A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Williamsburg Settlement Maintenance Association, Inc. was held on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. at the Williamsburg Settlement clubhouse, 1602 Hoyt, Katy, Texas 77449.
ATTENDANCE
Board Members present were Floyd Ball, Michael Wood, Martin Spears, Walt Smith and Dave Ellis. Also in attendance were Dolores Sue representing Planned Community Management, Inc. (PCMI) and Officer Paul Wilburn.
With a quorum being established, the meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m.
MINUTES
The minutes of the July 15, 2014 Board meeting were reviewed. A motion to accept the minutes as written was made by Walt Smith, seconded by Michael Wood and unanimously approved.
HOMEOWNER CONCERNS
There were three (3) homeowners present.
One homeowner expressed her concern over the current pool contractor and requested the Board change pool contractors for the 2015 swim season. She alleged that the guards are continually playing with each other and their friends and the quality of water has not always been up to standard.
One resident requested that the Board check the water usage at the recreational center. She cited one instance in which the guards forgot to turn off the backwash which caused the pool water level to get very low. Then the refill was left on overnight and over corrected the situation causing considerable water wastage as it overflowed into the sewer. She and other residents present also reported that sometimes when they call the posted H-Rec number they are sent to voice mail and the calls are not returned. Floyd Ball told the residents that the Board is aware of these and similar problems.
A letter has been received from a homeowner concerned about vehicles speeding through the neighborhood using the streets as a short cut to bypass traffic signals. This is not against the law as our streets are public, but this resident has collected some specific information which he would like to share with law enforcement. Martin Spears will discuss this with our security patrol coordinator and will respond to this homeowner.
PATROL SERVICE REPORT
Martin Spears told the meeting that once again it has been another quiet month within the subdivision, thankfully with no burglaries to report.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Dave Ellis presented the financials. As of July 31, 2014 the money in the bank totaled $744,040.96. This includes checking, savings accounts and CD’s and is the money to cover both operating expenses and the necessary reserve to fund maintenance and replacement of the Association’s capital assets. Delinquency for the month ending July 31, 2014 was $13,761. As of August 15, 2014 this had been reduced to $12,855.
OLD BUSINESS
Perimeter Fence - Floyd Ball informed the meeting that the inspection of the perimeter fence has been completed. The committee was reviewing the fence condition primarily to locate damaged or missing pickets. There are one or two dozen that will be replaced as soon as the weather gets a little cooler.
He reported that one issue that was noted during the inspection is that many large bushes have been planted along the section of the perimeter fence bordering the senior apartments on the west side of the subdivision. As these grow they will make it difficult to maintain this section of the fence.
Floyd explained that the committee is trying to maximize the life of the perimeter fence which has already survived more than the fifteen years that was predicted. He reminded owners whose homes border the perimeter fence and who have easement agreements with the Association that they may use the forms on the Perimeter Fence page of our web site to report issues needing repair and to request materials from the Association if they are prepared to provide the labor to repair or rebuild portions of the fence bordering their property. Having these homeowners contribute the labor would greatly assist the Association in minimizing cost and keeping our maintenance assessment rate as reasonable as possible.
A Board Member made a motion to have Floyd Ball inform the Association attorney that it is considering various options to reduce or eliminate the expense of maintaining certain areas of the perimeter fence that do not face public roads and to request a legal opinion on making any such change. Two major sections for such consideration are those bordering the senior apartments and the children's school to which we no longer have access without asking permission. The motion was seconded and passed with a vote three for and two opposed.
At this time the Board introduced Randall Hon and Lowell Fears. These two gentlemen are with a firm called Poly Picket. Their product is a fence picket that is made with polypropylene as an alternative to the conventional Cedar picket. These pickets can be mounted on conventional wood, or galvanized metal, posts and rails and have a lifetime limited warranty. Based on the presentation, the product does not mildew; will not succumb to water stains; the weed eater will not damage it and there will be no knot holes.
The cost is $33.00 per foot which includes frame and installation for a six foot fence, for a seven foot fence it is $35.00 per foot and eight feet would be $37.00 per foot. They do not need nor recommend rot boards with these pickets. Individual pickets are sold at $6.00 each.
The Board will be evaluating this product and thanked the gentleman for attending the meeting.
Clubhouse Repairs - Martin Spears will have a report in time for the September budget meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
Mosquito Spraying - The Board has received a few complaints that the mosquitos are extremely bad again this year. The subdivision is currently being fogged once each week at a cost of $70.35 per trip. A motion to add an additional weekly fogging trip was made by Martin Spears, seconded by Walt Smith and the vote carried 3 for and 2 opposed.
National Night Out – October 7, 2014 – Hours 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Michael Wood reported that the committee overseeing this function has received commitments from over fifty vendors who have donated various items for the event. The Fire Department, the Sheriff’s department and the Katy ISD will also be attending. There will be free hot dogs, chips and water. There will also be two inflatables and a Blue Grass band. To pick people up from their home and take them to recreational center as the parking lot will be closed off there will be a hay wagon ride starting at 5:00 p.m. Martin Spears suggested the Board Members have name tags and the remaining Board members felt that this was a good idea. A motion to have a $1,500.00 budget for this community event was made by Walt Smith, seconded by Michael Wood and unanimously approved.
Electrical Contract Renewal - Dave Ellis reported that the contract for the current electrical service expires September 26, 2014. He presented some current quotes from electrical providers explaining that they are more competitive at the moment due to the low price of natural gas. A motion was made by Dave Ellis that he be given authorization to commit the Association to a three-year contract with the company that has the most competitive pricing around the end of August, the contract to be effective at the expiration of our present service. This motion was seconded by Walt Smith and unanimously approved.
Budget Meeting September 16, 2014 - The 2015 Budget meeting will held September 16, 2014 at the offices of PCMI, (15995 North Barkers Landing, Suite 162 Houston, Texas 77079). Homeowners are welcome to attend this meeting at which the budget and the maintenance assessment for 2015 will be established.
Floyd Ball reminded those present that our maintenance assessment was set at $360 per year in 1977 and there is a formula in our governing documents which establishes the maximum to which it can grow each year. This growth is tied to an annual CPI index. In 2013, the last date at which the CPI data is available, the assessment rate could have been $1,231.00. We are fortunate in having been able to keep our assessment well below that permitted, being held at just $700.00 since 2011. Floyd Ball made a motion that for the year 2015 the assessment rate will be no less than $700.00 and no greater than $1,231.00. The motion was seconded by Walt Smith and unanimously approved.
Proposal for Christopher Wren Entrance - Dave Ellis presented a proposal from the current landscape contractor, Texas Lawn Care, to prepare the ground and install sod at the Christopher Wren Entrance for a total cost of $804.38. The owner of 22419 Bucktrout has agreed to water this new sod. A motion to accept this proposal was made by Dave Ellis, seconded by Walt Smith and unanimously approved.
ADJOURNMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 7:05 p.m. the meeting was adjourned to executive session
Decision Made During Executive Session:
Deed Restriction Violations - The Board reviewed all deed restriction violations. There were several accounts which have been sent the final demand letters for violations. It was unanimously agreed that the Board will send them one more letter (or visit them) to attempt to have them comply with the restrictions to avoid the next step of being sent to the Association attorney for legal action - an expensive process billed back to the homeowner.
Delinquencies - Delinquencies were reviewed. Liens are being filed by the Association Attorney on certain delinquent accounts. The board strongly encourages those with outstanding balances to contact PCMI and/or the Association Attorney and pay those outstanding balances. Legal expenses can increase the amount due by multiple times the original fee.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. The next meeting will be September 16, 2014 at the offices of PCMI (15995 North Barkers Landing, Suite 162 Houston, Texas 77079) starting at 5:30 pm.
