CCC President ’ s Column By GENE TISH
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Transforming our community For much of the history of Charbonneau , and I can personally attest to the last 26 years that Carol and I have owned our home
TISH here , respective boards were encouraged to plan for and make improvements to the infrastructure and amenities of our Charbonneau community . Numerous studies were undertaken and multiple outreach projects were completed . Support was very strong but little happened .
Until the 2008 budget year , no action was taken to establish a fund for future capital improvements . In that year , the Capital Improvement Fund was established with an initial assessment of $ 1 per month . That assessment was increased by $ 4 per month for the 2009 budget year to a total of $ 5 per month . Then a decade passed with little being done to build on the momentum .
Under Tony Holt ’ s and Kathy Harp ’ s leadership , $ 9 was added to the Capital Improvement Fund for the 2019 budget year , and under Kathy ’ s leadership and the unanimous support of your board , $ 10 was added to the
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fund for the 2020 budget year . That brought the current Capital Improvement Fund monthly contribution to $ 24 a month . That will be sufficient to repay the loan that will fund the planning , construction and furnishing of the Activity Center as indicated earlier , but little more .
I have long argued that the Capital Improvement Fund should have been established long ago , if not at the formation of Charbonneau Country Club , and that I should have been paying into it for the entire 26 years that I have been here . With greater vision or foresight , we would be building the Activity Center with cash , instead of needing to borrow these funds and use capital improvement funds to retire the debt , including paying interest on the debt . When discussing interest on money , it is always better to receive than to give .
Last year , your board discussed increasing the Capital Improvement Fund assessment beyond the $ 10 then decided upon , indicating another $ 8 to $ 10 would likely be needed to finally make up for not adequately addressing this issue years ago . Instead your board determined to undertake further study and to address the issue again in the 2021 budget .
Earlier this year , your board established the Financial Oversight Committee chaired by Director McLain . An analytical tool was developed , and an in-depth analysis was undertaken . This is a beginning , not an end . As a result of that analysis , a summary of which is available on the Charbonneau Country Club website , your Board ’ s Executive Committee recommended — and unanimously adopted — a $ 10 per month increase in the monthly assessment
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for the Capital Improvement Fund along with a $ 4 per month increase in the monthly assessment for the Operations Fund . This is a $ 14 per month increase in our 2021 assessment . No increase in the assessment for the Reserves Fund was recommended or adopted for the 2021 year . This raises the total monthly assessment for 2021 from $ 77 to $ 91 .
First let me state that the study , looking out five years , predicts no further increase will be needed in the Capital Improvement Fund over that time period . Again , we are making up for many , many years of lost time and money .
Let me also remind you once again , the $ 10 per month Capital Improvement Fund assessment increase is not needed for the construction of the Activity Center . That is already covered by the current $ 24 per month assessment amount .
Nor do the recommended increases in either the Capital Improvement Fund or the Operations Fund relate in any way to acquisition of the shares in Charbonneau Golf Club — a common and recurring “ Urban Legend .” No funding support of the Golf Club is expected or projected in the five-year window of the current study . Nor is it expected for many , many years to come , if at all .
Somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 5 per month of the $ 10 Capital Fund assessment increase will potentially be used to fund partial renovation of the existing clubhouse , now being referred to prospectively as the Event Center . Current discussions include a scalable restaurant , bar and coffee shop ( different levels and types of service and menu offering depending on
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the time of day , day of the week and season of the year ). Current discussions also include grab-and-go food and snacks ( again scalable ), and potentially limited sundry items ( sort of like a trading post ?). The restaurant concept earned a 96 % support level at the August Charbonneau Country Club Virtual Community Forum and has been the number one requested item by Charbonneau residents for well over a decade . I believe the near unanimous indication of support creates a fiduciary obligation on the part of your board to seriously study and begin planning ( including funding ) for this potential project .
Somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 2 to $ 3 per month of the $ 10 Capital Fund assessment increase will potentially be used to fund an all-weather pickleball facility , either by covering the existing outdoor courts , or by creating a new facility . This concept generated 82 % support at the August Virtual Community Forum , again creating an obligation on the part of this board to seriously consider this project .
The remaining $ 2 to $ 3 per month will be available to potentially underwrite a list of miscellaneous projects , several of which are being viewed as future revenue generators ( paddle board storage , additional RV storage , etc .) that will help to offset future general operating costs . One of those miscellaneous projects that will not generate revenue , but could be very important to our community , is the proposed purchase of two portable generators requested by the Emergency Preparedness Committee at an estimated cost of approximately $ 30,000 each .
See CCC PRESIDENT ’ S / Page 3
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