Old Mill HOA Annual Meeting
March 15, 2022, 7:00pm
Officers present: Rob Ray, Kristin Stair, Elizabeth Waguespack, Donna Sanders, Derrick Guillory, Scott Padgett, Damian Manning
There were 43 HOA members present.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:09pm by Old Mill HOA President Rob Ray. He introduced the officer team and provided a brief welcome.
Financial Statement
The annual financial statement from the 2021-2022 year was presented by Donna Sanders, Old Mill HOA Treasurer. For the 2021-2022 year, there were $89,000 in expenses which included regular expenses as well as hurricane damage repairs and replacement parts for the pool. $57,000 was received in insurance funding and another $8,000 will be coming in since the hurricane repair work is complete. Rob Ray highlighted a few of the budget items to review the use of funds that were spent on larger projects. The proposed 22-23 budget was also presented and included increases in several utilities and routine expenses as well as an increase in insurance costs and the inclusion of QuickBooks as a new expense.
Donna anticipates that $63,000 will be the standard operating costs for this year.
It was asked by a homeowner if the fencing that was replaced was covered by insurance. It was clarified that insurance paid for most of the fencing but not all of it due to depreciation.
It was also asked if any of the officers had asked other subdivisions with pools who they are using for insurance. Officers indicated that they had not yet, but that the broker was also managing other similar HOA properties. The board was asked to clarify exactly how much the new insurance will be. Donna reported that the new insurance will be just over $10,000, however she budget more to allow for any insurance increases that might come over the course of the year.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the budget.
With no objections, the motion passed.
Homeowner Concerns, Comments and Suggestions.
After presentation of the budget, time was allocated for homeowners to discuss some of the concerns or questions they may have regarding the HOA or the HOA management.
Video Monitor in the Hallway
A homeowner expressed concerns about the video camera monitor in the hallway and that the monitor was an invasion of privacy and a concern for some residents. It was discussed that the purpose of the monitor was to notify others who might be in the pool area that the area is being monitored by video and this monitor was added after increased instances of people who are not a part of the subdivision approaching that area. Discussion was made that cameras are essential for security and that they do not need to be removed.
After initial discussion, a motion was made and seconded that the monitor be removed from the hallway.
The motion passed
A second motion was made that at least two board members who are not from the same household be present to check the cameras anytime that video footage needs to be reviewed by the board.
The motion was seconded
The motion passed
Trees on the Pond
A homeowner asked if the trees on the pond could be removed, they said that they were not only falling into the pond, but that the land around them is not being maintained. Kristin Stair gave an update on the discussion that had been had with the homeowners from those properties. She shared that she had a meeting schedule with the homeowners and a tree and landscaping professional, but it had to be cancelled due to the hurricane. She discussed that it was something that the board members who are continuing on the board next year are aware of and will be picking up, and that there is a need for an assessment to the total property to try to help mediate the discussion with the homeowners.
Rob Ray reminded the group that the backfill allowance will no longer be available after the next two years, and that the allowance for that funding will no longer be carried in the HOA budget after that time.
Minors Driving Golf Carts
Residents expressed concerns about the unsupervised children driving golf carts.
It was discussed that that the HOA cannot enforce those rules, but they can add awareness with signage as well as through social media posts.
The group was reminded that the roads in our subdivision are not private, so for instances like these, local law enforcement should be called.
Updates to the Lift Pump Fences
A resident thanked Derrick for repairing the fence on the lift station
Hwy 73 Truck Traffic and Breaking
It was brought up that the traffic noise has increased substantially for the houses along highway 73. A residents asked if the HOA has any political connections to talk with Parish Councilmen or other elected officials about Hwy 73 being a no-truck or no jake break sign route.
It was discussed that it might be helpful to go to the state highway officials rather than parish officials to see what can be done.
Pool coverage
It was asked by a resident why the pool did not get covered this year. Derrick talked about the conversation he had with the pool maintenance person and how the hurricane, the pumps being out, and difficulties with the pool service provider all impacted the pool this year.
He discussed the new company that is managing the pool and that the pool should be ready April 1. It will be up to the board to decide an opening date at that point.
Work hours not being counted
A homeowner askedabout work hoursthat they submitted during the hurricane not being counted.
The process for typical work hours was outlined by the officers. Typically, hours are approved in advance and then those hours documented and shared with the Treasurer so they have a record of those hours and can calculate dues.
Work hours were not submitted to that board member right after the hurricane and when that board member that talked with the homeowners resigned a few months later, a record of the approval was not saved with the Treasurer. When the hours were dropped off with a current officer in March, the board reached out to the board member who resigned and he expressed that he did not know which houses were involved in the actual clean-up and how long the work took, but he did identify the three individuals who initially approached him for approval. Because the board did not have any hours recorded or verification of how long the project took, they granted 5 hours to all of the residents that were submitted on the list instead of the 10 hours that was originally submitted trying to be fair to those who indicated that they worked but not being able to verify 10 hours.
Other homeowners who attended the annual meeting spoke in favor of the hours being counted in full and that if someone reported hours, they should be allowed to count them. The process for collecting those hours was unusual because of the Hurricane and that an exemption should be made for this group of hours to be granted, even though the usual process was not in place to verify those hours.
It was moved to approve the work hours for the 5 houses who each submitted the 10 hours of labor to the board.
The motion was seconded
The motion passed
Election of Officers
After a call for nominations from the floor, the following officers were nominated to run for the board.
Chris Chalmers
Alberta Gauthier
Derrick Guillory
Chris Mudge
Rick Munch
Scott Padgett
Rob Ray
Donna Sanders
Andrea Wilson
Heather Lukse
Allison Mitchell
After a ballot vote, the following officers were elected to serve on the 2022-2023 Old Mill HOA Board:
Derrick Guillory 37 votes
Heather Lukse 33 votes
Scott Padgett 32 votes
Chris Chalmers 29 votes
Alberta Gauthier 28 votes
Donna Sanders 25 votes
Allison Mitchell 23 votesRob Ray 22 votes
Adjournment
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:01 pm.
Submitted by:
Kristin Stair
Old Mill HOA Secretary 2021-2022