         Board Meeting ReportsREPORTS:
REPORTS:
President’s Report Board of Directors Meeting September 21, 2020 Good evening and thank you for participating in this ZOOM Board Meeting. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to a time when we can meet in-person but we are committed to following the Governor’s guidelines for meetings. Perhaps it may be that within the next few weeks, we will consider opening the Community Center for only ECIA sponsored meetings, basically Committees, Task Groups, Executive Board Sessions and the like. The classroom can certainly be set-up for social distancing and masks would be required by all. The difficulty lies in how to sanitize after the gathering. Be assured, the details are being discussed and hopefully we can find a safe and productive process. In the meantime, ECIA work continues to move forward. Last week the Board of Directors, the eight [8] Committee Chairs and a few residents, ZOOM’ed a meeting about Compliance. This is an issue wrought with concerns and will need a significant amount of Board, Committee, legal and resident input. The minutes from the meeting will be posted on the website and a recording is available by calling the office. The Chairs will use this preliminary discussion to foster further review in their respective meetings. Also, over the next several months residents will be invited to participate in discussions and we hope you will choose to step up and be part of the process. With that being said, I encourage residents to understand their responsibilities to the Association including, but certainly not limited to, timely assessment payments and stable payments, requesting architectural variances when needed, registering a dog before using the dog park, or abiding by the posted signage at the courts, preserves and dog park. Our community is fortunate that most Eldoradans observe the rules. However, as in almost all scenarios, there are folks who choose not to follow established guidelines and as a result, might put others or the community as a whole, at risk. Our primary goal is to minimize that. This past Tuesday evening, many residents joined the meeting about Santa Fe County’s updated Land Use Code. The County changed its side and rear setbacks from 10 feet to 25 feet. This change has implications for Eldorado and as such, the County has recommended that a representative committee that includes residents and business owners from the greater Eldorado area, develop an overlay zone that would allow Eldorado's setbacks to remain unchanged. Anyone interested in being part of this should contact Mark Young at the ECIA office. Just a note, this is not an ECIA committee, but one defined by the County and thus has certain requirements and timelines. And now on to a touchy subject. I would like to address the serious issue of armchair quarterbacking … you know, giving opinions about something without having direct knowledge or experience of it after the fact. This seems to be a chronic problem in Eldorado. Folks hear bits and pieces of meetings or recommendations and then take to social media or gatherings and all too often, rile people up unnecessarily. Please, get the facts before you share incomplete or false information. Before you trash an idea, please make sure you know the whole story. Anyone who wants more information about what’s happening now has a direct route to the office. It’s a new option on the ECIA home page. If you have questions, concerns, suggestions, comments, complaints, compliments, ideas, musings or thoughts that you would like to share, please use the link that is shown. Get the whole picture so you can be well-informed. And as always, I wholeheartedly thank all the volunteers who continue to work on behalf of the community. Their willingness to share their time, expertise and support makes Eldorado the special community that it is. Treasurer’s Report9/21/2020 Based on Financial Statement: August 31, 2020Key Points:
Accounts Receivable: $69K (from Assessments); ~$17K (uncollected 2020 Assessments – ~1.1%) Other Receivables (interest, stables, lien fees): ~$59K
Items from the Finance Committee (FC):
ECIA Board of Directors Liaison Reports Sept. 21, 2020 Architectural Committee Sept. 8, 2020
Conservation Committee Sept. 1, 2020
Election Committee Sept. 9, 2020
F&G liaison report 9/21/2020
Information Committee Sept. 14, 2020 Mel had an excused absence Road Committee Sept. 2, 2020
Stable Committee Sept. 10, 2020
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: Good evening and I hope this meeting finds you all in good health. For the most part, residents of Eldorado are complying with wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Though the incidence of active COVID 19 cases has increased in the 87508-zip code area, I do think that because of community peer pressure, we’ve been able to keep the numbers low. I know that the guidelines placed on the use of our amenities has many disappointed and annoyed but please try to remember the HOAMCO staff and the Board make decisions about access for the whole community. This past Thursday, the Board of Directors interviewed a potential candidate to fill one of the two positions that remain open on the Board. Our interview was pleasant and informative and it was very clear that the candidate honestly wanted to become involved with ECIA’s governance. His enthusiasm was evident. However, after some deliberation, the members of the Board agreed that the candidate needed to become more familiar with how the ECIA Board and committees operate. As a result, we recommended that the candidate attend several meetings, ask questions, make comments and get a firsthand understanding of the time and work required. Our candidate agreed and we hope to re-interview in a few months. Lest you deem this interview process unsuccessful, I would like to share some realizations that have appeared. Currently, residents who would like to be appointed as committee members must meet requirements listed in the respective charters. In addition to being a member in good standing, a minimum number of meetings must be attended. So, for appointment to the Conservation, Facilities and Grounds, Finance, and Information Committees, a resident must attend 3 meetings; for the Roads it is 2 meetings and for the Election and Stables it is 1 meeting. What I see as missing here is any such requirement for potential Board of Directors membership and I have to wonder if that is reasonable. Should the community expect its Board of Directors members to be fluent in the governing documents, the business management practices, the committee’s missions and procedures, the laws governing HOA’s and on and on. Should a potential candidate need to have attended at least a majority of the standing committees prior to submitting a credential package? I would like to explore these questions further, perhaps by setting up a discussion group that gathers input from existing volunteers, Board members and residents. This group could prepare recommendations for the Board to review, that outline what qualifications potential Board members should possess, as well as, provide a realistic description of the time and work needed to be effective. Whether or not these recommendations ultimately become part of the Bylaws would be further explored. I realize that this action might be setting up barriers for folks who might otherwise step up, but I do believe it serves the community better to have qualified leadership. And just because “we’ve never done anything like this” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. If anyone is interested in working on this, please email me and we can start a conversation. With that being said, and in my commitment to transparency, I will say that I did not have ECIA committee meeting experience, nor was I fluent in the governing documents, etc. when I applied for a Board position. What I did bring to the table was a 40-year career in not-for-profit management including Board membership and Board staffing. I learned quickly and was able and willing to spend significant blocks of time doing so. The other issue that the recent candidate pointed out is that there is a lack of “young family” representation on the Board and on many of the committees. As one might expect, parents with young children or teens tend to have limited volunteer time, especially now with the possibility of online, at home schooling. That doesn’t diminish the need for input from this important and growing demographic. If Eldorado is truly to be a family-friendly community, we should try to be more sensitive to the unique needs of younger families. To address this issue, I will follow the suggestion made by the recent Board candidate to call for a “parents council” composed of a group that can meet regularly, but not frequently, to explore how Eldorado can best serve the families. This doesn’t mean that Eldorado’s budget will support extensive capital projects but certainly could look into activities that might entertain and enrich our younger residents. Again, if you are interested please email me to start a conversation. As always, I want to acknowledge the community volunteers who have contributed their expertise and time during the past month. To the members of the Management Contract Proposal Review team – Monty Vandermay, Amelia Adair, Dan Drobnis, Sal Monaco and David Sorkin – thank you for your serious deliberations and recommendations. The first segment of this very important selection process has been completed with the community’s best interests as a priority. In addition, thank you to Monty and Amelia for moderating the Town Hall about the management company selection. Thank you to Debra Denker who coordinated and moderated the recent Fire Prevention Town Hall. So many residents have expressed their gratitude for bringing this information to our community. And I would be neglectful if I didn’t also thank the HOAMCO staff who have worked diligently to maintain our amenities and administrative responsibilities. Thank you all.
Treasurer’s Report7/20/2020 Based on Financial Statement: June 30, 2020Key Points:~ $1.2M in Operating Fund Cash ~ $522K in Reserve Fund Cash Total Cash ~$1.7M Accounts Receivable: $80K (Assessments); ~97% of 2020 assessments have been collected; ~$26K (uncollected 2020 Assessments) Other Receivables (interest, stables, lien fees): ~$60K Actual vs. Budget YTD: $553K vs. $785K (we are ~$232K under budget, primarily from lower expenditures in capital projects, pool operations and payroll). Any excess funds at year end will be used to build our reserves. Items from the Finance Committee (FC):
COMMITTEE AND TASKFORCE REPORTS: Website Taskforce – David Sorkin From Garret (website designer):
POLICIES REVIEW UPDATE - Melicent D’Amore
ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE - Melicent D’Amore
Conservation Committee – Carol Sanguinetti
F&G Committee – David Sorkin
INFORMATION COMMITTEE - Melicent D’Amore
ROAD COMMITTEE - Melicent D’Amore
Stable Committee – Carol Sanguinetti
President’s Report August 24, 2020 Good evening and welcome to the sixth ECIA Board Meeting held via ZOOM. It is difficult to believe that six months have passed since we were able to gather in-person and though I genuinely miss face-to-face contact, I am gratified that more members than ever are attending Board, as well as, Committee and Task Group Meetings. Be assured that when COVID 19 restrictions are lifted, we will continue to utilize ZOOM so that ECIA members can participate in its governance. One year ago, in the breezeway of the Community Center, we held a Town Hall at which ECIA members expressed their concerns about leadership and decision making. Within a few months, the Board turnover was significant – the transition was hard work. I am honored to say that the current five-member Board works hard to inform, to inspire and to activate. It isn’t easy and it’s time-consuming and sometimes difficult to find consensus. With that being said, I want to applaud my Board colleagues for their commitment and expertise. Their skills, and willingness to use them, certainly makes the role of the President significantly less taxing. At that Town Hall one year ago, I stressed the need for communication between and among members, committees and the Board of Directors. For the most part, we have expanded the opportunities for exchange of ideas and plans. And yes, some members have expressed their appreciation of this and some members have shared their dissatisfaction. I have learned over the past months that no matter what the Board decides on any given issue, some will be in agreement and some will find the decisions lacking. The truth is we can’t please everyone all time; we try to find the common ground as often as possible. To meet that consensus and with the expanded use of technology, the Board and HOAMCO delivers information to the membership through its website, eblasts, the VISTAS and even through strategic use of marquees. Tonight, I would like to review these communication tools. Based on the number of emails I receive with questions about where to find documents and contact information, I think it’s worth the time to clarify and simplify. Let’s begin with the website. Some of you may know that the website is being revised. A group of residents, along with David Sorkin as Board Liaison are working with Garret Vreeland to design a more user-friendly and contemporary looking ECIA website. Though it’s taken longer than anticipated, I think we would all agree that we want an end product that is reflective of the whole community. I hope that once the new website goes live, residents will appreciate the effort to make it a valuable, easy to use means of informing the members of ECIA. In the meantime, I would like to point out some of the new and not-so-new tabs on our existing website. Announcements that impact the community such as the pool schedule sit on the home page. Thanks to the HOAMCO staff, our association attorney Lynn Krupnik and interested volunteers, we’ve added information residents frequently need to use. To begin, under the CONTACT US tab, residents will find FAQ’s about HOAMCO and its services, a management flow chart with current job descriptions for all current staff and a document that outlines who to contact for what service in the office. The info is just a click away. Under the NEWS AND EVENTS tab, you will find COVID 19 updates, recommended by Committee Chair, a weekly ZOOM meeting schedule with links and the RFP’s for the upcoming logo selection process and the document that was sent to four [4] management companies. The RFP’s are listed as a direct result of members’ desires to access the process for vital ECIA projects. The BOARD AND COMMITTEES tab has been expanded to include Task Groups, the Board Liaison list and Liaison responsibilities. Also, members will find that Board Meeting minutes have been segmented to reflect our attorney’s advice. Board minutes include only actions taken at the meeting. All reports are under a separate tab. Especially helpful for our members and potential new residents is the RESIDENT RESOURCES tab. Under it can be found articles about the flora and fauna of our community, maps, safety information, and all the forms and applications needed to report or request services. And finally, the GOVERNING DOCUMENTS tab contains just that – all the most current rules, guidelines and policies that regulate what actions can be taken by the Board and residents. The HOAMCO office is working to ensure that all the documents are searchable. The older ones have been scanned in and need to be re-typed into a PDF format. Once done, residents will be able to search for policies, procedures and covenants more easily. Over the past several months, eblasts have been sent out to notify residents of meeting schedules and ZOOM links, to recruit residents for Committee and Task Group membership, to request participation at Town Halls and when needed, to announce Santa Fe county work or emergencies that impact Eldorado. In order for residents to be kept up-to-date, a working email address must be shared with HOAMCO staff – they add it to the database so that each time an eblast is sent, residents receive it in a timely manner. Email addresses are absolutely confidential and not shared with any individual or organization unless permission is granted. I’ve recently been told that some residents do not want to receive the sometimes-daily announcements, especially if they are repeated. I ask your patience. Not everyone reads their email on a regular basis and to be clear, such eblasts have been effective in encouraging residents to step forward to volunteer or be active participants in Town Halls. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Sarah Skagen, HOAMCO’s Admin Assistant for her diligence and creativity with eblasts. ECIA’s VISTAS newsletter, produced by the Information Committee and Sandra Vreeland as graphic artist, is something the community can be proud to read. Every household should receive either an electronic or paper copy. It is also accessible through the link listed on the ECIA home page. VISTAS provides residents with articles about Board actions, governance issues, committee projects and local wildlife. Each month, there is a calendar that lists time and date of all ECIA meetings. There is a style guide available on the website and any resident interested in submitting an article or photographs is welcome to send it to informationchair@gmail.com. The due date for articles is the 5th of the month before publication. VISTAS is a valuable resource for the community and I encourage everyone to read through it for both your enjoyment and information. And finally, the ECIA marquees. We essentially have three [3] boards with which we can announce meetings, office hours, due dates and the like. I encourage residents to read the boards as they pass the Community Center and as they enter the Agora. I would hope that these short public messages can serve as reminders about opportunities as well as responsibilities. The Board realizes that even with these communication tools, not everyone will be satisfied. We realize that residents have their own expectations of what could and should be done in the community. To that end, as I have continually suggested in emails, if you want decision-making opportunities, please step forward and join a committee or apply for one of the vacant Board of Directors seat. We are all in this together – we all strive to enhance our community. We need more active voices, willing to put in the time and work needed to do so. I ask you all to think about how you can make a positive difference in Eldorado through your actions. Treasurer’s Report8/24/2020 Based on Financial Statement: July 31, 2020Key Points:
Total Cash ~$1.6M Accounts Receivable: $73K (from Assessments); ~$20K (uncollected 2020 Assessments – ~1.3%) Other Receivables (interest, stables, lien fees): ~$60K
Items from the Finance Committee (FC):
COMMITTEE REPORTS
PRESIDENT'S REPORT: President Report June 15, 2020 Over the next few weeks, the Board and designated volunteers will address a major project that concerns the future of the ECIA. As reported previously, we sent an RFP – Request for Proposal to four management companies. This was done to be in compliance with our policies. The responses were due this past Friday and I’ve been informed that four companies have submitted a proposal – HOAMCO, Sentry Management, Associa Management and Westgate Management. I think it’s important for ECIA members to understand how this process will affect the community. Regardless of which management company is selected, we expect to make improvements in the way ECIA functions. Some changes will be behind-the-scenes, while others will be more evident as members interact with the office and complete their business. I hope that you all can trust that whatever decision is made and whatever changes are implemented, they will be done so in a fashion that benefits the community. I fully expect to have differing opinions on the outcome; I just hope that we all can do so in a respectful and productive manner. I’d like to give you all a head’s up to another change that will be more evident. At the advice of our Attorney, Lynn Krupnik, we will alter the format of our Board Meeting minutes. So that we are in compliance with best practices, the official minutes from these meetings will detail only actions that are approved by the Board of Directors. In our case, that primarily means motions and variance approvals. These will be posted on the ECIA web page with any and all written reports attached as addenda. In an effort to keep our residents up-to-date on Open Forum or other agenda discussions, a separate document will be posted so that we don’t lose the important deliberations and thoughts presented during the meeting. I will call this document “Board Meeting Community News”. You can expect that it will be posted within 3 -5 days after the Board meeting. On Wednesday, June 17th, the Board of Directors will meet with HOAMCO Executive Staff members Stacy Maule, Michael Franciosi and Nigel Burgess, along with General Manager Julie Navarro and Facilities Manager Mike Rogers. The focus of this meeting will be to review current office and operations issues, in particular document retention and management and to learn about HOAMCO’s newly launched Asset Management tool. If time allows , we will begin work on a Strategic Plan. I will keep you informed as the process moves forward. I realize that the past weeks and months have been challenging in so many ways. Our daily activities whether on-the-job or at home have been altered to accommodate the new normal. The Board has been sincere in its adherence to state and county guidelines, oftentimes having to make difficult decisions about opening our amenities, the dog park, the tennis courts, the pickleball and basketball courts. With that in mind, I would like to thank everyone using the amenities – your willingness to make reservations when needed, wear masks, sign Waivers, and adapt to the new restrictions has helped keep virus transmission in check . It would be silly of me to say that these guidelines will be eliminated soon. Just like all of you, we don’t know how long our community will need to socially distance, wear masks, limit group numbers and the like. All I ask of you is that you remember that the pandemic is far from over and we all need to continue minimizing exposure. I would like to take a moment here to acknowledge the members of ECIA’s working committees and task groups. Adjusting to the current situation, our committees continue to meet via ZOOM and keep the preserves, amenities, newsletter, finances, stables, roads, and covenants true to their purpose. All the task groups stay focused on their goals … whether that be the development of a new website, the review of our policies or the tabulation of the recent resident survey and contract review. Without the commitment of the many volunteers who make this all happen our community would be considerably less inviting. Thank you so very much for attending meetings, writing reports, researching topics, interviewing neighbors, and finally for your willingness to put in the time necessary to keep this 6600-person community thriving. TREASURER'S REPORT: Treasurer’s Report6/15/2020 Financial Statement: May 31, 2020Key Points:~ $1.3M in Operating Fund Cash ~ $574K in Reserve Fund Cash Total Cash ~$1.83M Accounts Receivable: ~$28K (prior year assessments); $101K (2020 assessments); 95% of 2020 assessments have been collected; ~$27K (other) Actual vs. Budget YTD: $453K vs. $626K (we are ~$173K under budget, primarily from lower expenditures in capital projects and payroll) Items from the Finance Committee:
R&R Update Projections show 2021 requirements at a little under $140K. Five-year full funding is about $1.2M; projections show we will reach full-funded status by 2027, but this is likely to be sooner if we have annual surpluses. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
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