Bella Vista POA prepares for board meeting

The Bella Vista Property Owners Association Board of Directors met on Thursday, April 21, in a work session at the Country Club. Work sessions are open to the public and are held the week before the board meetings so directors can discuss the issues before voting the following week. Members who want to express an opinion on agenda items have a week to get in touch with board members before the vote.

Thursday's meeting was short with little controversy. The board heard good news about the declining number of “nonperforming lots,” lots owned by people who don't pay their membership dues. General Manager Tom Judson explained that a report is generated during the election season each year. Only members in good standing — those that pay monthly dues — can vote in the annual board election.

In 2016 there were 6,038 delinquent lots and 702 lots owned by the POA, or 17.3 percent. Last year only 7.9 percent of lots were nonperforming compared to an industry standard of 20 percent. Hot Springs Village was at 34 percent.

This year the number is 5.7 percent.

“That is outstanding work on the part of our accounting department and our legal department,” Judson said.

The lots that are still not paying have legal issues or are in bankruptcy proceedings. The POA owns very few lots, he said, so there won't be an online auction in the near future. Recently 10 lots were sold at auction for almost $100,000, he said.

A new computer system that has been in the works for some months is once again delayed, Judson told the board. It may be ready to go in about two months, but that's the busy season for the POA. Implementation is now scheduled for early November which gives everyone time for more training. There will be no cost to the POA because of the delay, he said.

Because of the computer system implementation, the budget will be developed and presented a little earlier this year than normal, Judson said. The board will see the budget on Oct. 19 and the community presentation will be Nov. 10. Work on the 2023 budget will begin in May when the committees begin discussing what their departments need.

The board will also vote on whether to accept the audit at the next meeting. It's a clean audit, Judson said.

On May 17 the annual membership meeting will be held and the winners of the board election will be announced. Voting has started for the board election with paper ballots mailed out on April 10, but it's starting slowly, Judson said. Votes can also be cast online and all votes will be counted on May 17.