Chasing delinquent assessments paying off

New POA staff, strategies are bearing fruit in the form of cash.

Efforts to get property owners who have delinquent assessments to get current is paying off, Bella Vista POA general manager Tom Judson told the board during a work session last week.

He said that because he added some staff to the collections office, they’ve collected more than enough assessments to pay their own salary.

Judson said the staff is looking for a strategy to force owners of rental property to pay. They can’t use the threat of water shut off against landlords who don’t live on the property, he said.

There are also about 6,000 unimproved lots that don’t pay their assessments, he said. If those lots are owned by someone who lives outside of the United States, it’s almost impossible to collect.

Among the lots that don’t pay assessments are 700 owned by the POA.

“We need to get rid of some of those,” he said, adding that when an empty lot is sold, it usually pays $16 each month in assessments. One way Judson is selling lots is offering them to adjacent homeowners as a buffer lot so no one else can build there. He also highlights specific lots in POA publications, whichhas already stirred up interest, he said.

The board also met a new employee. Jay Cox will replace Vern Olafson who is retiring as Lakes and Parks superintendent.

Cox, who retired from the Arkansas State Park system after 31 years, told the board that he was looking for a job in this area when he saw the opening in Bella Vista and thought it was a good fit.

Mike Taggart, director of Maintenance and Construction, introduced Cox and then stayed behind to report on several projects.

The Branchwood Trail project will have phase one complete this week, he promised. A grand opening is planned for June 25, but he thought a soft opening could take place sooner.

Work is beginning on a new entrance to the Kingsdale maintenance area, Taggart said. The entrance is being replaced because of erosion.

A new building at the gun range is in the planning stages, he said. His staff is looking at the feasibility of a restroom in the building.