The Board of Directors met Monday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. in the ballroom. The following are notes from that meeting:
Members present: Steve Seel, Lisa Onyx, Jim Anderson, Dan Buescher, Linda DiPalma, Chuck Heitbrink, and Manager Layne Varney. Dirk Close was excused.
The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. by President Steve Seel. There were 33 residents in attendance.
The board reviewed the Minutes for the May 24, 2021, Executive Session and the Sept. 27, 2021, Business Meeting. A motion by Lisa to approve the Minutes, seconded by Jim. Approved 6/0
The Treasurer’s Report was given by Jim. He advised the board that year-to-date cash was $1,461,606, and the Contingency Fund was $268,307. The current balance in the Reserve Fund was $801,823. Revenues continue to exceed expenses due to greater-than-planned home sales and increased sales in the restaurant.
The Manager’s Report was presented by Layne.
Road Work
Most of the work is complete, and the cracks have been sealed and seal coating applied. Painting of the parking areas and stop bars is nearly complete. Unit 6B will have a slurry seal application applied on Nov. 15.
Administration
One home has had a lien recorded for past-due fees. Seven homes are currently 30 days past due, with a delinquency rate of less than one-half percent.
In September 10 homes were sold, bringing the total year-to-date to 124, exceeding the projection of 110 homes sold for the year.
A new residential development, “Magnolia,” with 93 lots, is proposed north of the Riggs/Cooper intersection.
Horizon Room
Joe Turley has been hired as the restaurant manager. He has over 30 years’ experience as a chef and brings lots of new ideas and will be focusing on training and consistency. A pastry chef has been hired to add new, fresh pastries and desserts to the menu.
Thanksgiving dinner will be available in the Horizon Room only. To-Go Family Meals will not be available due to a turkey shortage.
Clubhouse
The stair handrails of the upper south clubhouse leading to the swimming pool are under construction, replacing the old railing, making them ADA compliant.
The barbeque area is being updated. Thank you to Marybeth and Larry Kosiba of SunBird’s Pottery and Ceramic Club for creating the custom tiles to be inserted on the walls of the barbecue area.
Landscape Common Area
The Common Area landscape tree and palm tree trimming has been completed. The lights and irrigation replacement project is progressing much slower than anticipated.
Activities
Plans for the Halloween Party and Dance, Veterans Day, and SunBird’s first Musical Festival on Nov. 20 are underway. Layne encouraged the residents to attend the tribute bands so we can continue to offer this quality entertainment.
Patrol
Two residents were caught moving the cones during the road construction. They will be billed for the cost of repeating the work.
The Kerby Farms gate has a new control board installed.
Several service vehicles have broken the barrier arms, and the arms have been replaced. The current supply of barrier arms is in short supply.
Committee Reports:
• The Architectural Control Committee reported that a third new color for residents’ doors was being developed.
• The Project Review Committee met to establish a budget for the next five years. The railings on the clubhouse stairs to the pool are being updated.
• The Finance Committee reviewed the financials and made slight changes to a couple of line items for the 2022 Budget. These changes did not affect the overall budget.
• The Rules Committee met and reviewed a signage request for the pool. It was decided that no action was necessary.
• The Welcoming and Market Committee held a meeting for working residents; however, no one attended. The committee will review the need for further meetings with this group of residents. New Resident Breakfasts and Dinners will begin next month.
• The HOA and Golf Committee met with members of each board over the summer and plan to continue to work together. Currently, the funds collected from new home sales since May 1 is approximately $15,000.
The Finance Committee recommended that the Special Projects Fund and the Capital Improvement Funds be combined, beginning in 2022. There was no board or homeowners discussion. This change would revise Policy #8, and the change in the policy was distributed. Jim made a motion to combine the two funds beginning in 2022. Lisa seconded. Motion approved 6/0
The committee recommended that the current primary banking accounts be switched from Alliance to CIT. This has been reviewed for several months, and CIT is being used by most HOAs. The change would provide better interest rates and the opportunity to process electronic payments for resident dues. There was no board or homeowners discussion. Jim made a motion to switch our banking accounts to CTI, Steve seconded. Motion approved 6/0
The committee recommended approval of the 2022 Budget. Minor line item changes were made in the final version; however, the totals were not affected. Jim made a motion to switch our banking accounts to CTI, Steve seconded. There was no board discussion. During homeowners discussion, the restaurant sales and Employee Retained Earnings Credit were questioned, and Jim answered the questions. Jim made a motion to approve the 2022 Budget, Linda seconded. Motion approved 6/0
The committee recommended Carollynn Hanson be added as a new member. Jim made the motion to approve Carollynn to the committee. Steve seconded. There was no board discussion. Carollynn gave a brief statement. Motion approved 6/0
The Project Review Committee recommended a new sign be added at the Cooper/Hunt Highway intersection to match the other new signs. Cost of the sign is estimated to be $2,350. Dan made the motion to add the new sign, Lisa seconded. The board indicated there have been several favorable comments about the other signs. Motion approved 6/0
The Rules Committee recommended that the rules concerning political signs be amended to be in alignment with Arizona Senate Bill 1722, which became effective on Sept. 29, 2021. The committee detailed the Senate Bill and the proposed changes to the Rules and ACC Booklet. Linda made the motion to make the recommended changes to the Rules and ACC Booklet, Lisa seconded. Considerable discussion concerning signage and sign location. Motion approved 6/0. The committee was advised to report back to the board concerning sign location and size not described in the Senate Bill.
The board had a discussion on changing the CC&Rs concerning voting and the amount of yes votes necessary to implement a change in the CC&Rs. Members of the board had several opinions on the matter, and the matter will require further discussion. Layne will research the difference between a Consent Vote and a Vote and report back to the board, along with the turnout results of past elections. It was noted that board member elections are only required to have 10% of the lot owners participate. Homeowners were given the opportunity to make comments. Several made comments in favor of maintaining the current rule, and others were in favor of changing the rule to a simple majority rule of the votes cast.
The homeowners on the Coral Gable cul-de-sac requested approval of once again placing a Christmas tree in the cul-de-sac. Safety precautions would be taken, like last year. Motion for the variance to allow the decoration was made by Steve, seconded. No board or homeowner discussion, and motion approved 6/0.
Layne reviewed the comment sheets. Several of these have been acted upon or require no further action. Those comments that require further action will be reviewed.
Steve updated the board on the Annual Meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 1. This meeting will cover items that occurred in 2020. The meeting was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Our next Regular Board Meeting will be on Nov. 22.
With no further business, President Steve Seel adjourned the meeting at 11:27 a.m.
The next Board of Directors Business Meeting will be Monday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. in the ballroom.