MVHA Annual Meeting Minutes Draft. May 9, 2017

Transcription

1 MVHA Annual Meeting Minutes Draft Motions made and carried: May 9, Motion to go out of order to let Corporal Sunny Allen, our New Castle County Police officer, address the meeting before her allotted time per agenda order. 2. Motion to return to the agenda order. 3. The Minutes of the previous year s Annual Meeting in May 2016 were approved. 4. Motion made to move discussion ahead to the agenda item discussing Bylaws 5. Motion made to close the discussion on Bylaws and return to order. 6. Minutes from meetings, including the Annual Meeting in draft form until approved at the subsequent year s Annual Meeting, are to be placed on the website. 7. Motion made to approve the slate of Board members comprising Vice President Elaine Woerner, the Treasurer Valerie M. Carr, the Secretary Bonnie Falchuk-Baker, and James Baker, at-large Board member.

2 The meeting was called to order by President Ben Kisielewski. The attendees were welcomed to the meeting and the Board members present (Jim Baker, Valerie Carr, Bonnie Falchuk- Baker, Ben Kisielewski, George Jardine for Catherine Jardine, Cheryl Markiewicz, Janet Pfaff, and Elaine Woerner) introduced themselves. Mark Blake of A2Z Property Management facilitated the meeting, requesting that Corporal Allen be allowed to speak before her allotted time. Corporal Allen stated that for a neighborhood of its size, Mendenhall Village has few 911 calls indeed. The recent spate of car ransackings and incidents of kids throwing rocks at cars were mentioned. Corporal Allen gave out the non-emergency police number ( ) and stated that for giving tips, it has a faster response time than the County phone app. As our parks close at dusk, she recommended calling the nonemergency line if people are hanging out in them after dark. The anti-soliciting rule does not carry the weight of law. Residents should ask solicitors to leave, and if they do not, they are trespassing. There is a law against that. Following Corporal Allen, President Ben Kiesielewski addressed the meeting. He emphasized the level of services the landscaping and snow removing company are providing, as well as the progress being made to keep our neighborhood looking

3 good. Vice President Elaine Woerner mentioned efforts to keep property values high that we can all do things as simple as keeping trash cans removed from street view have an impact on potential buyers. She pointed out that architectural requests take a bit of time do not submit them on the day you intend to begin a project! Vice President Janet Pfaff, who maintains the stocking of Dog Pots with bags, noted the improvement in keeping the walkway along Village Drive free of dog waste. In her role as architectural chair for townhouses, she mentioned a potential addition of colors to the shutter and entry door choices. The Secretary read the Minutes from the previous year s meeting, which were subsequently approved. Topics brought up by residents and discussed at length include the posting of minutes on the website, which was subsequently approved. The question of whether to have an audit was discussed, and the roles of the Board and property management company in running the neighborhood were outlined. The necessity of employing a management company generated discussion of the pros and cons of doing so. The need for clarification of the several versions of Bylaws and Deed Restrictions was a recurring theme, as it determines how things are done and decided. This issue is being addressed by a local law firm well versed in our bylaw history. The Treasurer

4 asked for patience as the law firm reads and makes sense of the many iterations of our bylaws and deed restrictions. In the course of the year, the Board will consider the law firm s recommendations regarding the governing documents. At some point, a meeting of residents on this topic may be in order. In discussing the Annual Budget of $172,800.00, Joe Hackman of A2Z mentioned the surplus which a relatively mild winter has brought us. Years of budgeting for the wild card of snow removal has shown that $75, is a good benchmark for that need. In some years, it is exceeded; in others, it is the cushion for one-time projects or building of a surplus. A reserve account is to be formed to keep that money apart from the operating expenses. The Treasurer pointed out that the budget is reasonable given the costs of services we need. Dues remain at $ per household per year, discounted by 20% to $ if paid on time. Cutting the dollar amount of the assessment was suggested if several mild winters generate more surplus. The Treasurer pointed out the projects (as opposed to operating costs) that may loom in years to come, and suggested keeping a level dues amount. The dues are not an excessive amount for a neighborhood with a maintenance corporation.

5 The dues exemption for Board members in the bylaws was discussed. Monthly meetings are held (with the exception of summer months and May, in which the Annual meeting falls) on the second Wednesday of the month at the Berkshire Hathaway office at Lantana Square shopping center at 7:00 pm. Notice of Board meetings is also provided on the website. All residents are welcome to attend, and to consider filling some of the empty at-large openings on the Board. The proposed additions to the colors for townhouse and single family house shutters and entry doors was not presented due to the length of the meeting. The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted by the Secretary Bonnie Falchuk-Baker