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Meetings

April 2018 Board Meeting

Date:  April 18, 2018

Location:  Mukilteo City Hall

 

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. by the board president.  The agenda for the meeting was distributed, reviewed, and approved by the board.   The minutes from the February 7th meeting were sent to all members shortly after that meeting.  Some minor additions had been recommended.  The secretary had updated the minutes.  The updated minutes were approved by the board.

Member Forum:  No homeowners elected to speak.

Reports:

Treasurer’s Report

  • The treasurer distributed copies of the March bank statement, the April treasurer’s report, and the 2018 budget comparison.
  • A member-at-large verified that the balances in the report matched the register balances for the checking and savings account.
  • The treasurer mentioned that the balances did not include payments that would need to be made for the purchase of the recorder by the secretary, a landscaping invoice for mowing done in March and April, and for the cost of the 2018 arborist review.
  • The treasurer reviewed the dues payments received in 2018.  Dues notices were sent out in January, with an April 30th payment date.  The treasurer asked for permission to send out “reminder” notices to homeowners who have yet to pay their 2018 dues.  The expense was reviewed by the board and approved.
  • The treasurer opened the floor for any suggestions that might increase compliance with dues payments.

Landscaping Committee Report:

  • A new landscaping company has been hired to mow the HOA property.
  • The HOA will continue to use our original landscaper for maintenance to the entryways, the stairs on Tract 995 and the detention pond.

Architectural Control Committee Report:

  • A homeowner email the HOA about installing artificial turf in their front yard.  This is to be discussed in the New Business section (see below) of this meeting.
  • The board president asked if there should be changes to our fence policy.  Currently, homeowners need to get 3 bids from HOA approved companies in order to have the association pay for 1/2 of the replacement cost on a fence that borders Picnic Point Rd.  The president mentioned that some of the companies on the list are not responsive and he asked if the list should be updated to include other companies.
  • Board members pointed out that getting multiple bids is best for both the HOA and the homeowners due to the large difference in bid prices.  The policy will be examined again in the future to include additional companies.

Arborist Committee Report:

  • The committee met with an independent arborist recommended by our tree service and obtained an estimate for the review of three tracts not covered in the 2015 and 2016 reports.  The estimate was distributed to all board members earlier this month.  The contract was approved and returned to the arborist.
  • The arborist is scheduling the job in May and we should have the report before the next meeting in June.
  • Once the report is completed,  the committee will contact Snohomish County PDS in order to obtain approval for cutting any trees that are deemed dead, diseased, or hazardous.

Secretary’s Report:

  • Our current secretary announced that she and her family will be moving and that this would be her final meeting.
  • The vice-president reported that homeowners have complained that their emails are allowed to sit for too long without being addressed by the board.
  • She asked for suggestions from the board on how the HOA can better handle our correspondence.  Individual board members were asked to respond to the vice-president with any suggestions on how to streamline the process.

Old Business:

  • 2017 Federal Taxes – The vice-president and the treasurer reported that they met with the HOA tax service on February 22nd.  After that meeting, the taxes were filed by mail.  The treasurer reported that the prep work for the meeting is fairly easy as long as the budget comparison form is up-to-date.  It was also pointed out that the tax form needs to be signed by an officer of the HOA.
  • 2018 Website Renewal – The administrator for the REHOA website contact the company that hosts our site and the HOA paid for the costs for hosting our site in 2018, the .com domain renewal, and a private domain registration renewal.  This third item keeps our email address private and keeps us from drowning in Spam.  Overall, the cost for services did increase by $23.00 this year.

New Business:

Fencing between homes

  • A homeowner emailed the HOA on 3/26 asking about installing a 6 ft. privacy fence between his home and that of a neighbor.  However, he did not include any maps nor any maps showing which side of his property the intended fence was to be located.
  • There was a concern that this could be a request for a front yard fence.  Current Architectural Controls only allow for a 4 ft. front yard fence.
  • The board president will contact the homeowner for clarification.

Hazardous trees along Picnic Point Rd:

  • A homeowner emailed the board about problematic trees on HOA property that line Picnic Point Road.  The pictures of the property show an alder that is leaning over the fence and an evergreen.
  • The board  asked if the homeowner wanted the HOA to trim the trees or if they are asking for permission to have them trimmed.
  • A discussion followed  on how this will impact future requests.

Artificial grass request:

  • The board discussed whether or not the HOA should approve a homeowners request to install artificial turf in a front yard.  The ACC does not currently prohibit artificial turf.
  • The ACC reviewed the request and denied permission based on the based on the fact that this does not match the current look in the neighborhood.
  • A motion was made and approved by all present to update the current ACCs to prohibit artificial grass, trees, shrubs, or flowers.

PPPC Request:

  • The Picnic Point Preservation Committee has asked homeowners to email their county representatives and the Snohomish County PDS with their concerns about drainage from new developments proposed on the adjacent hills.

HOA Backup drive:

  • The vice-president reported that the HOA now has a backup drive.
  • A schedule to allow for updating of the drive will be established involving the president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary so that all documents are routinely backed-up.
  • It was recommended that a new primary drive be purchased for the board president.

Review of Action Items:

  • All board members are asked to review the ACC for any changes that need to be made.
  • The treasurer will send out reminder letter for any homeowners with outstanding dues.
  • The Arborist committee will contact a tree service regarding bids.
  • The vice-president will follow up with the homeowner regarding the tree email.
  • The president will follow up with the homeowner regarding the fence email.

Next Meeting: 

  • The next meeting is scheduled for June 20, 2018 and the following meeting is set to August 15th.
  • Both will start at 7:00 p.m.
  • Both will be at the Mukilteo City Hall.

Adjourn:

  • The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.