City of Sycamore

CITY OF SYCAMORE BOARD MEETING - 12/10/2007

Dec 19, 2007

The following is an abrieviated version of the minutes of the Dec 07 board meeting.

City attorney, Tom Ewen, was present to address issues brought up by the Board. It is his opinion that rental restrictions cannot be instilled, since they were not addressed in the master deed when the city was created. It would take 100% agreement by the owners to change or amend the master deed. He suggested that the city prepare a document (agreement) for owners to sign, if they want to rent their property. In this fashion, the owner would agree to require the renters to abide by all city and association regulations.

Mr. Ewen also addressed the parking concerns that have been discussed for the past several meetings. The important thing is to be consistent and understanding in the enforcement of city parking regulations. He also noted that a better definition of "recreational" vehicle is probably needed.

The Treasurer's Report was not approved; but instead was tabled until final figures are available. Preliminary figures show:
Nov. regular revenues..............$16,630
Nov. Cap. project revenues......... $3,922
Oct. expenses......................$13,383

TAX INFORMATION FOR 2007
Type Unit Maint Fee City Tax
Small Ranch $173/mo $1089.78
Large Ranch $198/mo $1243.66
Small Townhouse $160/mo $991.66
Large Townhouse $182/mo $1139.04

PROPERTY MANAGER -
Holiday decorations are up and the winter mulching is about done. The carport contractor will start construction in the next couple of weeks. Building was delayed because of new permit requirements.

BUILDING & GROUNDS -
A new city ordinance was voted into place, regarding the size, placement and duration of dumpsters. The new ordinance will be distributed to all owners by first class mail. Before letting anybody bring a dumpster into the city on your behalf; have them get a copy of the ordinance from the city office.

RECREATION -
If you would like to rent the clubhouse for an upcoming event, please call Virginia Bristow at 502-608-3890. A fee and deposit are required. The Recreation Committee is planning to hold more community events, and would like to have your imput about what kind of events to have.

FINANCE -
Holiday bonuses were approved for the maintenance crew (amount not made public)
Also, a 3% pay increase was approved for the maintenance supervisor (maximum increase permitted by city ordinance).
The treasurer is in the process of getting the city finances set up on Quick Books, so that the entire budget process and record keeping will be easier to maintain.

MAYOR -
An article about holiday entertaining and the liability it can create has been sent to all residents.
Construction has begun on Dorsey Ln. Condos.
The city's cable franchise agreement comes up for renewal in the next few months.

OPEN FORUM -
Gene Clark has set up a new Website for the city, that is provided free of charge by Neighborhood Link. This is open for anybody to see and use, and we hope it will help create more communication between all interests and groups in the City of Sycamore.
Mr Clark has also expressed interest in the commissioner vacancy.
All residents and owners are welcome to attend the monthly meetings, but are encouraged to hold comments and discussion till the open forum at the end. However, it was suggested that questions be allowed immediately after a guest speaker finishes his presentation, since guests normally do not stay for the entire meeting.