Because Scott Elliff has met with us and relayed our concerns to the other members of the board and because he has asked me to I'm posting here his remarks without comment:
Forest Lakes Advocates for Change
Forest Lakes Advocates for Change or FLAC is a group of
homeowners who have joined together to provide an alternate forum
for homeowner issues, as the Community Newsletter is a publication
of the Board of Directors and does not allow for other homeowner
viewpoints.
Our mission is to promote fair and appropriate assessments,
operating policies, and election oversight and to help make the
community's voices heard by the Board of Directors.
The 199% increase in dues has been hard on many of our fellow
residents, particularly seniors who constitute a sizeable
percentage of owners (most noticeably in the townhomes).
Many FLAC members support our swim and fitness facilities
because they are important to the Forest Lakes lifestyle. They
recognize that everyone's assessments will include support for the
recreational facilities because: 1) these facilities contribute to
everyone's property values, and 2) we're playing catch-up with
replacement reserves for capital repairs (because the former club
assets were transferred by the developer to the Association without
any such reserves).
FLAC also supports fees for the swim and fitness facilities
because those owners who actually use them get a greater benefit
than those who don't. The implementation of user fees would be
similar to the "club" structure that was in place prior to 2006 and
would allow that base assessment to all owners to be reduced. As a
matter of equity and compassion for those who do not have the
ability to pay the higher assessments, FLAC thinks this is the
right thing to do.
The following is the work of a Forest Lakes resident
and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the webmaster or
other FLAC members:
Forest Lakes Swim and Tennis Club
HISTORY AND FUNDING
Two years ago the developer of the Forest Lakes community gave
the Forest Lakes Swim and Tennis Club to the homeowners of Forest
Lakes. The homeowners of Forest Lakes are members of the Forest
Lakes Community Association (FLCA). The developer deeded the Swim
and Tennis Club property to FLCA. A few months after accepting the
Club property the elected directors of FLCA changed the dues
structure of the Club.
Before the transfer of ownership in 2004, the Developer had
owned and operated the Forest Lakes Swim and Tennis Club
independently of FLCA for the sixteen years of Forest Lakes
existence. During that time, members of the Club paid dues to the
developer. Members of the Club had the use of swimming pools,
tennis courts and exercise machines. All residents of Forest Lakes
were eligible to be members of the Club, but not all residents
chose to be members. Unlike in Dunlora and some other incorporated
communities, purchase of a home in Forest Lakes did not obligate
the purchaser to support an athletic club.
Community Group is a management company that specializes in the
management of homeowners associations. In 2005 the Directors of
FLCA engaged Community Group to manage the affairs of FLCA. The
services provided by Community Group to FLCA include management and
administration of the athletic facilities that were formerly part
of the Forest Lakes Swim and Tennis Club. Those facilities are now
referred to simply as the Club. Financial records now available
from Community Group and the Directors of FLCA do not have enough
detail to separate Club expenses from the general expenses of FLCA.
Based on the administrative costs paid by the Developer when the
developer owned the Club and on the money budgeted by FLCA for
salaries and management this year, an estimate can be made that
about 55% of the money paid to Community Group will go to the
management and administration of the Club.
In November of 2005 the Directors of FLCA announced that they
needed more revenue. Earlier in the year they had commissioned a
new Replacement Reserve Study that considered long term costs of
maintaining FLCA faciliies. Based in part on the results of that
study, the Directors concluded that the members of the Club could
not afford to support the Club without financial asistance from the
general funds of FLCA. Faced with the need for more revenue they
chose to drop the distinction between Club members and non-members,
and to assess all homeowners in Forest Lakes as though they were
Club members.
Many homeowners of Forest Lakes feel that the Directors are
wrong in this. The Directors position is that existence of the Club
enhances property values in Forest Lakes; therefore all residents
of Forest Lakes should have free access to Club facilities. The
position of many homeowners is that Club membership should be an
option available to Forest Lakes residents. With the optional
arrangement advocated by many homeowners, those residents who
choose to use Club facilities would pay reasonable Club dues that
would go to pay an equitable portion of the Club expenses, and all
homeowners would pay a uniformly assessed annual fee that would go
into the general funds of FLCA.
Robert Laughlin
May 30, 2006
Comment: In the future all proxies should be witnessed.
