A PLACE TO BE
Saturday, February 25, 2012
BULLETIN: condo fees raised 9% and Board says future infrastructure assessments are coming
At February’s meeting three choices were brought to the table due to last year’s $221,000 budget deficit. A 6% across the board spending cut. Raise fees $5 per month plus a 4% across the board spending cut. Raise fees $20 per month to cover the total deficit with $25,000 to spare while cutting nothing.
The Board gave their old worn out talking points like “everybody knows that prices are going up” and “people up the street pay twice as much”. One director even said it's not intelligent to think cutting 6% is the answer to this problem. That made me to wonder as to who made it a choice in the first place?
Those present unanimously approved the third choice that provided them more than needed without addressing a dime in cuts. Sound familiar? The good news is this measure can still be amended so here are three suggestions.
Since it was said the $25,000 overage and the upcoming CPL savings were not in the 2012 budget, earmark these to specifically pay towards the refurbishing of our roads, sewers, and canals. This should greatly reduce or even eliminate future infrastructure assessments. Pass a motion that there will be NO employee salary increases (including this year’s $70,000 one) until Aramark manages the amenities to a near zero deficit. Lastly, recoup all Rental Office losses from those owners who chooses not to abide by the very explicit rental rules found in the Declaration and bylaws.
Does this make sense?
5 comments:
and you think pencil patti can handle these financial decisions and discrepincies !!!!! I don't think so
One thing our board has in common is the use of alcohol.
Our VP announced at a meeting earlier that he was flooded with shots while riding in his golf cart in the parade.
Bragging rites.
Patti's a nice girl but I hope her actions can match her mouth as she had a lot to say about the old financial secretary witch Stephensen...
Thank you Joey for this blog. We got rid of the evil empire then "our team" started the "Village Voice" to vindicate their decisions.
We need to vote down the attempt to give the board more power. It should be hard to forclose on someone in our Village.
I normally don’t comment but I feel I have to in this case. Mary Steffensen was allowed to choose to side with Burke and company. It was her right the same as mine not to side with their views. To my knowledge she has never been demeaning and seems to treat people with respect. Mary Steffensen doesn't deserve to be called a witch. In my opinion she has worked as hard as any director I’ve seen and those efforts didn’t slow down when having to care for her late husband. I feel she deserves to be remembered that way.
Actually the Board will not receive additional power by dumping Chapter 81 of the Condominium Act and using only Chapter 82 because under our Declaration we are currently using both Chapters. What our Village will gain is to eliminate the gray areas prone for litigation found in Chapter 81, so actually the Board has less power but the Village won’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars arguing in court due to a poorly written Chapter 81.
Mary has worked very hard to provide LIV with the best information she could abtain. She should be reconized as a very good reporter. She could only give us what she was given.
It sure sounds easy to be an arm chair quarterback sitting around in boxer shorts telling everyone how things should be done. Personally, I want to thank these volunteers (the BOD) for taking on this enormous responsibility of trying to run our village amongst all the ugly criticism. Some one in an earlier comment said there should be a "Financial Committee". If that person were informed, they would know...There is a Financial Committee....made up of home owners just like you & me. These "volunteers" were given the difficult task of using the financial data available along with the list of things that need immediate attention & then figure out how we should go about fixing or replacing these things. They in turn gave their findings to the BOD with suggestions and options. Like I said before, it's easy to tell someone what they should be doing when you don't have all the facts. So...Thank You BOD for weighing all of the information available & making a really difficult decision. Right or Wrong, I applaud your courage to do it! If you don't like the BOD decisions…maybe you should run for the Board.
Everyone one is entitled to an opinion and Joey, it's really nice that you have done some homework & at least you have some constructive suggestions. Maybe you should get on the finance committee.
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