A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Williamsburg Settlement Maintenance Association, Inc. was held on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 5:30 P.M. at the Williamsburg Settlement clubhouse, 1602 Hoyt, Katy, Texas 77449.
ATTENDANCE
Board Members present were: Floyd Ball, Dave Ellis, Anitra Ondrush, Gail Owens, Martin Spears and Larry Crain.
Also in attendance were Gloria C. Black and Tracie Andrade representing Planned Community Management, Inc. (PCMI), and Sherriff Officer Felchak.
With a quorum being established, the meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m.
MINUTES
A motion to approve the minutes of the August 16, 2016 Board Meeting was made by Dave Ellis, seconded by Martin Spears and unanimously approved.
HOMEOWNER CONCERNS
There was one (1) homeowner present at the meeting but did not have any issues or concerns to bring before the Board.
SHERRIFF PATROL REPORT
Officer Felchak reported that several speeding tickets have been given. He did not have any information to offer on the home invasion.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Dave Ellis presented a detailed report on the August financials. As of August 31, 2016 the money in the bank totaled $520,722.19. This figure 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. The delinquency total as of August 31, 2016 was $18,094.01. This amount includes maintenance fees, accrued interest, the cost of force mows and legal fees.
OLD BUSINESS
Swim Team Request for Drilling Flag Support Holes in Pool Deck - Martin Spears reported that he was now satisfied that the May 18 proposal submitted by Bill Evans to drill the required pool deck holes is satisfactory. Martin therefore made a motion that the Board accept Bill’s proposal to complete this task for a price of $350. The motion was seconded by Dave Ellis and unanimously approved.
National Night Out - Anitra Ondrush reported that everything is ready for the October 4 National Night Out celebration. She would like assistance from the Board members in manning some of the stations that will be set up the night of the event. She asked if Board members could provide one to two coolers filled with ice. The Morton Ranch High School Booster Club will also be volunteering their time.
Clubhouse Landscaping and Gutter Replacement - Dave reported that the gutters were installed on September 19. A concern was raised about the water run-off from the two central drain spouts as to whether under heavy rain conditions this could wash away some of the mulch. Larry Crain took the action to have Texas Lawn Care channel this run-off appropriately while the landscaping along the front of the building is being replaced next week.
Other Old Business to come Before the Board - There was no other old business to be discussed at this time.
NEW BUSINESS
Decisions Taken by Email Vote Since the Last Meeting - Dave Ellis reported the email votes taken since the last meeting were as follows:
•
Approval of the 2017 Texas Lawn Care landscape contract for $27,908.24. This is the same price as we are paying in 2016.
•Approval of the 2017 A-Beautiful pool management contract for $39,976.16. The rates are the same as we are paying in 2016 but the total price is a little higher due to additional days that the pool will be open in 2017 to accommodate the changes in the 2017 KISD schedule.
•Approval of A-Beautiful’s replacement of a broken lifeguard footboard at a price of $788.87.
•Approval of A-Beautiful’s repair of a damaged lane rope and two replacement floats for a price of $175.10
•Approval of the renewal of the Security Contract for $100,464.00. This is the same price as we are paying in 2016.
•Approval of $175.00 to register the Association as a non-profit organization, a prerequisite for a possible future filing for 501(c)(4) status.
Perimeter Fence – Phase II Replacement – West Side - Larry Crain and Floyd Ball have inspected the West side perimeter fence and will be seeking proposals from contractors to replace those sections that are no longer viable. Larry and Floyd will also be visiting the commercial businesses that back up to the fence to determine if they would be prepared to share the cost of replacement.
Application for 501(c)(4) status - Dave Ellis asked if the Association is prepared seek registration as a 501(c)(4) non-profit entity. Application for registration would cost the Association in the order of $4,500, but if successful would exempt us from all future sales taxes. A motion to proceed with this application was made by Larry Crain, seconded by Anitra Ondrush and unanimously approved.
Proposed changes to WSMA website - Dave Ellis suggested that the Directory page of the website be retired. Firstly there is concern that having residents’ telephone numbers so readily accessible on-line has resulted in many crank calls, which have in turn caused a lot of residents to request that their numbers be deleted. This fear has also dissuaded new residents from registering. In addition, many residents are retiring their land lines or changing their cell phone numbers without updating the directory - a prerequisite for maintaining its currency.
Dave had initially intended to also retire the web site Guest Book as many residents now prefer to post missing or found pet notices on Facebook or Nextdoor. But as not all residents wish to use the closed membership Facebook site, or provide the more detailed personal information required by Nextdoor, he expressed the opinion that it may be preferable to retain the Guest Book but to also monitor the Facebook and Nextdoor sites and forward pet related postings on either of these platforms as well as from any emails he receives, to those who have subscribed to the Petlovers email distribution list.
A motion to grant Dave the discretion to make the website changes which he feels are appropriate to the evolving information environment was made by Larry Crain, seconded by Gail Owen and unanimously approved.
Change in Management Company/New Address/New Contracts - Crest Management Company will begin management of the community on October 1st. Following the transfer the Board will provide homeowners with the new contact information, contact names and addresses and phone numbers. However the main mailing address is:
Crest Management Company; P. O. Box 219320; Houston, Texas 77218-9320
Increase in Administrative Fees for payment plans 2017
Floyd announced that under the Crest contract there will be a significant increase in the administrative fees associated with the payment plans. Current payment plans will be exempt. Property Owners may find that paying by check or charging their full maintenance fee to their credit card in January is a better option.
October 18 – Budget Meeting – Residents Welcome - The budget meeting has been scheduled for October 18th at the Crest Management office and will begin at 5:30 p.m. The location of the Crest office is 17171 Park Row, Suite 310; Houston, Texas 77084.
Any New Business to Come Before the Board - Winborn Elementary SPARK Park
Anitra Ondrush reported the Winborn Elementary SPARK Park is now fully funded and installation of new playground equipment will begin at the beginning of October. She will have the park plans available at the National Night Out.
ADJOURNMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned into executive session at 6:21 p.m.
Delinquencies
Floyd Ball reported that the suspension of trash & recycle service to homes with delinquent accounts and not paying on an approved payment plan, is continuing and legal action is in progress on a number of accounts, including cases in which residents on payment plans have defaulted. The Board regrets that these actions are necessary.
Deed Restriction Violations
The homes that have received final demand letters prior to the initiation of legal action were reviewed and two of these will be referred to the Association attorney following the transfer of management companies on October 1.
ADJOURNMENT
The next Board meeting will be held on October 18. At this meeting, which will be held at the Crest office, the 2017 budget and the maintenance fee will be approved.
With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 6:32 p.m.
