Draft Minutes of the Woodland Valley Ranch Board Meeting
St. Johns, Arizona
June 17, 2017
- Call to Order
Interim President Zolin Moses called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. A quorum of directors was present.
Directors in Attendance: Zolin Moses, Interim President; Gary Bowers, Treasurer; Jo Whitehouse, Secretary.
Zolin announced that former president Dean Rachwitz had recently sold his property and had consequently resigned from the board. Zolin gave a vote of thanks to Dean for his years of service and leadership of the WVR Board.
- Reading/Approval of the Minutes
Secretary Jo Whitehouse summarized the minutes of the March 4 meeting of the Woodland Valley Ranch Board. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the March 4 meeting. The motion passed.
- Financial Report
Treasurer Gary Bowers gave the Financial Report through May 31, 2017. He explained that the Board receives each month’s financial report from TRT around the 15th of the month for the preceding month. Therefore, the latest complete report we have is for May.
(a)Income
Primary Checking Account balance$127,658.54
Emergency Reserve Account balance$ 25,037.34
Combined Total$152,695.88
Three-year Income Comparison through May 31:
2017 $138,906.00
2016$145,456.00
2015$134,614.00
Income for 2017 is $6,550 less than 2016 which could be due to a combination of more owners choosing the two-pay plan for their dues, or not paying their dues at all.
Delinquent Accounts of $800 or More.
At the Board’s request, TRT implemented a three-month intensified collection program for unpaid dues. A letter requesting settlement was sent out in March, if there was no response then subsequent requests were sent out in April and again in May. The requests for compliance increase in intensity with each letter. At the end of April 2017, 44 parcels were in arrears ofmore than $800.
Expense
Two-year Expense Comparison
WVR Road Maintenance Expense2017$16,979.00
WVR Road Maintenance Expense2016$70,814.00
There are considerably less expenses in 2017 due to the long-term project this year being approximately one-third of the cost of the long-term project in 2016. Additionally, all three phases of the 2016-2017 grading portion of the contract were completed in November and December, 2016 instead of one of these phases being performed in January 2017 as budgeted. (See March 4, 2017 Board minutes for details.)
Total Expenses to date in 2017 $25,253.00
Total Expenses in 2016$77,338.00
(b)Current Cash Flow Balance through April, 2017
Primary Checking Account $127,658.54
Emergency Reserve Account$ 25,037.34
Combined Total of Both Accounts$152,695.88
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A motion was made and seconded to accept the Financial Report as presented. The motion passed.
- Discussion Topics
(a)WVR Road Maintenance Contract and Contractor
Zolin Moses began the discussion by recognizing the work done by Gary Bowers over the last many years. Gary is retiring from the board after six years and Zolin asked for a round of applause in thanks and appreciation for Gary’s years of service.
Zolin also recognized long-time property owner Don Cornwell who had recently passed away. Don will be greatly missed.
Due to an increased workload and several new business commitments, Heltzel and Sons have resigned as the road grading contractor and will be unable to complete the third and fourth quarter grading of Main Street, Holly Lane, and Anasazi Road as stipulated in the 2016-2017 contract. Zolin thanked John for his excellent work to date and said that he will still be available to work of individual property owners putting in new driveways and other work that they may have.
Zolin has met with a company who appears to be an excellent replacement and is working to secure a contract with them. This could result in a cost saving to WVR. This company put in 180 miles of road at the ranch back in 2000. He has projects in Kingman, Tucson and other parts of the state so is more than familiar with the types of soil and the nature of the work to be done.
Zolin asked the property owners present to advise the board of any issues they saw with the roads at the ranch and asked for their understanding as the new contractor familiarizes himself with the many changes the ranch has undergone over the past few years.
Concerning the well, the hose needs to be replaced and that will take place in the next few weeks. The hose will be longer and we need to find one that will remain flexible in the winter but will also be sturdier than the one already in place. Increasing the diameter to 1 ¼ inches will give us a better flow of water. Zolin advised making an adapter that screws onto your water tote which will allow it to be filled from the bottom and alleviates the need to hold the hose.
(b)Status of CC&R / Easement Violations
Jo Whitehouse reported that nine easement violations had been reported in the last year. Six had already been resolved, one landowner was due to clear his easement by the end of June, and tworemain outstanding and unresponsive to all notifications.
(c)Responsibilities and Activities of the New Board
Gary presented highlights from a document he had prepared for the new board. The transition from old board to new is always interestingand challenging, but 2017 is unusual as it is possible that the board could be made up of entirely new members which will make for a complex transition. This year we have nine candidates which is a record.
Zolin stated that Gary is an invaluable resource and Gary is willing to share his knowledge and expertise with the new Treasurer.
Highlights of the Responsibilities and Activities of the New Board
- The approved election procedure is for property owners to vote for a Board of Directors. When the election is done the board then elects the officers. This can be done immediately following the election or by email.
- Immediately after the election, Tucson Realty Trust (TRT) needs to be notified of the results so the Arizona Corporation Commission Report can be filed. This is supposed to be done in April, but we have been forgiven for not meeting the deadline because our election does not take place until June.
- There is always one main contact between Chris York, the WVR account rep at TRT and the Board. The Treasurer has been that contact.
- All payments made on behalf of WVR are made by Chris York. No individual WVR board member has access to any of the funds or the check books. Invoices are scanned and sent to Chris and she pays all the bills. Board members are included in all email correspondence.
- Board members are responsible for hiring the road maintenance contractor and should do so according to the Minimum Standards for WVR Road Maintenance Contract.
- Board members (in fact all WVR members) should be familiar with the website. However, as this is in a public domain not all documents are stored there. There will be an official handover of all hard copy documents following the election.
- Changes to the CC&Rs require two-thirds vote by the entire POA. However, for some of the articles under the By-Laws of the WVR POA, two-thirds approval isrequired only from those actuallyvoting, not two-thirds of all the landowners. For example, if 100 votes are received 67 would have to be in the affirmative in order for changes to be made to the By-Laws.
- The Board decides on which law firm WVR will use to advise on all things pertaining to HOA (or in our case POA) law.
- There are two means of communication with the entire POA each year. The State of the Ranch Letter at the end of the year and the Election Letter/Ballot sent out in early May. Both communications could optionally be made by email however many landowners have not shared their email address with TRT so to ensure everyone receives these important documents they are sent by USPS.
Zolin raised the possibility of introducing Term Limits for board service. Terms of five or six years may be appropriate as people often get tired and lose interest after several years on a board.
Zolin asked how many people at the meeting lived at least part-time on the ranch. There were fewer than a dozen. Zolin is getting a lock for the well box and will have about 50 keys for people who are regulars on the ranch.
Open Forum
One landowner said that they had been robbed twice in the last year and asked if there was anything that the board could do about it. Zolin informed them that the Board was unable to act on behalf of homeowners with respect to theft officially. It was up to each landowner to be responsible for protecting their belongings and it was suggested that purchasing a shipping container which can be locked up with a padlock that cannot be cut by bolt cutters may be advisable. Everyone was sympathetic and expressed concern for their fellow ranchers.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 am.
Respectfully submitted
Jo Whitehouse, Secretary
Following the results of the election the board members for the coming year were announced:
Art Fesler-Butts, Zolin Moses, Ed Sauer, Walt Vickers, Jo Whitehouse. Officers will be elected by the board members by electronic vote.
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Draft - June 17, 2017 Minutes of the Woodland Valley Ranch POA