Is the Horizon Room the only amenity that actually costs the HOA?
That is 100% fiction. Yes, the entire Food and Beverage amenity costs is the third least costly amenity, coming in at $4.33 per month/$51.93 per household per year, based on 2018 financial audit statements. Of course, this varies year to year depending on usage and activities. So far this year (2019), we have started off at a lesser cost per household. It is our intention to keep the customer base up and the cost per household down.
I will say, when compared to our lowest-costing amenities, the Post Office, at $35,411, or $1.81 per month per household per year, and the social activities at $47,375, or $2.42 per month, we are getting a lot for our buck! Or should I say for our just over $50 bucks? Especially when you take into consideration that the Horizon Room is the hub of the HOA’s social calendar. What other restaurant offers breakfast and lunch, plus dinner twice a week AND horseraces, corn toss, Wii bowling, DJs, dancing, karaoke and much more?
The truth is that the Horizon Room is the only SunBird HOA amenity that has any type of committee/task force oversight other than the eagle eyes of the HOA Finance Committee. The Food and Beverage Department has had a “committee/task force” in place for several years. This year, the HOA Treasurer is “revamping” the task force, creating a new purpose based on this year’s Board of Director goals.
Another truth is the fact that the Horizon Room is one of two amenities that can actually bring in any revenue to help support itself. Yes, it costs money every year, just like all our amenities; however, there are sales and services that can help offset that cost. The other revenue-generating amenity is our “Activities” department (dances, concerts, bus trips, etc.).
For instance, The SunBird Post Office has several employees, sales goods and services with very little revenue to SunBird at all. However, we all gain by having this amenity just as do with the pool, clubhouse activity rooms, etc.
Come to our Board Business meetings every fourth Monday at 10:00 a.m., and you will never question if it’s fact or fiction again!
Below you will find a list of our most-used amenities and their costs (based on year-end 2018). Now you know the facts!
Post Office – $35,411 or $21.71 per household per year
Activities (dances, movies, sports, DJ, concerts) $47,375 or $29.05 per household per year
Swimming Pools – $75,269 or $46.15 per household per year
Food and Beverage – $84,692 or $51.93 per household per year
Of course, we have other expenses, like maintenance for clubhouse, landscape, roads, sport courts and pools. We will save that for another “Fact or Fiction?” article.
“Fact or Fiction?” will be a new monthly article established to help to enlighten and educate our community about the many amenities and other financial operations of the SunBird community.