Issue 3

Introduction

This is a brief summary of issues presented to the Board for their consideration. It includes an analysis of our website, the general state of landscaping in our Comman Area, and some indication of Borad Financial Decisions. These issues will be elaborated when more information is available.

Website Maintenance and Condition

Our website is not in good condition, either by itself or standing next to other websites. It is unattractive and doesn’t display us or our commuinty in a very good light, and its data content is flawed. This has been brought up to the Board at Board Meeting and through emails on several occassions without due attendance to this as an issue by the Board.

The website is unappealing. Our entire community is represented by a single photograph of our tennis court, and by the image of the Association logo. We have more to offer. We have an outstanding community sorrounded with open areas and well kempt homes. No one going to our website sees this, but at another website representing another community, also called “Park Paseo” we see a beautiful community and a great website. It has been suggested that we employ the same technology to display our website to ourselves and others including potential home purchasers.

The data in the website is flawed. In any of the Newsletter, Board Agenda and Board Minutes sections, the downloadable document naming format prevents ready access. By this I mean that the document names are sorted, and the sorted names have no good search order. The naming convention is flawed. This naming convention was initiated starting January, 2020 and is at variance with the previous naming convention which allowed ready search and access of documents.

In any given month there are missing documents. It was noted on 9 Mar 2020 that there was no posting of any Board Agenda and Board Minutes and Newsletters on our site beginning on 1 Jan 2020. In every month since then there has been something missing. A Board Agenda, or a Board Minute or Newsletter or other. Monthly omissions started on 1 Jan 2020 and is a continuing issue.

Documents from the Architecture Committee which the Board has agreed to post on the website are nowhere present. No reason has been put forward for the omission.

This is our website. It stands for us for current residents, for future home buyers, and for our friends. It is nothing to be proud of. There is nothing notable in it. And it is unlikely that anyone will offer it to anyone as representative of who we are. We can and should do better.

Common Area Landscaping

It seems that the general state of our landscaping is in a period of gradual decline. There are dead plants and weeds throughout the community, the bushes seem not to be trimmed on a regular basis, our curbs need repair, trees can drop flowers and leaves and no one picks them up. This is a growing concern. My fear is that if it is not taken care of then our community will become undesireable. Who wants to live in a community were the common area has dirt instead of grass, weeds instead of foliage. What is even stranger to me is that there is a dead bush right in front of our clubhouse. Anyone visiting our community and going by the clubhouse is welcome to look at the care given to us by our landscapers.

We can and should do better.

Association Finances

The upgrade of the Prosa Pool area and Clubhouse Pool is between $193,000 to $240,000 over the amount budgeted, see the 2019 Reserve Analysis. If the above estimate is correct, then the Board has not followed our governing documents in soliciting a vote to authorize the expenditures, our reserve budget becomes depleted and I am worried. The Board has been requested to provide some financial insight. See Pool upgrade budget overrun without a community vote for a more complete analysis.

There is a large expansion of costs that the Board has obligated us to. Looking at the 2015 financial report showed large expenses from the Board at that time. A historical summary of Homeowner’s dues shows that in 1980 they were $39/month. In 2005 they were $62/month. In 2015 they were $95/month. In 2020 they are $118/month. Putting this in perspective from 1992 – 2005 the average monthly increase in dues was $0.69/month/year. From 2005 – 2015 the average monthly increase was $3.30/month/year. From 2015 – present the average monthly increase in dues was $4.60/month/year, a 39% increase. The trend seems clear.

Board Interaction

Legend:
Adocument or email sent
Mdocument or email received
Timeblank time indicates a mailed letter