Board & Vigilance Groups Advance 2023 Plan

ByWayne Willis

As I outlined at the Annual Assembly in November, we were going to try something new this year for governance.  First, we were going to get fully staffed Vigilance Committees for each of the three Phases.  THANK YOU -- that got done.  We now have a properly constituted committee representing the Owners from a REGIME-level ... the level that defines dues and approves the gross plan of spending that money.

Secondly, we got a full Board to run the HOA.  The HOA is the "Administrator" that you empowered to EXECUTE the plan that you funded.

Legally speaking the Vigilance Committee is supposed to "oversee" the Administrator.  If they don't like what's going on, they can call for an emergency Assembly and urge the Owners to replace the Administrator.  But they can't interfere with the contracts or actions of the Administrator.

So as not to burden the volunteer-Owners on the Vigilance Committee or the HOA Board with excessive bureaucratic overhead, I recommended that there be two "joint meetings" where the Vigilance Committee and the HOA Board all convene to look at the details of the Plan that was proposed and funded at the November Assembly.  I suggested:

  • a DEC meeting, to go through the details of the Plan and refine it as necessary; and
  • a JUN meeting to see how the plan is progressing, as well as discuss what should be considered for the following year.

I'm happy to report that we held our first such meeting on December 2, 2022, and it was very constructive.  Basically, the 2023 Plan was discussed and approved -- and several of the Vigilance Committee members had suggestions and resources that will make the  Plan better.

The bulk of the meeting was spent on Projects that will impact Reserves Accounts.  We did approve the modernization of elevators in Phase I, which will increase reliability and lower long-term costs. (See Elevators In Phase I To Get Major Overhaul.)   Sadly, I overlooked the Agenda item to have all Owners approve the Reserves spending planned for 2023; the Vigilance Committee and HOA Board discussed how to proceed on a sound legal and financial footing and have an approach coming soon.  Stay tuned.

2023 Plan

Here is the summary of the 2023 Plan:

  • Better Business As Usual – continue documenting specifications, checklists, Policy & Procedures, and cost/benefit decisions re: Security, Maintenance, Cleaning and Pools. Develop Landscape plan for execution externally or in-house.  Increase resiliency by cross-training, deepening bench of Owners willing to help, stocking long-lead parts and addressing water security.
  • Administration – commission an outside audit of 2022 financials, complete assembling and translating legal documents; commission a reserves analysis 2023-2033; and document administrative policies and procedures for Community Manager, Board, Architectural Committee and Vigilance Committees.
  • Projects – complete authorized projects for railings, Phase III roof, new garages and any approved for 2023. And
  • Community & Communications – improve website and TownSq; support volunteers’ Committees.