2020OctoberMinutes

BFCA teleconference meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Mike McCrea, President; Llona Geiger, Vice President; Tracie Priest, Director.

Margaret Stephens, Secretary; Ben Clark, Treasurer. Association Members — Mario Lopez, Maritza Mousa, Sue Dinges, Frank Roycraft, David Flowers, Angela Cooke.

Meeting called to order at 6:09 PM via teleconference on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

Agenda changes:

The agenda was re-ordered. The Proposed 2021 Budget and Assessment topic was made the first topic of the Discussion of Issues by Board and Association Members section. Mike added a discussion about Trick-or-Treating. No other changes were requested, and the agenda was approved.

President’s Report – Mike McCrea

Since the August call, here is a summary of things that your board have been working on:

TPAM sent out our resident contact letter at the beginning of September. A copy was sent to all residents living in the forest as well as remote homeowners. The letter is also posted to our Forms and Documents page on the website.
The city performed our annual Stormwater Permit inspection in August. No issues were reported.
The alligator is still seen in the pond from time to time. Unfortunately, trapping will not be done unless the gator is over 4 feet long.
Continued evidence of beaver activity led to hiring our trapper for a month of service at the beginning of September. To date there have been no captures, but the trapper also noted no signs of new activity. He will keep the traps in for a while longer to be certain.
Storm season did not have a major impact on the neighborhood. A few trees have succumbed to wind and rain, both on private and public grounds. Hopefully, Delta is the last major storm we face this year.
City Engineers have confirmed that the rescoped boardwalk project at the little pond should qualify for a permit waiver. TPAM is submitting revised paperwork to get the waiver. Once received, construction of the boardwalk will be able to resume.

Treasurer’s Report – Ben Clark

Click here for the Treasurer’s Report

Ben reported that spending is inline for the year. September is not reconciled yet, but for July/August there was a $2700 cost for beaver trapping and $4500 for tree removal to note.

ACC report (Mike on behalf of Bill Walter)

Since our August meeting, the following requests were approved:

1714 Silverwood – Driveway repair
1746 Silverwood – New fence
1730 Nestlewood – Lattice replacement
1705 Silverwood – House painting
1722 Silverwood – House trim
1727 Brookside – House painting
1734 Nestlewood – Awning
1719 Brookside – House painting

Proposed 2021 Budget and 2021 Assessment

Mike presented budgets using a $400 and $450 annual assessment figure for review and discussion. Copies were attached to the association-wide email announcing the teleconference agenda. The $450 budget was displayed on the teleconference, as it was identical to the $400 budget, except for an additional line item of $6550 for gazebo repairs.

Click here for proposed budget at 400 assessment

Click here for proposed budget at 450 assessment

Mike added that both budget proposals are based on no contribution to the emergency fund.

Llona provided clarification on the pond project in that it is a multi-year project. She asked if funds were appropriated to go ahead with it in the future. Mike said confirmed that we have 31K on the project and we may have sufficient funds depending on what decisions are made.

Sue Dinges stated that the gazebo estimate of $6500 seemed high for such a small space and suggested a $350 assessment. Maritza Mousa agreed. Mike said he thinks the estimate is high because of its remote location.

Llona moved to adopt the $400 assessment and proposed budget for 2021 and Tracie seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Storm Damage to Boardwalk

A tree fell along the long boardwalk during one of the September storms. The tree fell across one of the bridges spanning our creekbed, but water is still flowing. AAA Tree Experts will be out to cut the tree and remove it from the bridge debris on Friday, October 16. Triple B Services have provided an estimate for the bridge repair, which included the tree removal, for $7020.00. Mike noted that they confirmed the price will be reduced to account for the work already done. Mike moved that the proposal be accepted, and Llona seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Llona suggested after the motion passed that the board might investigate filing a claim on our community insurance policy when property damage occurs. Mike advised he would look into the policy after the call.

Triple B also provided an estimate to repair the gazebo bridge. The project will extend the ramp onto land instead of relying on footings and beams in the storm drainage area that feeds into the pond. The proposal for the work to be done is $10,200.00. Tracie asked if the bridge is on community ground, and Mike confirmed that it is. She recommended placing stakes at the property boundary. Mike moved to accept Triple B’s proposal for the bridge replacement, Llona seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Nomination Committee

Our bylaws require the committee to be chaired by a board member and to have at least two other association members. Llona’s term ends this year and a new board member must be elected. Tracie has volunteered to chair the nomination committee. If you are interested in serving, contact Tracie or send a note to the board using our contact page on the website. We will send a call for nominations by email, so be sure that your contact information is up to date.

Llona mentioned that timing is important and TPAM needs enough time to mail out the ballots. Mike advised that he already had a timeline in place following last year’s process. Tracie asked about signatures on mail in ballots. The board will investigate options to make ballots copy-protected to reduce the likelihood of duplicate ballot or fraud.

Tree Cutting Fine

Earlier this year, a number of trees were cut without authorization at 1751 Brookside. If you recall, notice was sent to the homeowner, Ms. Harriette Hudson, and she attended the April call to apologize. Over the past months, our attorney has attempted to coordinate with her and her attorney to resolve the violation. Our attorney recently confirmed that attempts to establish contact are not being returned, and progress toward resolution is not moving forward.

In all, 6 of the trees cut were in violation of our covenants. The total circumference of the trees totaled 174.75 inches, resulting in a fine of $26,212.50. In order to move forward with enforcement of the violation, the board must vote to approve the fine. If it is approved, the homeowner will be notified of the fine and have 14 days to request review by a fining review committee. If requested, the committee would decide whether the fine is warranted.

Tracie expressed concern over the amount of the fine and noted that a few of the trees are sprouting new growth. Llona stated that the Board has a duty to enforce the covenants, and not doing so would cause the board to lose credibility and the ability to enforce violations in the future.

Mario asked Mike if this property is next door to him, and he replied yes.

Mike moved that the fine be approved by the board. Llona seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Suspension of Voting Rights for Delinquent Members

Florida statute and our bylaws allow for the voting rights of members with a delinquent balance over 90 days to have their voting rights suspended. If the board approves such an action, the member will be notified by mail of the action. Suspended voters do not count toward quorum requirements at an election.

Mike moved that any member with a $500 balance that is 90 days or more past-due at the time of election have their voting right suspended. Llona asked to amend the motion to state any member with a balance equal to a full year’s assessment that is 90 days or more past due at the time of election have their voting right suspended. Mike accepted the amendment and seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Annual Meeting Venue

Since April, Board meetings have been conducted solely by teleconference. This was initially due to the widespread shutdown of public meeting places, but more recently has been more for convenience and general safety more than necessity. Our Annual Meeting in January will need to be held in a public facility, since we must prepare for an election and ballot counting. Hilaman has confirmed that their site presently is available and would allow up to 50 patrons during evening hours. Masks would be required. If situations change, we will have to arrange for some other public meeting to allow for nominations and/or votes to be tallied.

Based on conversation during the conference call, the Annual Meeting will be held at Hilaman Golf Course Clubhouse with a teleconference option for those who prefer not to attend in person.

Add-On: Trick or Treating

The board will not restrict residents from participating in Trick or Treating on October 31. Please observe any restrictions placed by local authorities and take precautions to promote distancing and health.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:47 pm.