Suntree HOA Board Lack of Priorities Resulting in Lowered Property Values

I always thought that adults learned from other peoples mistakes and from our own experiences.  But, I'm finding out that for some adults on HOA boards it isn't so.  I don't care how sweet or nice or smart they are.  It doesn't matter if they know people, are smart, how honest they are, or if they go to church.  Some people don't get the big picture of how HOA's operate and only want to give the community an extreme make-over and don't care about the costs.  And don't understand why others don't agree with them.

If they got busted spending money from the reserves then starts spending huge amount of money again.  Except, this time ignores performing replacements and makes contributions into the reserves.  But, doesn't increase the contributions to replace the money previously spent on non-reserve items.  They are doing the same thing just in a different way.  Because, the reserve fund is getting shorted and items not replaced because there is no money to do the replacements.  The result is the same a short fall in the reserves and history repeats itself.  For Suntree it's one person.  How she keeps getting on the board I don't know but, it's enough to make me want to have a receiver put into place.

Back in 2005, Suntree HOA Board spent a large some of money from the reserves over a three year period on landscaping.  In 2008, the board changed and things were turning around.  2009 & 2010 they saved about $50,000.00 then the 2011, budget had $48,000.00 surplus before they spent $84,000.00.  Since 2009, the reserves have been getting contributions but, is still deficient.

Why?  Well because board members think that it's a better idea to spend money on landscaping instead.  They have spent approx. $84,000.00 on landscaping under the "saving water" platform.  Now not only has the water usage increased over last year.  But, in 2010, the usage was reduced by $5,000.00 without doing anything at all.  Not one penny on turf removal or drip system was spent.  Then in 2011, spent $4,000 more than in 2010.  Then they budgeted one thousand more for water in 2012, than what was used in 2011.  If all this money being spent on a drip system is going to save us water then why would you budget more money to water?  You wouldn't!  Unless you didn't want to reveal what the surplus money will be spent on.

Now the reserve study showed we needed to replace the street in 2011.  This did not happen because had they done "it would have wiped out the reserve fund".  I know what your thinking, because I said the same thing.  If that is the case why didn't all the surplus go back into the reserves to cover what was taken from it in 2005 - 2007?  Why would you budget 1/2 as much money for contributions in 2012, as you did in 2012?  The board has screwed up priorities.  So, now when the new reserve study was done, it not only assumed that the replacement happened in 2011.  But, estimated the cost at 15% more and will cost us $29,000.00 more than if it had been done last year.

We have pot holes forming at the gutters, which from what I was told is the worst possible place to have them occur.  Plus, the curbs aren't funded in the reserves, sidewalks, or monument sign ( they spent $42k doing an add-on).  If the joints that run along the gutters have to be replaced it could mean having to re-do the curbs and sidewalks.  But, they would rather ignore the streets and let them deteriorate so that it costs even more the replace them than to put aside their personal agendas. 

There is a time and a place for everything and now is not the time to be spending money on anything.  I'd love to see them do more to increase the value of the homes than replacing the street or contributing money to the reserve fund.  But, I don't want a special assessment when something bad happens because they ignored doing replacements. 

The thing is that I've read the articles and the warnings of what happens when communities ignore reserve items especially the streets.  They end up having to chose between two really big expenses and then something bad happens.  They end up having to get loans because the hole they dug was so deep it they cannot get out.  Loans are a bad thing and lower property values.  Bad streets lower property values.  Not doing reserve replacements to make your community look more funded than it is.  Lowers property values.  The amount of water your community uses does not do one thing to the property values. 

So, when I look over the budget and I find many items grossly over budgeted totalling $67,000.00.  I get really pissed that this Suntree board is doing everything it can to lower the values and screw the ownership.  Especially, when they over spent on special projects by 4233% and by 65% in 2011.  But, couldn't do the streets because it would use most all the money in the reserves.  There was over $100,000.00 short in the reserves.  This means the regular contributions plus 100K has to be put back into the reserves.  Over the last three year this goal could have been accomplished, the streets done, and be 100%.  But, no the landscaping was more important.