CHELTENHAM EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES
9 February 2017
Members Present:
John Gochenaur, 1st Vice President
John Maxi, 2nd Vice President
Roland Carroll, Treasurer
Phil Kern, Back-up to Mr. Carroll
Agenda:
Finance Report
2017 Contracts/Budget/Priorities Discussion
Statement of Continued Existence
Lighting Update
State of Volunteerism/HOA Management Alternatives
Legal Case Regarding the Covenants
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM.
Finance Report:
Mr. Carroll and Mr. Kern shared that they have successfully added Mr. Kern as a back-up to Mr. Carroll on the HOA’s bank accounts. Mr. Carroll will be sidelined for a few weeks following a medical procedure. We wish him all the best and we thank Mr. Kern for volunteering to step up and aid the association. They jointly gave an overview of the HOA’s finances. Balances are in-flux as HOA fees are coming in from the membership. Over half of our residents have paid and additional payments are coming in daily. The HOA is adequately positioned to cover this year’s expenses, but has limited capacity to meet unexpected contingencies. We will continue to be mired in financial uncertainty until the lawsuit and counter suit regarding the installation of a 7 ft wood fence back in 2014 is resolved.
The Board authorized payment of a bill for $4,562.50 from the HOA’s attorney for actions since the 15 & 16 December 2016 court date.
2017 Contracts/Budget/Priorities
The Board took stock of the operating budget needed for the coming year. Specific line items included:
Lawn Care
Pond Treatment
Sprinkler System Maintenance
Liability Insurance
Electric Bill
Water Bill
Statement of Continued Existence
The Board discussed the filing of the annual Statement of Continued Existence required by the State of Ohio. Mr. Gochenaur volunteered to pull up the latest form from the State’s website, fill it out, and deliver it to Mr. Kern. Mr. Kern will then cut a check for the $25.00 fee and send both the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
Lighting Update:
On a warm weekend day in January, Mr. Gochenaur and Mr. Mark Dowd met and went down to the Penridge Dr entrance to take a look at the lights there which have been malfunctioning. They changed the bulbs in all three lights. One now appears to be functioning properly. One has a known photovoltaic sensor problem for which we have a replacement. The third may have the same problem, but is in need of some troubleshooting. As mentioned in earlier notices, Mr. Dowd needs to bow out of the lead role on this particular duty for personal reasons. He has expressed a willingness to help whoever takes over.
The Board discussed the possibility of transitioning to LED bulbs from the current High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs in order to save on electricity. Mr. Kern mentioned he knew an individual he could talk to who works in this area to see what might be involved and get an estimate.
State of Volunteerism/HOA Management Alternatives:
There was a general discussion of the ongoing difficulty in finding members willing to take on volunteer positions on behalf of the HOA. Cheltenham’s HOA fees have historically been kept quite low because individual residents have volunteered to serve on various committees or as the monitors for such things as lawn care, ponds and fences, lighting, sprinklers, auditing, and the like. While we still have some very dedicated volunteers, it’s been increasingly difficult to attract new participants. Mr. Maxi agreed to research the potential advantages and pitfalls of contracting with a professional management company to take over some or all of these duties. The biggest unknown is the cost and what it would do to our annual HOA fees, but the Board felt it necessary to at least start looking at options to share with the community. [Initial indications are that for a community the size of Cheltenham’s, these services would likely amount to an increase in each resident’s HOA fees of between $120.00 & $240.00 per year.]
Legal Case:
The Board discussed the ongoing legal cases involving a 7 ft tall wood fence erected back in 2014. Multiple legal issues regarding the HOA’s suit to have the fence removed and a countersuit challenging the HOA’s actions remain unresolved. Multiple efforts at reaching a settlement as well as a jointly agreed to effort at Mediation which interrupted the previously scheduled, 15 & 16 Dec 2016 court date, were unsuccessful. While the current Board is very concerned about the expense of continuing this action, based on the legal counsel available, we believe the best chance of preserving, and perhaps even recovering, some or all of the HOA’s financial equities lies with having our day in court. The next court date is scheduled for 23 & 24 March 2017.
The Board also discussed and approved a letter to our attorney reiterating our desire to minimize expenses, both to the HOA and, to the degree possible, to the defendants. We also reiterated our desire to avoid any further delays in order to see the case thru to a logical conclusion.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:50 PM.