POA adjusts budgets

At Thursday’s POA board meeting, two capital projects were approved; one for the 2019 budget and one for the 2020 budget.

The 2020 project will begin repairs on Scotsdale where flooding washed way the creek bed on the approaches to two bridges. Nine holes of the course have been closed since the damage was discovered. The board approved $38,000 for surveying, hydrology, permitting, roadway engineering and erosion control.

In early 2019, hail damaged the roofs of six buildings at Metfield. After insurance claims, the POA’s portion was $21,000 for the clubhouse roof. Anything over $10,000 becomes a capital project and must be approved by the board. Damage to other roofs was paid from the expense budget, COO Tom Judson explained.

A representative of the lakes committee, Rick Yorman, told the board about its work on the issue of wake boats. Wake boats, he said, are boats that take on extra ballast in order to make a larger wake for tubing and surfing.

Lake residents have told the committee that the wakes damage their docks and can be dangerous to people swimming or using smaller boats.

The committee sent a draft of new rules for the board to consider. First, wake boats should be identified when the owner registers them. Those owners will have to watch a safety video when they register. Also, the boats will be asked to operate at least 200 feet from docks and shorelines. The 200 feet is an industry-standard, Yorman said.

Also, the committee recommended that more lake rangers should be employed to enforce the rules, as well as some buoys to mark the right area for water sports.

The issue was tabled to give board members and POA members a chance to study the issue. It will be discussed again in January, board chairwoman Ruth Hatcher promised.

During the open forum, one member, Dot Newman, asked the board to show her where the governing documents disallow a member to surrender time to another member during the open forum.

Hatcher pointed out that the board had discussed the issue once before and decided that each member gets three minutes during open forum and can’t give time to another member. Later, POA attorney Doug McCash pointed out that policy 1.07 gives each member three minutes to speak during open forum.

The next member to speak was the one who would have received Newman’s three minutes. With his own three minutes, Rick McInnes asked the board why it can’t charge people to use the trails. No answer was provided at last week’s meeting.

Another member, Sandy

Fosdick, said the budget should be cut rather than asking for an increased assessment.

Also, Fosdick said, the POA hurt property values by selling membership lots for a lowered price.

Joy Sawyer pointed out that city incorporation in 2007 cut POA expenses, so an increase now shouldn’t be necessary.

The only member who spoke in support of the assessment change interrupted herself twice to ask other audience members to stop talking among themselves.

The next open meeting for the POA board is January’s work session at 9 a.m. on Jan. 16. The results of the current assessment election will be announced at a membership meeting at Riordan Hall at 6 p.m. that day.