 8413 W. Bruneau Avenue and asked if we should still send them violation letters. It was decided to send them a letter because their lot is not clear because they have brush and other material by their arborvitaes. The board decided to give them 15 days’ notice and then tell them we will clean it up at the homeowner’s expense. They also have not paid their dues. In accordance with the CCRs, the notice of the annual meeting will include, among other things, a schedule of assessments received and receivable identified by the number of the lot and the name of the owner so assessed. Any delinquencies will also be posted on the website.
5. Architectural Control Committee Report.
5.1 Jim Lampman mentioned the island coming into the development has brown spots and he said the timer is bad. Jesse’s will take a look at it and see if it is watering all areas. Brett stated he just completed his backflow testing and suggested we seek a discounted rate for homeowners. Since many have already completed backflow testing we will attempt to obtain a discounted rate for sprinkler blowouts in the fall and backflow testing in 2017. It was decided to inform homeowners that we have a discounted rate with one or two contractors and the ACC will work on this.
6. Old Business.
6.1 The rental policy discussion was cancelled. Jack Briggs asked how we enforce it if someone rents without our approval. Michael Galgoul stated that this is like any other violation and we can either educate, impose fines or revise the CC&Rs. Gayle stated that if she sees that an address is not within the subdivision she will notify the Board.
7. New Business
7.1 Method of notifying members of meetings. Gayle stated she has 60% of the emails for the subdivision. It was decided to send information via email to those we have and to mail the rest.
7.2 Revision of lien policy. Gayle suggested we modify our policy to impose liens 6 months after dues are due instead of two years after they are due. Jack Briggs moved that a lien be placed on property owners where fines or overdue amounts exceed $175. The motion was seconded by Michael Galgoul and it passed unanimously. The board agreed to notify homeowners of this change in policy as part of the next regular mailing.
7.3 Collecting past due dues and fees. It was noted that 12% of homeowners are not paying dues. See 7.2 for how past due dues and fees will be collected.
7.4 Xeriscaping of some portion of common areas to reduce expenses. Michael Galgoul stated that our biggest expense is water for Montana Street, arborvitaes and the maintenance of these areas. Our bill is $6,000 per year for Jesse’s to maintain these areas and we paid $3,000 for water last year. Jim Lampman stated an option might be to not have the arborvitae shaped and to just have them trimmed. Michael suggested that when we need to replace a plant that we replace it with a drought resistant plant. Gayle suggested we do a reserve study and put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Brett asked the ACC to talk to Jesse’s about ways to use less water in our landscape. The ACC will report at the next meeting.
7.5 Joining HOAleader.com. It was decided to join HOAleader.com. The cost is $100 per year and it enables all Board members to receive access.
8. Open Forum. There was discussion about the upcoming elections in June 2016. A letter will be put in the next mailing soliciting members to be on the Board. Jim Lampman stated that our dues will probably go up if we have no board members. Jack Briggs stated that we need to establish committees of home owners in order to share the workload of the HOA and not leave everything to the 7 board members. Fortunately we still have members who are willing to be on the ACC because if we turn this function over to EverStar, the HOA fee would be even higher.
9. Executive Session. (If required). No executive session was required.
10. Next Meeting Date. June 29, 2016
11. Meeting Adjourned. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
The foregoing minutes were approved by the Board of Directors on June 29, 2016.
