2021 Budget and Assessments
A primary consideration for this assessment increase is the incremental increase to common area maintenance costs, such as sprinkler and landscaping which has been affected by the hot dry summer. The 2021 budget also includes an increased monthly contribution to the HOA's reserve account, which will be used to fund longer term projects such as new tree plantings or monument renovations.
For the past several years, increasing water rates have had a major impact on the budget. In 2021we expect the water bills to increase by 3%.
Setting up Automated Assessment Payments
Currently, 60% of property owners are using automated payments. Automated payments save homeowners the cost of a stamp and provide added convenience.
Our website page for financial information has been updated with instructions and a form to setup automated payments:
Click here for instructions and form for automated assessment payments
Reminder
FYI
The city also has an ordinance that all election posters and signs be removed within 3 days of the election. Please remove all signs from the recent election.
Longer-term Planning for Common Areas
- The irrigation systems in the monuments and greenbelts require frequent repairs. Some of the systems will require replacing in 2021.
- Over the past several years, many trees which were planted 30 years ago have died. This summer has been brutal for the trees. Other trees have become overgrown, whereby their roots cause damage to sidewalks or common area walls, or the large canopy causes a nuisance to adjacent homeowners.
- Remove dead, dying or overcrowded trees - This past year, we lost several trees to drought and heat and insect infestation. Several other dead trees are pending removal. Moving forward, the board is considering a more regular and proactive program to periodically remove and replace old or overgrown trees.
- Planting new trees - In the future, the focus will be on drought tolerant trees which don't require significant maintenance (trimming). To this end, we recently planted 6 new trees in the large greenbelt; more tree plantings are under consideration.
- Water conservation - Expecting future water rate increases, the board will continue to focus on water conservation. The goal is to water the grass just enough for it to look presentable. However, we don't water the grass to the point point we get diminishing returns for increased watering.
- Monument renovations - A number of options have been under consideration to improve the monuments' appearance. A short-term option is to simply add new plants to the monuments; this will add color and fill in gaps where other plants have died. The board has also considered alternatives such as architectural improvements or new lighting.
Trash Container CC&R Violations
Our CC&R's state that trash receptacles should be on the street for the "shortest time reasonable" for collection. For practical purposes, the board has provided guidance to our community management company to enforce the CC&Rs as follows:
Trash and recycling bins - these should be placed on the street no earlier than the night before pickup and removed from the street the same day/evening after pickup.
The rationale for the above is to try and limit the visibility of trash containers to 2 days (Tuesday and Friday). Without enforcing the CC&Rs this way, there is the potential for trash containers to be visible up to 6 days per week; in other words, there could be containers visible on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for Tuesday pick-up and Thursday, Friday and Saturday for Friday pick-up. The board appreciates these guidelines are somewhat stringent, but has erred on the side of keeping up the overall appearance of our neighborhood.