Castlegate Community

I read her post and just like all the others it says the same old thing, I KNOW that things have gone up in price I go shopping and pay my bills just like you do, But it was getting to the point that our HOA was spending money it didn't have then what happen? that's right the bills came due and the money wasn't there. So instead of pulling back on the spending it just continued why that happen I can't say, maybe it was our fault for not questioning the board or our management company. But I do remember you standing and asking some question on the fiancee and  were they ever answered? I don't recall hearing we were in the red until we switch to Oasis, and needed to raise the dues do you? So okay let raise the dues to say 70.00 a month does that help the spending spree we have been in the last 5 years? I think not as you know the more money one has the more they spend. So I say let take a look at some of the things we are doing that is costing us and see if we can do with out for awhile and get our books in order then after that come back to me and ask for a raise. But this topic is getting old we have rehashed it to death and nothing seem to change, So if you or someone else has something new to add to the problem we are having then please share it as I would love to read or hear it

OH!!!!!

 And yes I still have grey hair on top of my head and not between my ears thank you very much......oh that was in jest so don't take it to heart.

Well that's nice. So do any candidates besides castlegate and bg have anything to say or should we just go to the annual meeting and pull names from a hat.

Just to clarify a little on the spending issues...

You are right, we didn't know we were "In the Red" until Oasis took over...because they actually looked at our accounts, spending, and income....I guess Kachina never did...well, if they did, they never said anything.

As far as cutting back on spending, peak at the financials and think about what has happend this year...We spent 120k in water last year, and so far this year we have spent just over 25k.  This time last year, we were over 60k!  That's 35k less so far this year.  How's that for cutting back.  I recally MANY people complaining about the grass looking terrible, well, that happens when you stop watering it, but we (the Board, the HOA) need to cut somewhere.  There are MANY repairs that have gone undone this year such as the brick wall on Shapinsay and Jodi drive...an estimate of about 10k....put on hold.  The covers at the play areas that are torn, again, put on hold.  We have done NO improvements AT ALL this year...none.  The slide in the play area by Ocotillo was removed INSTEAD of replaced due to costs.  There are other areas where we have cut back, just look at the financials from July of this year and compare them to July of last year.  You will see the cutbacks that we have done.

So, the "out of control" spending has stopped this year.  I pushed hard for it and still fight to keep it that way now.  And I catch alot of hell from other board members AND community members for it, but treasurere or not, somebody needs to make sure we don't go bankrupt.

Yes, we have cut spending....alot.  All we spend mony on now (for the most part) is necesities.  And there is still room to tighten the belt, and some of us are working on that.

Food for thought.

My name is on the ballot as well so I'll put my thoughts on this and whether you choose to vote for me is your call. I agree that the spending needs to be wrangled in. The past 24 months of out of control spending, foreclosures and general economic state has taken its toll on our community and many others.

As treasurer, Mike has been doing a good job this year of trying to keep a handle on it. As a previous member of this board, I worked with him and I know first hand what obstacles he has been up against and its not been easy.

The HOA is a business. Like any business there are bills to pay. We are all aware that costs/prices only keep going up. I can't say that HOA assessments will go down in the near future. In fact, in my previous 6 years of HOA experience, I have never seen that happen. Not saying it couldn't though. In a perfect world where we all function in the black, maybe. But lets be realistic, this is not a perfect world.

Our board has the responsibility to act and spend wisely. The days of out of control spending on frivolous, unnecessary purchases like the monuments are long gone. Knowing what I experienced previously as a member of the board, I can't say that everyone gets that though. Regardless, the community's bills still need to be paid, just as yours and mine do and that's where a sound budget comes in combined with good leadership. Of which we haven't had for a long time.  We all know that if houses begin to fill up and people pay their assessments then we can begin to function in the black again. Until that happens there will always be the possibility of them being raised again. That is reality and we can't close our eyes to that reality.

Keeping in mind that the board is comprised of homeowners in this community too, its a difficult decision to raise assessments and should only be done when absolutely necessary.  Was it absolutely necessary this past year? I believe it was. I disagree with the way it was done.

Turning our community around will not be immediate and expecting it to be is unrealistic. Making informed and sound financial decisions on behalf of our community is a realistic expectation.