Per this request by Jim Mayfield, former Vice President & Treasurer of the Sun City Anthem Board and former Chairman of the Finance Committee, Anthem Opinions is more than pleased to present these comments to our readers.
Former Sun City Anthem Vice President
Speaks Out on Recent Budget Mailing to Residents
by
James Mayfield
We received the annual mandatory budget mailer in today's mailer. I have reviewed the budget in detail as well as the materials sent with the budget mailer.
I submit the following comments for your consideration and/or publication.
1. The "Summary Budget" does not contain any information that compares the 2018 draft budget to the adopted 2017 budget.
Furthermore, a comparison is not provided of the 2018 draft budget to the projected actual financial statements for 2017.
Without these comparisons, unit owners have no way access the expected actual to budget performance for 2017 OR to see how spending priorities are budgeted to change between 2017 and 2018.
2. The Budget mailer does not include a proxy form or return envelope for unit owners to use to vote for or against the budget.
This is a change from prior years.
Instead, the cover letter states that if a unit owner desires to vote for or against the budget, the unit owner should see NRS 116.311.
(So much for transparency and encouraging unit owner participation in the governance of SCA.)
The strategy is obvious: Don't raise the dues and hope the unit owners don't care how their money is spent and find it too hard to find out to bother.
3. The capital budget includes an authorization of $45,000 for "chairs, outlets, storage shed, BBQ tables and benches for the Pickleball court area.
Got a comment on Mr. Mayfield's observations?
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In the notice I received the agenda calls for approval of the minutes from last year - but there was no copy of those minutes.
Tough to approve, amend or disapprove of minutes you have never seen.
the annual budget clearly demonstrates that the residents are - Once Again - being treated like serfs by the Feudal Lords in the HOA BOD.....but EVERYBODY deserves this....all of us had the chance to rid ourselves of these self-serving Bureaucrats; alas the voting residents chose to retain the current slate of HOA BOD persons.
We're only getting what we asked for - the attitude of "SHUT UP AND PAY YOUR DUES" continues.
Dick, I have to say that I did look at the budget and marked several items. Took it to my maj game and talked about it with the women I play with and most of them weren't even interested in looking at them.
I thought about going to the meeting but since you can't ask questions that the board answers, I ended up throwing the whole thing in the trash.
I have learned that the board doesn't listen to you and you can't get anything changed so why would I waste my time by going to a meeting?
I did notice listed under things to be considered for 2018, that there were several items I questioned.
A bench for Freedom Hall men's locker for $2500.
Didn't they just redo about everything in that center?
Why didn't they do that then?
Fixing the lights in the lower gallery for the poker players is TBD. They have been aware of this issue (where the lighting is not good and they go dim and bright) for 4 years and still haven't decided to fix it. That is the entire lower gallery on both ends.
They also had a line item about putting in a miniature golf course as TBD. Just what seniors need.
After all, we must want to play miniature golf when it is 110. Are they crazy?
Let's just put it this way, I marked about 5 things and then threw the budget away. I think that is what most home owners will do.
We all know we can't get anything done or anything changed so what is the point?
I guess I have to admit that I have given up trying to get anything accomplished with this board. Very sad.
Our clubhouse used to be a thing of beauty when I moved here, and now I don't even want to take my guests there.