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Meetings

September 2017 Board Meeting

Date:  September 20. 2017

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall

 

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by the board president.  The meeting agenda was reviewed.  One topic was added to the agenda.  The minutes from the August meeting were reviewed and approved as written.

Member Forum:  No homeowners elected to speak.

Reports:

Treasurer’s Report:

  1. Copies of the September treasurer’s report, the August bank statement, and the budget comparison were distributed to all board members.  The board secretary verified that the balances recorded in the report matched those in the association check book and in the association saving account book.
  2. Treasurer reviewed the status of dues payments for the year.
  3. Board discussed the remaining funds on hand, and compared this with the anticipated expenses for the remainder of the year.  The treasurer pointed out that the fence replacement category was one that was always included in the budget, but could not be controlled by the board.  It depends entirely on when the respective homeowner decides to repair the fence that they share with the HOA along Picnic Point Rd.

Landscaping Committee:

  1. Due to the extreme drought conditions, our grass areas have not required routine mowings.
  2. The committee did have the landscaper remove a large butterfly bush from the detention pond area, and perform some maintenance on Tract 993.
  3. Landscaper also removed leaves from the entranceway of Division 1.

 

Architectural Control Committee

  1. New committee members were not present at this meeting.
  2. Vice President reported that a completed ACC application had been received from a homeowner in Division 2, requesting approval of the shingle that he selected for his new roof.  Board members reviewed and approved the application.  The vice-president will contact the homeowner and inform his that application has been approved.
  3. Vice president proposed that we start a file of ACC applications.  It was suggested that we allocate funds for a secondary back-up storage device, to be held by the president or vice-president.
  4. It was suggested that the ACCs be reviewed and re-written to remove some ambiguous terminology.

 

Arborist Committee

  1. A tree service was contracted to remove the hazardous trees noted by the arborist in the January. 2017 report, and has completed this contract.
  2. Committee members discussed the county’s reluctance to approve the removal of hazardous trees.  The county does not want the removal of “substantial” trees.  However, the larger a tree becomes, the more likely it is to suffer failure in its root structure and fail.
  3. Committee members noted that it was imperative to have a someone representing the HOA on site when the tree service is working, to insure that the proper trees are cut, and that cleanup takes place.
  4. The board discussed and agreed that the arborist committee should proceed with a new study, especially on tracts that may not have been reviewed in the January, 2016 report.

 

Secretary Report

  1. Secretary has been contacted, via email, by a couple of homeowners for copies of their ledger account, needed by the homeowner’s lender for the purpose of refinancing a home loan.
  2. The association is also contacted routinely by the escrow companies during the close on homes in the association that have sold.

 

Old Business

Location of October General Meeting

  1. Board members expresses some concern regarding the proposal to change the location of the general meeting (to the banquet room of a local restaurant), and the suggestion that the association purchase some food for this one meeting.
  2. Members did not want to give the impression that the board was being frivolous with the HOA funds.  Opinions varied on the exact effect that this might have on attendance.  The association had held its meeting at the proposed location for several years between 2002 and 2008.  After some debate, the board agreed to try it one more time.
  3. It was proposed that we cancel our reservation for Mukilteo City Hall for that same date.
  4. One member volunteered to coordinate the initial order at the restaurant.  Board members discussed what should be ordered.  Additional food can be ordered if necessary.

Post Cards Announcing General Meeting

  1. Original postcard was updated to include the address of the restaurant.

Presentations at the General Meeting

  1. Board president is preparing a recap of accomplishments of the HOA in 2017.  Members discussed additional subjects that should be included.

Banking Options

  1. At the August meeting, it was proposed that we should look into other options for paying our annual dues.  One member contacted our bank, and found that, in order to allow for direct deposit, each member would need to be supplied with the HOA routing number (account number).  However, even with  direct deposit, someone would have to manually track the deposits.  This is not a service provided by the bank.
  2. Another company offered a service via a “virtual terminal” that would give the HOA the ability to process credit card payments.  However, this involved a capital outlay to purchase terminal equipment, and still required someone to obtain and enter the credit card numbers.  Board members did not feel comfortable with the involvement of personal credit cards, especially in this time of identity theft.  This service also did not track who had paid, nor did it have any way to calculate late fees and interest on delinquent payments.
  3. Most homeowners currently mail personal checks or send payment via the bill payer service associated with their online banking service.  Like the other two options, this requires manual tracking of each payment.
  4. It was agreed that the HOA would continue to look at all options.  If something superior to our current system is found, we can certainly look at it.

Review of Action Items

  1. The arborist committee is going to contact an arborist and start the process of getting a new study that will include HOA tracts not covered by the January, 2016 report.
  2. The vice-president is going to place the initial order for refreshments at the general meeting.
  3. The treasurer is going to have the general meeting postcards printed, labeled and mailed.
  4. One member is going to cancel the October meeting date at Mukilteo City Hall and schedule a November meeting at the same location, for either November 8 or 15.

 

Next meeting:  October 18, 2017

Meeting Adjourned at 8:00 p.m.