THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

REGULAR MEETING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

At THE GULF BEACH BAPTIST CHURCH

MINUTES

In attendance were board members Gus Martell, Jerry Hall, Ray Lake, Bob Henry, Bob Gilbert, and board treasurer, George McNitt.  Several other homeowners were in attendance at the meeting.

The meeting was called to order by Gus Martell at 6:28 P.M.

·        President Martell adjusted the agenda so that board attorney, Bill Henry, could address the board first thing.  This accommodation was given because he had a pressing engagement that required he was done in half an hour.

·        The first topic addressed was the reserve fund for the association.  Bill pointed out that once a reserve fund has been established it must be maintained until voted by the association to be eliminated.  The purpose of the fund is to cover the cost of capital replacement and should be built to cover cost over the life expectancy of the property.  This association at present has value of $70,000 in renovations with a 25 year life expectancy.  Bill’s advice was for the association to put something into the account every year to meet its obligation.

·        The second topic discussed by the attorney was the revising of the bi-laws for the association.  Discussion focused on whether to amend the bi-laws or the covenants of the association.  Mr. Henry explained that covenants are designed to protect property value while bi-laws give direction and enforcement to the board.  Both are difficult to change, and he advised against trying to amend the covenants.  Covenant changes require a quorum of 2/3 of the voting members present at the meeting and then requires a 2/3 vote for the changes to be successfully adopted.  He also pointed out that if the covenants are changed then Xerescape, a law that says associations must allow native vegetation for lawns, would go into effect. This would prevent the association from requiring well maintained lawns.  Bill recommended, instead, focusing on the bi-laws which are easier to amend needing only 30% of the voters in attendance, even though a 2/3 vote is still required for passage.  He had read some changes to the bi-laws that had been worked on by Gus Martell that he said looked very good and he promised that he would have his recommendations for changes to the association bi-laws by the November meeting.  His last recommendation to the board was to find some way to get people to vote.  This led to some discussion on how to get people to the meetings.  Suggestions included door prizes, and, or a partial rebate in assessment increases if the owner attended.  No definitive plan was adopted.

·        After attorney Henry was thanked for his input, President Martell asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the July 28 meeting.  Ray Lake made the motion and Bob Henry seconded.  The motion was passed.

·        President Martell then opened the floor for discussion about the impending bi-law changes, but no one spoke to the matter any further.

·        OLD BUSINESS:  President Martell discussed the making of the association news letter, giving an example of one printed for Edgewater resorts.  He found that it would cost $85 per page to have something similar, meaning an overall cost of $200-$300 to have printed.  Gus indicated he had enough information at present for one page front and back and asked if he should go ahead with the printing.  The cost prompted discussion about finding a less expensive alternative.  Ray Lake said he would talk to home owners that are realtors to see if they could do something with the news letter that would cost less.  It was agreed that Ray and Gus would talk later and see what options are available.

·        TREASURER’S REPORT:  Treasurer George McNitt reported that the balance for the association account was $30,335.39 with a carryover of $5,692.31 for a net balance of $24,643.08.  He commented that this year more was spent than was brought in but the carryover covered the excess.  George said the association should end the year with $5,000 left in the reserve fund.  Since a money market account the association has only earned $20.06, he suggested that it be closed and all the money be placed in checking.  The board will consider the request and vote on the matter at the next meeting.  Treasurer McNitt then commented on how well the association lawyer has done in collecting fees owed from delinquent owners due to foreclosures and bankruptcies and asked for a motion to have the lawyer continue pursuing fees from delinquent owners.  The motion was proposed by Ray Lake and seconded by Jerry Hall.  The motion carried.  George then asked for a motion to increase the assessments to $225 per year for each homeowner.  The motion was made by Jerry Hall and seconded by Ray Lake.  Again the motion was approved.

·        ENVIRONMENTAL:  Jerry Hall noted there was only one request from a homeowner and that was to remove some trees.  The request was approved.  He noted that some properties that are presently in foreclosure or bankruptcy have contracted people for upkeep of the properties.  This has improved their appearances. Also discussed was the issue of people in the neighborhood parking trailers on their properties for long periods of time.  135 Glades Turn has had a cargo trailer on property for some time and Jerry said he would try to contact the owners to see if they could get the trailer removed.  A problem of excessive yard debris laying along the side of the road for long periods was also discussed with the concern that some of the debris may not be coming from the homes but from lawn service waste.  Letters were given to people living near the piles to inform them that debris should be from the homes only and if they saw anyone abusing the privilege, they should report them to Jerry Hall.  The city was also contacted about the waste and they said they would be out to collect it on Friday.  Paul Casto was given as a person to contact if pick-up was needed from the city.

·        REPAIRS:  Ray Lake reported that a new light was installed at the Middle Beach entrance and was run over the next week.  He also noted that the lights at this entrance were on during daylight hours.  Installing a heavy duty photo cell to regulate the lights was tried.  It was noted that the R Jackson entrance may have the same issue to address.  The ongoing fence project has been on hold because the installer, Jack, had been injured and his truck was in for repairs.  Jack said it would be done by the following week.

·        NEW BUSINESS:  Treasurer McNitt reminded the board that nominations for the election of new board members for next year need to go out sometime in November.   Bio’s and resumes for nominees need to be turned into Jerry Hall by January 16, 2012.  Ballots and the President’s annual letter will need to be sent to homeowners before elections.  It was suggested that the impending bi-law changes and assessment increases be included in this mailing.  George also presented to the board an idea to hire a lady to decorate the entrances to the Glades housing sub-division.  He presented pictures of her work and explained her fees for the service.  He said initial outlay would be $975 for materials for the 3 entrances.  We would then store the decorations and each year she would charge $65 per hour to decorate the entrances replacing the ribbon and bows each year at an expense of $150.  George said enough money exists in the recreation account to handle the expense.  Ray Lake commented that it might look bad to increase assessment and then spend money for decorations.  He wanted to check our old decorations to see if any were good enough to use again this season and report his findings before approving the new proposal.  The board pre-approved the project contingent on two things.  The first thing would be Ray’s report on the condition of the old decorations and second, they want to see a sample of what the new decorations would look like.  It was noted that we have spent $600 over the past two years trying to keep up appearances and it is time to consider upgrading.

Respectfully submitted,

Bob Gilbert

Association Secretary