April 4th Board Meeting

Published by admin on February 7, 2019February 7, 2019

Meeting Opens

• Introductions, general backgrounds exchanged

TOPIC 1: Why are we (the EPOA Board) here?   

• The board is here to support the ACC, mostly from a monetary perspective
  • What does this mean? How much money do we have/do we need?
    • We currently have $4,000+ in our account. In general, our biggest current yearly expense is to pay for our annual insurance premium, which helps offset the risk if the POA is involved in any legal disputes with Property Owners.
  • Has this ever happened? Did we run out of money? Is this risk something we need to mitigate? Do we need more money?
    • Years ago, there was an issue where a homeowner challenged an ACC ruling. The EPOA’s budget was depleted due to legal costs.

CONCLUSION: For the time being, it is agreed that the Bylaws provide a process to manage disputes between Property Owners and the EPOA/ACC. Based on past history, the EPOA Board believes that the risk of future disputes is relatively low. It is also the hope of the Board that future concerns may be better addressed within the community as a whole, in an effort to provide a mutual resolution instead of legal escalation.

• To continue to keep our monetary reserves healthy, should we make EPOA membership (and payment of dues) required?
  • To do this, we would have to update our Bylaws. This would cost more money- chicken, meet egg.
  • Are members willing to contribute more before fully understanding what the Board, and the EPOA as a whole, is here to do? Probably not the best way forward.
  • Upon further clarification, ALL residents of the neighborhood are automatically members of the EPOA- whether or not they pay their yearly dues.
  • Regardless of dues, it is recognized that some neighbors may simply want to be left to their own devices.
  • This issue can actually be broken into 2 “problems:”
    • Our yearly dues are low, and not required. If we don’t receive a minimum amount of member dues, we have to operate very frugally. This means you, Scrooge McDuck.
    • If we don’t have actively involved members, we can’t achieve the minimum number of votes required to make decisions about our neighborhood, according to our Bylaws (as currently written).

CONCLUSION: In the absolute worst-case scenario (the EPOA is sued and bake sales aren’t cutting it) the EPOA Bylaws allow for a special collection to be called to raise the needed funding. In the short-term, the Board hopes to encourage member participation by fostering efforts that increase enjoyment of the Evergreen community as a whole (carrot) vs. vigorously applying the stick. At least right out of the gate.

Topic 2: What are our goals as the EPOA Board?

• OPEN, TRANSPARENT OPERATIONS:
  • All Property Owners should know what their dues pay for, what the budget looks like, what’s going on in the neighborhood, and how the Board operates. To achieve this, the Board has decided upon the following:
    • Board meetings will be held at Evergreen CC on the first Thursday of every month at 1830.
    • The EPOA Board will invite the ACC to provide a monthly overview at each Board meeting.
    • The monthly EPOA Board Meeting agenda will be as follows:
      • Budget Review
      • Old Business (status, barriers, resolutions)
      • New Business (neighborhood issues, concerns)
      • Upcoming Community Events and Efforts
      • ACC Overview (new applications, potential violations, etc.)
    • The monthly Board meeting will adjourn by 1930, at which time we’d like to invite ALL Property Owners to join us in the Grill Room to catch up, provide ideas, and ask questions.
    • Meeting notes will be distributed the week following to all Property Owners
    • A budget document is being developed for distribution to Property Owners. This is expected to launch by the end of the month.

• CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS:
  • From our last annual meeting, we’re all in agreement that communications could be improved. To achieve this:
    • A private Facebook Group for the EPOA has been launched. Property Owners can find the group by searching for “EPOA” from within Facebook. When located, click on “Join Group,” and answer the 3 qualifying questions (Property Owner Name, Address, and Phone). The Board will receive an alert and will approve your request as quickly as possible.
      • The FB Group may be used both by the EPOA Board and Property Owners (process still pending as we navigate these uncharted waters).
      • Board communications will still use email; the FB Group is an additional channel. Not a substitution.
    • Other means of communicating with our Property Owners are being investigated. Our goal is to make sure that regardless of preferred channel (email, postcard, carrier pigeon) everyone has a head’s up on what’s happening in the neighborhood.

• COMMON, NEIGHBORLY SENSE:
  • It is the Board’s goal to foster a sense of community built on our mutual desire to live and enjoy this beautiful neighborhood. We’d like to spend our time on efforts that bring our community together, vs. designing watertight legal stipulations for every possible neighborly spat. Let’s all be kind, considerate, and thankful for all we enjoy in our little slice of heaven.

Topic 3: According to the Bylaws, we need to pick roles? OK..

• Rob Banwarth- President
• Brett Thompson- Vice President
• Martha Prokop- Second VP
• Angela Bryant- Communications/Secretary
• Brian Kirk- Treasurer

Topic 4: Anything else we’d like to figure out along our tenure?

• Which houses are actually in EPOA? Can we create a directory?
  • Martha to ask Willie for a map/more info
• How can we better connect with our neighbors? Like for AM Walkers? Mom’s Groups?
  • The FB Group page may be a good help with this.

NEXT MEETING: New Biz

• Discuss Board’s position on spending budget on community social investments