Category: Meetings

Date: January 9, 2020

Location: Mukilteo City Hall, Community Room

The 2020 budget meeting for the REHOA was called to order at 7:04 p.m. The board vice-president distributed the meeting agenda. The board members reviewed the agenda. Additions included recent activity regarding the nearby development, a discussion of a truck blocking the street in Division 2, and a new welcome letter. The agenda was approved with these additions. Minutes from the November general meeting were distributed in November. Board members also reviewed these as written. In response to a suggestion from board members, it was agreed that, in the future, the acting secretary would send out meeting minutes following each meeting. However, in preparation for the next meeting, it was agreed that the minutes would be re-sent before the next meeting. This would allow members to review the meeting and refresh their memories, especially regarding the action items.

Member Forum: Homeowners asked about the cleanup of the common areas, about maintenance projects, about a trailer parked in a driveway, and about a truck blocking the sidewalk.

Reports

1. President: The board president was call away on business and was unable to attend this meeting. Therefore, there was no report this month.
2. Treasurer: The treasurer distributed copies of the January treasurer’s report, the December 2019 bank statement, and the final budget comparison for 2019 showing all expenses for the year. The vice-president confirmed that the register balances were the same as the updated balances shown on the January report. The treasurer also reported that, as part of the annual review of the REHOA accounts, he would start a new checking account and savings account registers each year and archive the old registers. Treasurer also reviewed an email from a new homeowner. They were unaware that their 2019 HOA dues were prorated during the escrow process. The Past Due report was also reviewed by the board members.
3. Landscaping Committee: The committee chairman reviewed the landscaping activities for 2019. They are still working with the county in attempting to get repairs on the buckled sidewalk in Division 2.
4. Architectural Control Committee: No new requests have been received from homeowners. Committee is still in process of updating ACC documents and to get them published on the website.
5. Arborist Committee: The committee had submitted a request to Snohomish County in October for permission to remove several dead trees on Tract 994. The committee included details regarding the location of the trees, as well as multiple pictures of the trees in question. The information was resent in November to two officials with the county. To date, the county has not even acknowledged that they have received the request. Committee stated that they would continue with the request. One board member expressed a concern about a large cottonwood tree on Tract 989. The vice-president recalled the PUD representative who had attended our meeting in 2018 to get permission to cut some hazardous trees. The VP suggested that we reach out to the PUD for assistance.
6. Secretary’s Report: The HOA is still without a secretary. The vice-president is doing “double-duty” and is covering the basic secretary duties until an HOA member volunteers.

Old Business:

1. Annual Meeting Notices: Treasurer confirmed that postcards were sent out and were received over 20 days before the meeting. This is within the guidelines stated by the Revised Code of Washington (RCWs).
2. Updating REHOA Documents – The vice-president reported that she had completed a stock letter for greeting new members of the HOA.
3. Legal – One lien was placed by the HOA in 2019. A second lien was averted when the homeowner brought their account payments up-to-date.
4. Audit – A review of the HOA accounts was completed by an outside agency. No inconsistances were found, and all funds were accounted for.
5. Website updates – Webmaster is working to replace the current website. The existing site is outdated, and some features can no long be updated.
6. Stock Letter File – the board has been reviewing contact letters found in the REHOA files and is using these to form a stock letter file.

New Business

1. Neighboring Development – No new activity report on the development. (Note: Several days after the January meeting, notices were found posted to posts on the development that the development corporation had defaulted on their loans. It remains to be revealed if this is significant, or if the corporation will merely shift some funds to cover this debt.)
2. Truck blocking street: Division 2 – Homeowners complained that a home in Division 2 had a large truck parked in their driveway that blocked use of the sidewalk by children walking to and from the school bus.
3. Budget and Dues for 2020 – The board discussed the line items for the 2020 budget, adjusted the budget amounts where necessary, approved the 2020 budget, and set the 2020 REHOA dues.
4. Expense approval – Board gave approval in advance for the standard annual expenses. Included in this are the insurance payments, lawn mowing expenses, maintenance to the detention pond and the stairs, mailbox rental, federal taxes, state incorporation fee, office expenses , and website fees.
5. Fence Replacement – One homeowner submitted itemized receipts to the board while we had the management company. The homeowner related that the management company did not honor the commitment mention in the REHOA Bylaws. Board asked him to resubmit his receipts.

Action Items:

1. 2020 Dues Notices – to be mailed out by Treasurer
2. 2019 Federal Taxes – to be done by the Treasurer
3. 2020 Website renewal – to be done by webmaster
4. Mailbox (CBU) maintenance – to be contracted by landscaping committee
5. Re-sending meeting minutes – vice-president, as acting secretary, will send the minutes right after the meeting, and then re-send the minutes just before the next meeting.
6. Revise the Website – ongoing project by webmaster. Seeking assistance from homeowners with experience in websites.

Next Meeting: Proposed for March 12, 2020

Meeting Adjourned at 8:18 p.m.

The 2019 annual HOA meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. The board president distributed the meeting agenda which was reviewed and approved by the board. The board also approved as written the minutes from the August board meeting.

Member Forum

One member stated that he wanted an update on the status of the large development in the area. Since that is a topic on the agenda, it was agreed that further discussion would be postponed until that portion of the meeting.

Reports

1. Treasurers Report – The Treasurer distributed copies of the November treasurer’s report, the October 2019 bank statement, and the current budget analysis, including the dues payments for 2019, the total expenses for the year, and anticipated activity for the remainder of 2019. Association is also awaiting final invoices from two homeowners who replaced their fences in 2019. The president confirmed the balances on the checking and savings registers are identical to the updated balances on the treasurer’s report. Past due notices were sent out to all homeowners who missed the April 30th deadline. One homeowner who had received an “Intent to Lien” letter submitted payment in full. On November 1, the HOA placed a lien on a second homeowner who has refused to pay their dues. Homeowner had been sent written warnings and failed to respond.
2. Landscaping Report – Committee ended our contract with last year’s landscaping company, and has re-hired Terrestrial Landscaping. The committee chairperson commented that they were usable to communicate with the previous landscaper, and the contract had the landscaper mowing regardless of the length of the lawn. The committee felt that they were able to make suggestions to the owner of Terrestrial Landscaping, and their directions were followed. Bottom line, the HOA gets more “bang for it’s buck.” As to the sidewalk repair, the landscaping committee chairperson contacted Snohomish County and was told that it was again delayed and that it may be several more months before they could get the sidewalk repaired.
3. Architectural Control Committee – Three fences were replaced along Picnic Point Road. Four or five homes have yet to replace their fences. However, many of the first fences to be replaced are now fifteen years old. Some of these will come due over the next few years.
4. Arborist Committee – Committee completed survey on Tract 994, and found several dead trees that need to be replace. The committee has reached out to Snohomish County to obtain permission to reduce these dead trees to snags. At this time, the county has not responded to our request.
5. Secretary Report – The vice-president is acting as temporary secretary, and has been answering emails as they come in to the HOA account.

Old Business

1. Website Update – The HOA is attempting to update the HOA website. However, portions of our site are no longer supported by GoDaddy. To eliminate this problem, we may need to create a new platform.
2. Search for New Board Members – The board has lost some members due to family moves. Currently, the board is still looking for a secretary, as well as representatives from Divisions 1, 3, and 5.
3. Annual Meeting Notices – Notices were sent out on October 15th, and were received by homeowners on October 28, 2020. This is in compliance with the RCWs requiring 20 days notice. A notice was also posted to the front page of the REHOA website.
4. Updating the ACC documents – The vice-president is in the process of updating some REHOA documents.
5. Legal – The association has received hard copies of all the files that our current attorney found in the archives that he had received from our previous attorney. These documents have been copied to the HOA records, and the original hard copies have been place in the HOA files.
6. Audit – According to the bylaws, the accounts are to be reviewed every year, unless the board elects to postpone the review. The treasurer has contracted with our tax representative to have a review done. However, this requires “hard copies” of the files. The company will not accept digital copies as the may corrupt their computer system.
7. Stock Letter File – The HOA sends out similar documents every year. Rather than recreate a new document every time, a file of past letters is being created. These existing letters will be used as the basis for any new letters.

New Business

1. News on housing development – The sewage plans submitted by the developer were reviewed by an outside engineering company. This company found that, due to the topography, the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) that the developer was proposing cannot be used. Based on this report, Alderwood Water and Wastewater has not granted approval of the developer’s plans. To circumvent this and start part of the project, the developer has proposed that that the project be “phased.” The developer has also requested that they be allowed to build homes with three stories rather than the two stories that they had originally proposed.
2. Damage to Tract 990 – Homeowners have complained about damaged the grass on Tract 990. A homeowner has begun to cut back and kill the lawn in the common area. The vice-president has proposed that the board send the homeowner a letters and direct them to “cease and desist” any activity on the common area.
3. Dog Scoop Laws – Our landscaper has complained about the amount of dog poop that is being dropped on the common areas. In particular. the entrances of the divisions are prone to be dumping sites. Board members proposed to post signs.
4. Plans for 2020 – Members discussed things that they would like to see in 2020. These include a wall along the sidewalk in Tract 990, updates to the website, cleaning of sidewalks that are in cul-de-sacs and not maintained.
5. 2020 Board – A member from Division 4 agreed to be a “member-at-large.” Board is still going to try to recruit a member from Division 1, 3, and 5.

Action Items

1. Update account ledgers and prepare 2020 budget.
2. Prepare 2020 dues letters.
3. Letter to homeowner on Tract 990.
4. Contact to Snohomish County regarding sidewalk repair.
5. Contact landscaper about cleaning sidewalk.
6. Work on the website.

Next Meeting: Budget Meeting – January 9, 2020

Meeting Adjourn: 8:22 p.m.

Date: August 15, 2019

Location: Mukilteo City Hall, Community Room

The meeting was called to order by the REHOA board president at 7:02 p.m. The president opened the floor for a homeowner forum. However, no homeowners asked to speak.

The president distributed copies of the meeting agenda. Board members requested items be added to the agenda. The agenda was approved, with additions. Board members had received a copy of the June meeting minutes via email. Minutes were approved as written.

Treasurer’s report: The treasurer distributed copies of the August Treasurer’s report, the July bank statement, and the 2019 budget comparison. The board president confirmed that the register amounts in the passbooks coincided with the amounts listed in the report. The treasurer also passed around a copy of the dues report, and a copy of the past due list.

Landscaping Committee report: The head of the landscaping committee reported that our landscaper has just completed the annual maintenance on the detention pond. He has also completed the August mowing of the common areas. The committee has directed the landscaper to trim some of the trees that are interfering with the ability of drivers to see up or down Picnic Point Rd. This will be an ongoing project, and will be completed in steps. Board members also suggested that the landscaper be reminded about maintenance to the grass around the stairs. In addition, the committee announced that they planned to have the landscaper perform maintenance on the stairs in time for the start of the school year.

Architectural Control Committee: The head of the ACC has receive several pages of edits on the ACC documents. The documents will be updated and the completed documents will be posted to the Documents section of the REHOA website. Committee also reported that one homeowner is requesting permission to paint their home. They have submitted paperwork with their neighbors signing off on the project. However, the homeowner has not submitted any color samples. The ACC will not approved project until they also receive paint chips of the proposed colors for the house. The committee also received a complaint about debris that had been left on common property after a homeowner completed their fence replacement project. The committee will contact the homeowner and request that the clean up the area.

Arborist Committee: The committee contacted five land survey companies for the purpose of establishing an exact property line to one of the REHOA common areas. After reviewing three bids, the committee signed a contract with one of the low bidders. Work on the project is scheduled to be completed before the end of August.

Old Business

Sidewalk Repairs: The vice-president reported that she had again contacted Snohomish County regarding the repairs to the sidewalk at the entrance to Division 2. Several parents had complained about the safety hazard presented by the damaged sidewalk. They refer to that section of the sidewalk as “the bridge.” Snohomish County officials reported that they planned to have the sidewalk repaired before the start of school.

Website: The acting website administrator had been asked to re-post articles from local newspapers and from the Sno-King Watershed Council regarding the current drive to ban fireworks in all of Snohomish County. Four articles were posted to the News section of our website, and a feature article was place on the homepage.

Past Due Stamp: The Treasurer reported that he had been able to purchase a pre-inked stamp with the words “Past Due”. The board had suggested that this be applied to the Past Due letters being sent out by the association.

Late Notices: The deadline for 2019 REHOA dues was April 30th. Late Notices were sent out on July 5. An email was sent on July to the one homeowner who resides overseas. The mailing resulted in contact from one homeowner who claimed that he had paid his dues on February 15th. The homeowner resent a check and his account is up to date. However, the treasurer noted that this homeowner is using a “bill payer” service through his bank. While he may have instructed his bank to pay the dues in February, there is no means that the homeowner can confirm that the HOA has received it, nor if the check was cashed, nor if his payment was even sent to the correct HOA address. The treasurer proposed that if a homeowner wants a confirmation that his dues have been received, the homeowner should email the HOA email account a week after they have submitted the payment.

Suspicious contacts: The HOA has received multiple suspicious emails. One stated that they were from GoDaddy. However, the email address originated in Russia. We have also received multiple demand statements from an escrow company that is asking for information on homes located in other parts of the state. The board members were cautioned about opening or forwarding suspicious emails.

HOA records: The back-up hard drive held by the vice-president has been update to include all records up to the date of this meeting. A schedule has been created and the records are to be routinely updated in the future.

New Business:

Annual Meeting: The board agreed to schedule the Annual Meeting for the first or second Thursday in November. This is depend on room availability. The board expressed a preference for the city council room since it is cooler. However, if this room is not available, the community room is big enough for our needs. The board approved the cost of mailing out notices. Per HOA bylaws, the notice will need to be sent out in October.

Legal: Board reviewed and approved two legal actions by the REHOA attorney.

New Homeowner Contact: During the past month, Board members had suggested content for a Welcome Letter to be sent to new homeowners. A rough draft was distributed and edits were proposed.

Architectural Controls: Board members have reviewed the current ACC documents and proposed updates to eliminate ambiguous or misleading phrases. These edits will be made to the documents.

Action Items:

ACC documents: President will make edits to the existing documents. Once approved, the documents will be posted to the website and made available to all homeowners.

Annual Meeting: Vice-president will contact Mukilteo City Hall and arrange for a time and date for the Annual Meeting.

Meeting Notices: Once the date for the annual meeting has been finalized, the vice-president will contact the treasurer so that the notices can be printed and mailed to all homeowners.

Landscaping Committee: The committee will contact the HOA landscaper about mowing and maintenance for the rest of the year.

Meeting adjourned: 8:05 p.m.

Next Meeting: 7:00 p.m. on November 14, 2019.

Date: June 20, 2019

Location: Mukilteo City Hall, Community Meeting Room

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. The Board President distributed the agenda which was reviewed. The president amended the agenda to include a new fence request. This was added and the agenda was approved. The minutes from the April meeting had been emailed to all board members in April. The minutes were also approved as written.

Homeowner Forum:

• New homeowners asked about the issues that are facing the association, and about how they could get more involved. The board president outlined the status of the Regatta Estates Homeowner’s Association. Board members pointed to the numerous common areas, green belts, stairs, detention ponds, fences, mail boxes, and landscape areas that the HOA needs to repair and maintain. Board members also discussed the liability insurance that the HOA maintains on these properties, and the fact that the individual homeowner’s insurance does not cover common area properties. Members also discussed the costs and the lack of accountability that was experience during the time with the management company. The board explained that maintenance of our common areas affects our property values. However, based on the number of active members, the board is limited in what they can do. The new homeowners were encouraged to consider joining the board.
• A second question was posed regarding how the association responds to homes that violate the CC&RS or that need maintenance. Board members explained that members are asked to email the association to formally lodge the complaint. The board would then email the individual homeowner to ask that they correct the situation.
• A third question was asked regarding the maintenance of the lawns in the common areas. The board president replied that this is the responsibility of the association, but that we recently went through a change in landscaping companies. This will be further discussed in the report from the Landscaping Committee.

Reports

• Treasurer Report – The Treasurer distributed copes of the June treasurer’s report, the May bank statement, and the current budget comparison. The president confirmed that the checking and savings passbook amounts were the same as the amounts on the reports. The treasurer referenced the 2017 HOA dues revenue, the number of homes that have paid, dues revenue recovered from previous years, and the year-to-date status for each expense item in the 2019 REHOA budget. The Treasurer also explained that, while he holds the check book and the savings book, he is not a signer on any of the accounts. Other board members are authorized signers. This policy insures dual control on the HOA accounts, i.e. at least two board members are required for any check to be written.
• Landscaping Committee Report – The committee had been disappointed by the job being done by the company responsible for mowing the common areas. In May, only a small portion of the lawn areas was mowed and the company was un-responsive to repeated phone calls. As a result, the board voted to terminate the contract. A second company was hired to take over maintenance of the lawns, However, due to existing commitments, they would not be able to start until the middle of June. This resulted in tall grass on the common areas. As of this meeting, the new company has now completed the first mowing. The committee also announced that the new company will be spreading mulch on the landscaped areas and the entrances of each division. On a separate topic, Snohomish County finally contacted the committee to say that the sidewalk at the entrance to division 2 would be repaired this summer. The association has placed over 16 phone calls and emails in order to get this repaired and has been frustrated with the delays. The sidewalk is used by many children on their way to and from the school bus stop.
• Architectural Control Committee – The committee is in the process of updating the wording in the ACC documents. The committee chairman has converted the existing PDF document to a Word format, and has distributed this to the committee members. They are working to clarify the wording and to remove any ambiguous text. The committee could use additional help in completing this project.
• Arborist Committee – The committee expressed concern about several dead trees. What is not known is whether these are on HOA property, or if they are on the adjoining property. The committee is researching companies to perform a survey of the property lines. The committee proposed using funds budgeted for the arborist study to cover the cost of a survey. A homeowner asked about planting trees on the common areas. The committee confirmed that this had been allowed in the past but that it was done at homeowner’s expense. In addition, the homeowner would be responsible for the placement of these trees and must insure that they do not damage a common area fence or the fence of a neighbor.

Old Business

• Updating ACC documents – This is an ongoing project. The president has converted the scanned items into a Word document and will send this out to committee members.
• Updating signers on HOA accounts – The treasurer has sent out the forms needed to add a new signer and remove a former signer from the list of authorized signers on the association accounts. Once the treasurer has all the completed forms, he will take them to the bank.
• Late letter – The treasurer distributed a draft of a proposed letter to be sent to all homeowners who have yet to pay their dues. This would confirm that they are delinquent and have been assessed a late fee and interest. In addition, the interest would continue to be assessed every month until paid. The president suggested that the association purchase a “Past Due” stamp. This was approved by the board.
• Liens – The treasurer had contacted the HOA attorney regarding the placement of liens for non-payment of dues. Our attorney confirmed that, based on our current recording procedures, we could place a lien. Any payments are applied on a FIFO basis, meaning that the most recent payments are applied to the oldest debts. He also discussed the Statue of Limitations. He stated that the HOA is following the correct procedure since we keep accurate records showing when a payment has been made and including all letters sent to the homeowner, informing them of the amount they owe.
• Website access – The website administrator has created a sign-on and temporary password for the board president. This was done on the day after the last meeting, and the president should now have access.

New Business

• Fireworks – The association has received a letter from the Commissioner of South County Fire indicating that thy are requesting a temporary ban on sale and lighting of fireworks in un-incorporated areas of South Snohomish County due to the current drought. In addition, the Sno-King Watershed Council sent a document regarding the amount of sulfuric acid being washed into our streams from the residue left behind on our surface street in our neighborhoods. Several other concerns related to fireworks were discussed in the letters. The board discussed this and agreed to post these letters as well as two articles published this week in the Everett Herald. Homeowners can contact their county council representatives with their support or opposition to the proposed ban.
• HOA Storage drives – The president was given a 1 TB storage drive that contained all the HOA records. The vice-president also has a similar drive. There had been concern that we previously had all our information only on computer hard drive. In the case of a catastrophic loss (such as a fire), all HOA documents could have been lost. The board will develop a schedule for updating these two devices and for keeping them current.
• Fence Request – Homeowner has requested permission to replace the fence behind their home. Permission was granted, but with restrictions. Homeowner must clean up the area once the project is completed.

Action Items

• President to complete BECU forms and write a letter regarding removal of former signer from list of authorized signers for HOA accounts.
• Board members to continue work on updating ACC documents.
• President to re-send all committee members a copy of the ACCs in Word format.
• Treasurer to send out late notices to delinquent homeowners.
• Treasurer to purchase Past Due stamp.
• Website administrator will post articles on fireworks.
• Arborist committee will obtain bids from survey companies.

Next meeting – Proposed date: August 8th. (If the meeting room is not available for August 8th, the board will try to schedule meeting for August 15th.)

Adjourned – 8:17 p.m.

Date: April 11, 2019

Location: Mukilteo City Hall, Community Meeting Room

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by the board president. The president distributed copies of the meeting agenda which was reviewed and accepted as written. The vice-president had sent out the minutes from the January meeting. These were also approved as written. The president then opened the Homeowner Forum, but no homeowners asked to speak.

Reports:

1. President: No new issues to report on the new development. Members discussed the proposal before the county council to reduce from three weeks to one week the time period for citizens to comment on new developments. Unfortunately, few homeowners would ever be able to review and voice any opposition given only a seven day window.
2. Treasurer: The Treasurer distributed copes of the April treasurer’s report, the March bank statement, and the 2019 budget comparison. The board president confirmed that the register amounts coincided with the adjusted amounts on the report. The treasurer reported on the 2019 dues that had been received and deposited from homeowners. In addition, the treasurer reported on the number of passed due homeowners that are now current. The treasurer also passed around a spread sheet that compared the total number of dues payments received each month over the passed twelve years. The past due report was examined and commented by the board.
3. Landscaping Committee: The landscaping committee reported that they will be staying with the current landscaping companies. Currently, one company handles the mowing of the grass on the common areas, while a second company handles the maintenance on the stair, the detention pond, and the entranceways. It was suggested that members keep a log on the days that work is being done.
4. Architectural Control Committee: The committee reported that they had not received any new applications. Members are continuing to work on updating the ACC documents. Committee reported that they had not received any new applications.
5. Arborist Committee: Committee commented on a number of dead trees noted on or near one of the common areas. It was suggested that we may need to survey the property in order to determine who is responsible for these trees. The committee will research the cost and feasibility.

Action Items:

1. 2019 Dues Lettters: The 2019 REHOA dues letters were sent out on January 23, 2019, with a due date of April 30, 2019. Personalized letters were sent out to any homeowner who still owed any dues from previous years. All homeowners also received a copy of their individual ledger account.
2. 2018 REHOA Taxes: The REHOA treasurer met with our tax advisor on February 9th, and the 2018 federal taxes were filed the same day. The association does not owe any taxes. Electronic copies of the association taxes have been added to the REHOA files.
3. Audit: While meeting with our tax advisor, the treasurer inquired about her availability to perform a review of our books. She indicated that she is booked solid up through the tax season. However, she should be available in June or July.
4. Website: Our website hosting, domain name registration, and private domain registration were all renewed in January. The association also added website back-up. The next day, the association received an email documenting the end to our free email service. Since the association has extensive amounts of saved data associated with the account, it was agreed that the HOA would continue with our current account. In February, an SSL certificate was added to our website. Finally, our version of WordPress was also updated. This resulted in some minor changes to the organization of the REHOA site.
5. Liens: Board reviewed the association accounts and discussed the costs and procedures for placing a lien against members who allow their account to remain past due. Liens are authorized by the association CC&Rs and have been placed in the past. The board is going to contact the REHOA attorney and confirm that the correct procedures are being followed.

New Business:

1. Website: Website administrator will grant access and rights to the current REHOA presiden
2. Authorized Signers on REHOA Accounts: Treasurer will send the necessary forms to the board members who have volunteered.
3. Reminder Notices: Board members discussed the option to send reminder notices to homeowners. It was decided that notices would be sent in June to any homeowners who continue to be in arrears.

Review of Action Items:

1. Granting access to REHOA website for the president.
2. Sending forms to new and current signers.
3. Revise wording on architectural control documents.
4. Search for a company to perform a survey.

Next Meeting: June 20, 2019

Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Date:  January 17, 2019

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall, Community Meeting Room

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by the board president.  Since the December board meeting was turned over to a presentation from the SnoKing Watershed Council, there were no minutes to approve.  The president opened the Homeowner Forum to all those present.  No homeowners asked to speak.  The president then moved on to the reports.

Reports:

• President:  Note:  Due to work conflicts, the board president was not present at the December meeting, and did not have anything new to present to the board.
• Treasurer:  The Treasurer distributed copies of the January 2019 treasurer’s report, the December 2018 bank statement, and the final 2018 budget comparison.  For the year, the association went over budget by $392.00.  As a result, there will be no roll over funds to 2019.  The board vice-president confirmed that the register balances were the same as the amounts reported by the treasurer.  Treasurer also reviewed the status of dues payments for the year, and compared this to previous years.  The treasurer also reported on the how the HOA will be bringing one home current that has been past due for several years.  This will also require the release of a lien and will involve the association layer.  Since the 2019 budget is to be determined at this meeting, there was not a 2019 budget comparison for distribution.  However, the treasurer reported on two invoices that had been paid in 2019, and three dues payments that had already been received.  While two of the payments were for the same amount, $350.00, that homeowners were assessed in 2018, the third was for a bizarre amount:  $317.84.  No board members could even guess what had prompted the homeowner to send in this amount.  However, the treasurer pointed out that, unless the board proposes the 2019 dues amount to be the same or less, the homeowner will not have paid his principal in full and could be assessed a late fee if he does not pay the difference by the due date.
• Landscape Committee:  The committee has to renew the mowing contract for the common area in April.  They are in contact with the former HOA landscaper.  Members discussed various payment options and felt that we need to confirm exactly the amount that he would charge and the frequency of the cutting.  Members also discussed the need for additional attention to the entranceways, detention pond, and the stair areas.  It was agreed that the committee must get a firm commitment from the prospective landscapers before we make any changes.
• Architectural Control Committee:  No members of the ACC were present.  No new applications have been received.
• Arborist Committee:  The committee obtained permission in mid November from Snohomish County to remove trees that had been noted in the last Arborist Report.  Our tree service was contacted and the trees were removed during the last week of November.  One tree was unstable and would not support a climber.  Permission had to be obtained to place a truck on a homeowners lot and use it to anchor ropes to allow the tree service to remove the tree.  The service found and removed additional dead trees from Tract 989 that threatened HOA homes.

Old Business

• Review and update to the ACC documents:  The current ACC are merely pdfs and cannot be edited.  The president has re-created the ACCs as a Word document that can be edited.
• Location of future Annual Meetings:  Board members were in agreement that there was limited benefit from having the annual meeting in the room at Spiro’s Pizza and Pasta.  The past two meetings had been held at that restaurant.   Current plan is to have the 2019 Annual Meeting at Mukilteo City Hall in the City Council Chambers.  Due to commitments by some of the board members, the regular board meetings will now be scheduled on Thursday.

New Business

• Threats to Regatta Highlands by developer:  After the trees had been cut on the Frognal development, a small strip of trees (50′ x 300′) were left on Tract 999.  This tract is a green belt that is controlled by Regatta Highalnds, a small development of 12 homes that lie between the power station and Picnic Point Elementary.  The trees on Tract 999 are all classified as interior trees and had previously been protected by the surrounding forest.  Once the surrounding forest had been removed by  developers of Frognal Estates, the same developers delivered notices to the 12 homes in Regatta Highlands that they are liable for damage if the trees from Tract 999 should fall on one of the homes they are planning to build in Frognal Estates.  The developers also sent a copy of the arborist report that they had performed on the trees on the Frognal property which pointed out that they trees suffered from disease and were not structurally sound.  The developers stated that it was likely that trees on Tract 999 had similar defects.  The document threatening the homeowners in Regatta Highland was delivered on Saturday, and gave the homeowners until Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m. to sign and agree to allow the developers from Frognal to remove the trees on Tract 999.  It is interesting that the same developers ignored the repeated requests from Regatta Estates homeowners to take care of their trees.  Trees from the Frognal and/or Horsemen’s Trails property fell and struck Regatta Estates homes and vehicles in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016.  Multiple attempts by Regatta Estates homeowners to contact the owners of the property and have them take responsibility for the damage from their trees were all ignored.
• Clear Cutting of Frognal:  HOA members discussed the lack of any announcements of the Snohomish County meetings where the final permits were granted to clear cut.  It was also noted that, while Snohomish County has already posted Bev-Ed Road with notices of road closures scheduled for the summer of 2019.  However, neither the developer nor Snohomish County posted any parking notices on 58th prior to the date when they showed up with the equipment to clear cut the development.
• 2019 Budget:  The Board reviewed each budget line item individually and discussed the need for adjustments to the budget amounts.
• 2019 Dues and dues date:  The Board set the amounts for each item.  Based on the total of the budget divided by 76, the 2019 dues were set, and the due date was set for April 30, 2019/
• Approval of standard expenses for the year:  According to the REHOA bylaws, all expenses must have prior approval from the board.  The treasurer proposed and the board pre-approve the standard expenses for the year.  These include landscaping, brush and entranceway clean-up, insurance, tax preparation, website hosting fees, detention pond maintenance, mailbox rental, mowing, and the state incorporation fee.

 

Review of Action items

• Print and mail the 2019 REHOA dues letters.
• Schedule a meeting with our tax representative and then file the 2018 Federal taxes.
• Renew our contracts for hosting our website.
• Schedule the next meeting.

Next meeting

• Proposed date, time, and location of next meeting:  April 11, 2019, 7:00 p.m. at Mukilteo City Hall.

Adjourn

• Meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m.

Date:  December 12, 2018

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall, City Council Chambers

The meeting was called to order by the REHOA vice-president at 7:05 p.m.  Instead of the normal board meeting, the agenda for this meeting was devoted to a presentation by Bill Lider on his review of the current plans submitted to Snohomish County PDS by the developer of the Frognal properties, and their impact of the homes and residents of Regatta Estates.

Mr. Lider introduced himself, explaining that he has been specializing in storm water design work for approximately forty years, lending his expertise to projects in the major municipalities of King and Snohomish counties.   He related that he looks at projects from a review standpoint as well as a design standpoint, and is familiar with the county storm water codes as well as the Department of Ecology’s storm water manual.  He is also a member of the Sno-King Watershed Council (SKWC).  The SKWC believes that the project has significant risk for the Picnic Point Creek, as well as the resident who live down slope from this project.  Mr. Lider then outlined the series of events leading up to the December 12, 2018 re-starting of the clear-cutting of the forest on the hills to the west of Picnic Point Road above Regatta Estates.  This included some secret pre-construction meetings held by Snohomish County that gave the contractor the go-ahead to start the logging.  When the SKWC approached the county about this, the county stated that they do not have to inform anyone since there was no requirement on the books that obligates them to inform the SKWC or any other interested parties of these meetings.  Mr. Lider explained that this is something that they would like to see changed, and that he asked for the REHOA members support in changing the codes regarding such meetings, especially in cases like this where the decisions are currently under appeal.

The main portion of Mr. Lider’s presentation was centered on the development that is going to occur but that is still under design right now.  The Frognal development is currently in their fourth submittal, with their last set of drawings submitted in October of 2018.  In November, Mr. Lider sent in 15 pages of comments to Snohomish County PDS on the most recent plans.  As of last week, the county had not responded.  Mr. Lider then proceeded with a power point presentation on his findings.  This power point presentation is available for view:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz5ttvlz0eo0hxq/Frognal%20Estates%20PFN%2018-112370%20LDA%20Lider%20PP%20Comments.ppsx?dl=0

To download the file from Dropbox:

1. Click on the link to access the Dropbox file.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the window and click on “No thanks, continue   to view” to open the file.
3. In the upper right hand corner of your screen, click on Download to save the  PowerPoint file onto your computer.

At the conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Lider answered questions from the REHOA members present.  Mr. Lider also asked for the support from all REHOA members and anyone interested in this cause.  You can send a check to:  Sno-King Watershed Council,  7815 NE 192 St., Kenmore WA  98028

You can also donate on-line.  Go to the website and click on the Donate button at www.snokingwatershedcouncil.org

 

Date:  October 17, 2018

Location:  Spiro’s Pizza and Pasta, 11815  Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo, WA

 

Introductions

The informal portion of the meeting began at 6:30 p.m. with some community time and a light snack of pizza, salad, and sodas.  The board president called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m..  After introductions were made, the Agenda for the meeting was reviewed and approved.  Following this, the minutes from the August board meeting were reviewed and approved.

 

Member Forum

• Two new homeowners from Division 1 asked for guidance on finding property lines.  It was suggested that they reach out to the county for up-to-date plat maps.  If the homeowners are still unable to establish the position of the property lines, they may need to hire a surveyor.
• A homeowner had questions for the ACC on height of fences.  The ACC pointed out the section of the ACC documents in which the homeowner could find all the information on fences.
• A homeowner expressed a complaint about the condition of the paint on their neighbors house, while another homeowner was upset that a homeowner failed to remove dead bushes from his front yard.  Both homeowners with the problems will be sent a letter from the ACC reminding them of their obligation to maintain their properties.
• Members asked about news on the Frognal Estates development.  Board members related that the Sno-King Watershed Council (SKWC) was pursuing some court action trying to overturn some decisions by the county.  Board members also reminded homeowners that, in order to prove that the SKWC truly represents us, homeowners must complete and submit the online form.  It is found in the Documents section of the REHOA website.  Members were also encouraged to make a donation to support the efforts of the SKWC.

Reports

• President – The HOA president gave a recap of the accomplishments for 2018, and gave a brief view of the challenges ahead.
• Treasurer – The vice president checked and verified the register balances matched the bank statement and the treasurer’s report.  The treasurer explained to new members the rational for this procedure.  The treasurer reported that the board is looking for an accountant or bookkeeper to perform an audit on the HOA financials for 2018.  The co-treasurers also pointed out the importance of having a member step up and learn the tasks performed by the treasurer.
• Landscaping Committee – Our landscaper continued to clean common areas and cut back blackberry bushes.  The committee chairperson also reported on her attempts to have the county repair the sidewalk.  The county currently is responding that it may be 2 more years before they can get to this project.   The landscaping committee re-stated their concerns since this is the main path used by children going to the bus stop.  In addition, there is a handicapped resident who uses a powered wheelchair.  With this sidewalk in disrepair, he rides in the street.  This poses a significant safety hazard.
• Architectural Control Committee – The ACC reported that they had received one fence request in the past month.  The ACC outlined the process for approving fence requests and paint request, as well as the shared expense for the fence along Picnic Point Rd.
• Arborist Committee – The arborist committee has been working to obtain approval for the dropping trees on the Wildlife Habitat/Native Growth Protection Areas (WH/NGPA).  In addition, the committee is monitoring the trees that were marked by the PUD for removal.  It is hoped that these will be removed before the next storm.
• Secretary – Nothing new from the vice-president who has assumed the temporary role of secretary.  The previous HOA secretary has moved and the board is seeking a permanent replacement.

 

Old Business

•  Changes to the ACC documents – The Architectural Control Committee is continuing with the project of reviewing and updating the ACC documents.  The committee is attempting to remove vague or ambiguous language from the controls.

New Business

•  The ACC will write and mail two letters to homeowners in Division 1.  The first is regarding dead plants that need to be removed.  The second is in regard to the poor condition of the exterior paint.
• Next meeting is set for December 12th.

 

Review of Action Items

• Continue to work on updating the ACC Document
• Locate an accountant/bookkeeper for the audit
• Recruit new members
• Compose and mail two complaint letters
• Reserve the meeting room for December 12, 2018

Next Meeting

• The next meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on December 12, 2018.  It will be held at the community meeting room at Mukilteo City Hall.

Adjourn

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 p.m.

Date:  August 15, 2018

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall

The board president called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm and distributed copies of the meeting agenda.  The agenda was reviewed by the board.  The president had no included any new business, but board members reserved the right to add new business that might be brought up during the meeting.  The minutes from the June meeting were distributed in the week after the June 20th meeting.  These were also approved as written.  The board president opened the member forum.  One homeowner from division one was asked if the parking situation was still an issue of contention.  She responded that it has been quiet for the past few months and may have been resolved.  Another member submitted a request that he be added to the list of homeowners who are informed about the meetings.

Reports:

Tresurer’s Report:  The treasurer distributed copies of the August treasurer’s report, the July bank statement, and the 2018 budget comparison.   Treasurer discussed the 2018 dues and the Past Due Report.  The president asked how the numbers for this year compared to that for previous years.  Since this is a recurring question, the treasurer produced a spreadsheet showing the number of dues paid each month over the past 10 years, and the cumulative number paid through each month of those years.

Per the board vote at the June meeting, homeowners who are delinquent in paying the 2018 HOA dues have been assessed a late fee and interest.  A letter was sent to each of these members informing them of this assessment, and including an update-to-date account ledger showing all payments for that property and the amount currently owed.

The treasurer also reported on a Demand Statement that had been sent by a local title company to the association.  While the statement had been completed and returned, the title company complained that they had not received it.   After the document was resent three times, it was determined that there was any problem at the title company’s end.  To complete the transmission, the documents had to be sent to a separate email.  In the end, the title company did get the requested documents.

The treasurer also contacted the HOA lawyer regarding the placing of a lien on a property in the association.  Our lawyer gave a list of the information that he would need when filing the lien as well as the total cost to place and release a lien.  Our lawyer also confirmed that all expenses associated with the lien were fully chargeable to the homeowner.

Landscaping Committee Report:

Committee reported that tract 994 had been trimmed by our landscaper.  The committee reported on the difficulties experienced with one of the services.  Before signing a new contract, the committee is looking into the availability of the previous company for 2019.

 

Architectural Control Committee Report:

Committee reported that they had not received any new requests since the last meeting.

Arborist Committee Report:

The committee has received a inquiry concerning some dead trees on HOA property.  Board members visited the site but were unable to locate the trees.  The Arborist Committee attempted to contact the homeowner, but there was no one home.  The committee members contacted neighbors of this homeowner, but they were not able to identify the trees in question.  The Arborist committee then had the arborist for our tree service visit the site.  He located two deciduous trees that drop their leaves during the winter and spring months.  If viewed during these months, some may think that they have dies.  The arborist committee has sent the homeowner a letter asking for the location of the trees.  The committee also pointed out that the area in question is listed as a protected area and we would need to obtain approval from Snohomish County.

At the June meeting, a member of the PUD had contacted the association requesting permission to trim or remove of trees on HOA property that may cause issues for the PUD transmission lines along Picnic Point Road.  The board president had signed off on their request.  To date, the work has not been started.

Secretary’s Report:

Date:  June 20, 2018

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall

 

The board president called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. and distributed copies of the meeting Agenda.  The agenda was reviewed and approved.  The minutes from the April meeting had been sent out by the secretary for review.  One board member pointed out an error on the date.  The minutes from the April meeting were approved subject to this correction.

Member Forum:  A representative from the PUD asked to speak, and requested permission to trim some trees in our common areas that were beginning to encroach on the power lines along Picnic Point Rd.  The board president signed the forms and the board was told that the work would likely be performed in August.  No other members chose to speak.

 

Reports:

Treasurer:

• The treasurer distributed copies of the June treasurer’s report, the May bank statement, and the comparative budget report.
• The treasurer noted that we have yet to receive bills from the either landscape company for work done in April and May.
• Reminder letters were sent to homeowners that are delinquent on their 2018 HOA dues.
• Board members reviewed the bylaws regarding late fees and proposed that delinquent homeowners be informed that they have been assessed the late fee and interest going back to the April 30th deadline.
• Board members also approved a request to contact our lawyer regarding a potential lien against a property that is in arrears for more than one year.

Landscaping Committee: 

• Cleanup of all five entryways has been completed.  This included the removal of a dead tree and the cutting up and removal of a large limb that was lying on common area.
• Work was also completed on the stairs.
• The committee is working with the new company that was hired to cut the grass on the common areas.  The committee has sent another set of maps that pinpoint these areas.  Unfortunately, a different crew comes out each month and the job has not been fully completed.

Architectural Committee:

• The ACC had been contacted regarding the replacement of the fence behind one home.   The ACC had explained the procedure and gave options for completing the job.
• A paint request was also received and approved.

 Arborist Committee:

• The committee met with a tree service and obtained estimates on three separate tracts.
• All three tracts are WH/NGPA and will require approval from the county PDS.
• Tree service recommended against the blanket trimming of common area trees.  In many cases, these trees provide  privacy and act as a sound barrier to the homes.   The tree service has received numerous complaints in the past when doing such work.
• The committee explained that they will need additional volunteers before attempting to contact the 37 homes who are affected my such trees.

Secretary Report:

• Our current secretary is moving from the area.
• The vice-president offered to record the minutes for this meeting but reminded the board members that a permanent replacement is needed.

Old Business:

• Board members discussed updates and corrections to the ACCs.
• The ACC committee will begin recreating the ACC document.  Once the document is completed, changes and updates can be made.
• Board members are asked to review the existing document and submit recommendations. 

Review of Action Items: 

• All board members will review the ACC documents for any changes or omissions.
• The Arborist Committee will continue to contact homeowner regarding a report of a dead tree.
• The treasurer will be sending out letters to the homeowners who have been assessed late fees and interest.
• The treasurer will also contact the HOA lawyer.
• The Landscape Committee will contact the landscapers regarding the invoices for April and May.
• The ACC will begin recreating the ACC document.  The fence policy will be included in the new ACC documents.
• Board members will decide on location for October General Meeting at the next meeting.

 

Next Meeting: 

• The next meeting is scheduled for August 15, 2018 at the Mukilteo City Hall.

Adjourn:

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:13.