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
- President: The board president was call away on business and was unable to attend this meeting. Therefore, there was no report this month.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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).
- Updating REHOA Documents – The vice-president reported that she had completed a stock letter for greeting new members of the HOA.
- 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.
- Audit – A review of the HOA accounts was completed by an outside agency. No inconsistances were found, and all funds were accounted for.
- Website updates – Webmaster is working to replace the current website. The existing site is outdated, and some features can no long be updated.
- 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
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 2020 Dues Notices – to be mailed out by Treasurer
- 2019 Federal Taxes – to be done by the Treasurer
- 2020 Website renewal – to be done by webmaster
- Mailbox (CBU) maintenance – to be contracted by landscaping committee
- 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.
- 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.