All-Community
Decisions:
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: Budget. No decisions.
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics:
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: Fencing backyard of #25 approved, with amendments; Scott Dixon will build, gate to #23's yard put in by S&R, removable panel and hinged gate on east.
Topics: Topics: Role of Proxies in Consensus
Discussion: 2Discussion: Proposal, Fence #25
All-Community
Decisions: Decision: Keep undivided interest as it is. No decision on fence.
Topics:
Discussion: 1Discussion: Undivided interest. Fence #25
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: No decisions.
Topics: Topics: Committee budget requests.
Discussion: Discussion: Decks & undivided interest; fence behind #25.
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: Definition of participation requirements to go in Rules & Regs not Bylaws. Mgt nominations are by petition or at annual meeting. Mgt quorum is four. Remove reference to Roberts RoO. Mgt president may delegate signature authority. Mgt company (if used) may contract 5% of budget.
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R Topics: Budget requests, planning for budget discussion.
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Other topics: play structures; brief presentation by Justin about solar panels; field trip to view central path edges
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R deck factor in undivided interest.
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: CC&R won't require permission for storm or screen doors. Don't need a clause allowing Mgt to grant easement to residents who own neighboring properties.
Topics: Topics: deck factor, pay-or-play position in governing docs, storm doors, easements, default budget increase
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R revisions. Presentation by insurance agent
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: see text for requested clarifications, marked "::"; Offer one Italian plum tree behind east carport to Urban Lunchbox for picking.
Topics: Additional Topics: fruit trees
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R schedule of maintenance responsibilities
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: Ownership is limited to two units. Owners are required to provide mortgage/encumbrance info to Mgt. Give authority to charge a fee for new tenants.
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R
All-Community
Decisions: Decisions: CC&R - Make pronouns inclusive, e.g., his/her.
- Change Article VIII-e: "No Unit Owner is permitted to list his/her unit with short-term rental or housing exchange organizations such as Air BNB "
- Article VIII-f: " for at least two years. any unit Owner who already lives in [strike or owns] in a Unit shall be exempt."
- Ask attorney for clearer definition of ownership interest.
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: CC&R rental language
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics:
Discussion: Discussion: maintenance task sign-up, topical discussion meetings
All-Community
Decisions: more ducks not approved
Topics: Topics: CC&R.
Discussion: Discussion: More ducks.
Proposal: more ducks
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: announcements & reports only; no discussion
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Topics: Parking
Discussion: Discussion: Vision & values, goals, making time to discuss issues
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: topics: National Cohousing Day open house. Rocks & garden tools. Ad hoc for guest room policy. Community vs home-owner responsibilities in CC&R.
Discussion: Discussion : Current recycling policies
All-Community
Decisions:
Topics: Minor topic: National Cohousing Day tour; brick removing work party
Discussion: Discussion Topic: Guest room policy
annual
Decisions: Present: Kathy A (fac), Maxine, Esther, Mike, Vicky, Annalise, Melanie, Becca, Karen, Linda WG, Naomi, Ben, Kellie, Lynda, Sara, Mary, Susan, Richard, Mark, Marina, Scott, Elaine, Myste, Linda R, Shawnie, Kay (notes), Ford, Alex
Units #2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26
Topics:
Discussion: Decisions: 4.7% budget increase, deck-roof maintenance to be done by residents, pay bookkeeping expenses but not salary this year, distribution of $400 unassigned amount to be decided by Management.
annual
Decisions: Decision: Kellie Henderson and John Garrison are elected to Management for 2018 & 2019. Rebecca Smith is elected as Renters Rep for 2018. No decision on budget.
Topics:
Discussion: election, budget
Proposal: 2018 Budget
Gift Exchange: after potluck this evening, bring a wrapped white elephant or a regift. Rules:
Draw numbers for order to pick a gift. After the first person picks a package, each person has a choice, either choose a package or "steal" a gift that someone else got. If someone steals your gift, you pick a gift or steal one. Gifts may be stolen only three times.
National Cohousing Open House, April 27. Vicky passed around sign-up for planning for open house & for 20th anniversary for community. Do we want to combine the two?
Community retreat will be late February or early March. Facilitator will be Yana(?) Ludwig from Laramie.
Lightbulb exchange at Unity Center, to desk. Bring a bulb that isn't energy-efficient and they will trade you one that is. For 84104 zip code only.
For 84104 & 84106 codes, free energy assessment of house for insulation etc.
Craft lessons at Pioneer Craft House. Small charge. Sponsored by county. See mailroom bulletin board for more info.
KUED has a new channel for crafts.
Mel & Annalise will take glass recycling.
Jam Club: Please return jam survey. Jam deliveries will be soon.
Will do orientations for Corina #21 & Brian #25.
North Field: Meeting January 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m. If interested in working with chickens even if no interest in garden, get in touch with Victor.
The first January meeting is the Annual Meeting. Will have management nominations & elections. The only requirement for being on Management is to be an owner, except for a
Renters Rep chosen by renters. One vote per household for each position that is open. Be thinking about whether you are willing to be nominated.
Linda R will email a file describing Management duties & election process. Meetings twice a month, days to be selected by Management. Management is responsible for the community's financial, legal, and maintenance needs. However, you don't need to be on Management to help with those things. Be conscientious about reading Management email & attending meetings. Staying on Kellie & John. Going off Kay, Lynda, Ben, & Becca (r.rep.). Lynda is not interested in running again. Shout-out thanking Management.
Will be bringing a proposal to swap land with Hans for discussion/decision at the second January meeting. We receive the area inside the fences that is over the orchard property line, & he receives a strip of land south of the common house next to the Noorda driveway, less land than he is trading us. Waiting to get measurements from surveyor & financial details from Hans. Please look at the staked outline of the land to be exchanged behind the common house and behind south units. Hans will file a new plat for his land; it appears we don't need to. We will split the cost of the survey & filing with Hans & the other neighbor that he is trading land with because of fence location. His plan is to tear the Noorda house down and use the land for urban farming.
John has sent out the latest draft of the CC&Rs. Please review them. We will be voting on them at the meeting on February 13. Would people like to hold discussions groups before that?
Passed out copies of balance sheet. Please read Ben's email. Mgt has created a draft with starting numbers for 2019. Displayed draft on the TV. Columns for 2019 proposed numbers, committee requests, 2018 actual, & 2018 budget.
The community has two accounts, Chase Bank checking & Goldman Sachs Spark account reserve. We have $20K in checking, $60K in reserve. The reserve is in a savings account, getting 1.75%. Mgt is talking about a ladder of cds to get a higher return. We didn't accomplish some repairs we had planned for this year so reserve is higher than we planned to end the year with.
Actuals for 2018 are very close to 2018 budget. $78 positive currently.
There is one unit seriously behind on fees. That money gets counted as income in the budget even though it hasn't been paid, so nobody else pays extra because of it. Two units that still owed the special assessment last year have caught up.
Donations for c.h. use are shown as income "receipts to offset c.h. expenses". 2018 budget was
$600, year to date $690. We are a nonprofit but not a charitable 501c(3) and we are not tax-exempt.
Last year took about $4K unspent 2017 money that we used towards 2018 budget.
Water usage went $3200 over budget (double normal), mostly on the east meter. Mgt is looking at installing meters to segregate areas & get an idea where water is being used/misused. Storage bin: Look into well permits again. City will come to water survey upon request, but water needs to be on, which will be probably May. USU has an extension program that checks on water usage and gives advice. Volunteer to arrange?
Landscaping isn't listed with committee budgets because like maintenance it isn't really a discretionary expense.
Will have some expensive stucco repairs during 2019. It wasn't anticipated in the reserve analysis.
We save a lot on maintenance by having Mary work with Mike MacD.
Snow removal actual $180 is considerably under its budget of $600. Last several years have spent around $400. Paying $80/plowing.
For 2019, budgeting $5K for legal fees for boundary dispute & for CC&R revision.
Bookkeeping. Linda R offers to accept no pay, just occasional refund for ink cartridge. Some residents object; we'd pay more for inferior work if she wasn't doing our books. QuickBooks
~$45/month. Ben will call them to see if we can negotiate better price. Online version has advantages over desktop version.
Requesting funds for childcare so parents of young children can attend meetings.
$10/hr from community, parents pay tip. Unlike some initiatives intended to increase attendance, this only takes effect if it actually does affect attendance; no attendance, no childcare paid out.
Child infrastructure $500 to repair play structure, required by insurance company.
money for retreat, meeting snacks.
Celebrations $400, extra because anniversary party.
$100 binders (DI), copying, a little towards anniversary party. Two units for sale in spring.
Cohousing.org requests a donation of $650 (based on # of units). We get benefits from them.
It has been in the budget for several years but we have raised it by private donations matched by Hans. We could cut it on grounds this is a lean year. (When is it not a lean year?) Perhaps put donation at $325 as matching funds for individual donations.
Underutilized space $600, exercise equipment.
North Field $500. Hoping to purchase trellises from Cannons.
Jam Club self-funded this year. Encourage committees to follow Jam Club's example & do fund raisers.
[Note by minute-taker: No budgets requested by Communications or by East Garden. Kay is paying domain and hosting fee for website.]
Committees budgets reduced now could be adjusted if we settle legal matters without needing full $5K of professional fees, or get water bill under control, etc.
Committees, please look at budget request and see how they can be made more frugal. Cuts will be needed to keep percentage increase in budget low. Get new requests to Management this week.
To get to only a 3% increase, need to cut $4100. To achieve an increase of 4% we would need to cut $2700.
Jan 2 topic discussion meeting at 7pm to address how the community wants to use the North Garden. The committee would like to continue to use it for gardening but want to keep open the possibilities of use.
Annalise created a poster for community to post ideas no matter how wild on what the space could look like.
Met last night 12/11/18. Could not come to an agreement how to move forward so leaving suggestions open
All receipts are due before the end of the year annual meeting. Reimbursement forms on a clipboard in the Common House Hall.
Management Committee: three new members and renter's rep will be elected at our annual meeting in January.
Hans has marked both the existing border and proposed new border. Gracie took a video documenting the string that has been installed. For next ACM, a proposal will be presented that a section of land (along the S border of Wasatch Commons adjacent to the current Noorda drive and garage) be offered to Hans in exchange for the fenced land space that is in question. There is a white string demarking this area. +The fenced areas located on a select number of Wacoho Units encroach on Hans' property by 292 sq feet. The property being proposed to be swapped for the encroached land is 267 sq. ft.
This proposal seeks to retain the existing fences, and offer Hans other land to substitute what was absorbed by the fences.
Another proposal is to have a Waiver signed that would require any other future owners of the Units whose fenced backyards encroach on Hans' to remove the fence and resituate them to reflect the actual boundary line.
Other ideas or suggestions should be forwarded to Management to talk it out.
Win-win ideas are most ideal.
As a beginning of our efforts to become more effective in using consensus, we watched the first 15 minutes of Introduction to Consensus: WebChat4: Introduction to Consensus (Please take time to watch this video; the chart that the speaker refers to can be found in the Process Committee folder in the filing cabinet by the desk.)
Consensus as not just a decision making process but part of worldview and culture. We need better training in the practice of blocking, heading concerns. Some issues have legal voting parameters such as election of management committee, passage of budget, and approval of CC&R's. We first attempt to reach a decision by consensus if not we revert to lesser way of decision-making--voting.
Some comments from the group after watching the video; these are various opinions presented in no particular order reflecting the thoughts of those in the group; no decisions were made:
Notes compiled by Alex and Kathy
Subject: Re: [WaCoHo] Notes from 12/12/18
ACM Nov. 25 -- were the minutes corrected, as I requested? show that I was present and 3 of us present raised deck decision issue asking to revisit that decision.
ACM Dec. 12 Common House Guidelines Committee:
"Could not come to an agreement how to move forward so leaving suggestions open" This is not accurate at all. I submitted meeting report in writing before ACM, for use in ACM.
Consensus -- at Nov 25 ACM - 3 things suggested
Chart -- simple instruction sheet, one page show process clear rules on voting and consensus for all decisions
Access-- all members able to participate in decision process including not in person, via face time
Change -- improve, refine, more accurate process some aspects of consensus have been problematic limited to people present; confused use of stand aside, & block
Sincerely, M -- #15
Saturday 6:00 potluck, 7:00 slideshow by returned Peace Corps group. Victor will show his slides from Lesotho, plus two other returnees.
Wednesday morning 11:00 to 8:00, through Saturday, art show at This Is The Place State Park, includes Elaine's work.
Dec 8 caroling starts at 6:00 p.m. Meet at the common house.
Tomorrow, cohousing.org webinar about plans for coming year. Dec 6, Thursday 6:00 webinar at common house.
Swap-meet at Kathy's church, First Unitarian. Drop off donations Friday at Kathy's house.
Donations must fit in her car. Anyone is welcome to attend 8:00-noon. Clothes, working electronics, kitchen stuff.
Please submit receipts for reimbursement before the end of the year.
Joe & Lila are here to learn more about the community. The webinars would be an excellent resource for anyone considering the community. Storage bin, donation to cohousing.org.
North Garden. Victor is trying to schedule a meeting.
Light straight across from c.h. is repaired. Steve fell while he was working, which is an illustration of why we need to use licensed insured contractors. There should always be someone with Steve when he is working (and learn from him).
The drier is fixed. Shout-out: Repairman said we are cleaning the lint filters well, which is a common source of trouble. The self-cleaning feature on the c.h. ovens can overheat and automatically shut-off prematurely.
Will be doing some formal training for the community on the consensus process.
Three stages of decisionmaking: seek understanding, explore, make a decision. Reports are an example of the first stage; discussion includes the second. Three options in a decision: This is what I want; I have reservations but I'm willing for the community to go ahead; this will interfere with the organization's aims.
Plants purchased at closeout are still being put in, maybe ten more. If you are willing to help, let Mary know when you are available; her schedule is very flexible. Best way to contact her is by phone hm (801) 887-7185 or c (801) 580-8363, or knock on the door.
Shout Out: $200 check from credit card rebate.
Revised proposal has been sent out. Maxine would like to wait until everybody has a chance to read it before it gets discussed. People who would like to meet before then: Maxine, Kay, Marina, Scott, Elaine.
Lauren is the new owner of #25, as of Nov 6.
Hans says the panels like the existing fences are no longer available. Scott D will make the fence to resemble them.
A lot of the stuff in the proposal is background or rationale. Since it doesn't affect the actual proposed action(s), it doesn't need to be "corrected".
Kathy left 4:15. She declined to offer an opinion on the proposal but said she had no objections.
This proposal is to okay that the fence can go in, not exactly where.
The south side of the fence will be inside the property line, on our side. A fence needs to be on the property of the property owner putting up the fence, not straddling the property line.
Several people expressed a strong preference that the fence should be as close to the property line as possible, an inch or two away, not feet.
The surveyor who marked Hans's property put marks at the east and west ends of the property line. The exact boundary right at the fences isn't marked. The dispute about fences being over the property line is mostly the two further west behind Cheryl's & Lynda's & doesn't include the fence behind Susan's & Richard's,.
The "gate" proposed is an eight-foot wide panel in the east fence, no hinges. It will be heavy and awkward and not easily or casually moved, especially by an older or smaller person. Good for getting heavy equipment or furniture once or twice a year, not so good for a lawnmower every week.
The community needs access to the backyards from our own property, not just from the neighboring property. There aren't side gates currently between the other back yards. Hans has no objection right now to people using the back gates into his field but that it's possible that will change at some point in the future.
Lauren will maintain the fence. If it gets put up in the wrong place, she'll move it. She understand that what is inside the fence is common area.
Three proposed amendments: Clarify that the fence will be built by Scott Dixon. There will be a gate between #23's and #25's back yards, to be put in by Susan & Richard. The east section of fence will have both a large panel that can be removed, and a smaller gate.
Consensus, as amended. Two standasides: Marina and Kay. Marina is concerned about disputes about space between us and Hans. Kay would love a fence and she can't have one.
Debriefing and Discussion of Consensus, especially the Role of Proxies
Should look into technology for letting people attend meetings electronically while traveling.
A few people who sent proxies last ACM misunderstood how a proxy functions in consensus.
The content of the proxy is presented for consideration by the people present, but it does not directly affect the decision, because we don't make decisions by voting, and a proxy can't block.
The proxies were included in the straw polls, and even so option 4, to remove all factors, lost by almost 4:1. The option preferred in the straw poll was proposed for consensus and passed.
Checkout: What about the community is working for you?
Saving the day for each other, give and take. People step up to community needs. People who do homework to figure out problems. Neighbor fixed bicycle, more than once. Sharing food.
Doing laundry because Linda WG got dryer fixed. Neighbors to lend a hand or an ear. Progress one day, one person, one thing at a time. Graciousness. Kindness. Diversity. Patience.
Decorations & get togethers. Jam Club. Looking forward. Anticipating spring flowers. The welcome that is extended. Conversations, hellos, openness to learning about other cultures.
Today is proof that consensus works. Appreciate that this meeting had results.
On Saturday, December 8, 2018 8:29 PM Maxine Hanks wrote:
Subject: Re: [WaCoHo] minutes ACM 2018 11 25
Thanks Kay, for your usual detailed account of the meeting.
One point missing -- 3 of us present (and 2 absent) requested the decision process on decks / undivided interest be revisited -- b/c some info used during the ACM/ decision (reported in
Minutes) was inaccurate, and b/c more than a half dozen members fully believed their proxy vote would count in the consensus. They plus 2 who were present at ACM had sincere concerns about the process of decision making (not simply the outcome). It was acknowledged that there was significant concern, confusion, or objection to how the decision was made -- so we were advised to bring our concern to Process Mtg. to ask for revisiting the decision at ACM.
Maxine #15
Check-in: Why do you live in cohousing?
HOA seminar by law firm vetting our CC&R revision. Saturday Nov 17, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Registration $25 or $30 at door.
Nov 18 Sunday open house 4-6p for Linda's granddaughter Asia. Some former residents, including ex-kids, will be here.
Nov 22 Thanksgiving. Sign-up sheet passed around & posted. Signup so we have a head-count even if you aren't sure yet what you will bring.
December 1, Peace Corps potluck 6:00, slideshow at 7:00.
Caroling Dec 8 Saturday.
Hearing Dec 12 about demolition of Hans's (Noorda) house. Everyone should have gotten a notice in the mail. Residents would like to be given information about potential noise, dust, road closure, etc.
Dec 15 fund raiser for Erika's bus. Alex will sponsor. Tea House & hand-made gift market. Donation for entry. If held in c.h., residents attend free.
Victor will schedule a meeting for the north garden.
Hans is hosting some Democratic Socialists to use guestrooms Nov 30-Dec 2.
Market Sq had 40lb bananas $1.99. Box in mailroom.
Review of Value: Support Growth & Support Reconciliation
When the community was new, monthly fees were the same for every unit, $80 the first year, up a little each year to about $100. (Possible because we didn't do much maintenance, we hadn't set up a capital reserve account, and insurance premiums were unrealistically low.) In about 2002 it changed to something similar to the current formula except no factors. Factors were added in 2012.
Half of the total annual budget is divided evenly among all units. The other half is divided up based on the square footage (or weighted square footage with factors) of a unit divided by the total square footage of all units, which is 3 to 4% each, adding up to
100%. These percentages are the "undivided ownership interest".
Option 1. Current factors but corrected sq ft #9
2. Eliminate deck factor
3. Adjust deck factor to add deck square footage without doubling it
4. Eliminate all special factors, including carports
Handout with options and estimates of change in monthly fees for each unit. Only column 4 is different from the table at the last meeting.
Someone asked if they can get out of the deck factor by removing their deckboards.
No, the factor is because of the flat roof. If anything, the boards protect it.
It took 104 hrs by community residents to clean decks. Paying for this to be done once every three years would eat up the entire amount brought in by the deck factor.
Thanks and praise to Mike W for leading the cleaning under the decks this year, and to everyone who helped.
Trees above the deck affect how often it needs to be cleaned. The Russian olive over
Lynda's deck has leaves that curl up very small and filter between the planks. That deck might need cleaning under more often, decks with no trees less.
Since we justify the factors based on expected maintenance and repair costs, maybe the money raised by the factors should go into the reserve instead of the operating budget.
The square footage of (for instance) a loft doesn't add anything to the community's costs, yet it does increase a unit's fees. It doesn't seem fair that a deck owner wouldn't pay extra for space that does cost the community extra maintenance.
A deck makes a unit more valuable, but that doesn't affect the community's costs.
The deck factor committee concluded that the decks don't cost extra and therefore the owners shouldn't pay extra. If the decks don't cost extra, therefore nobody has to pay extra if the deck owners don't pay extra. Frustrated by the fact we hear different numbers every time this is discussed.
It's hard to understand and compare numbers from hearing them. Easier if they are laid out in writing to be compared.
If deck owners pay less, but nobody else pays more, it doesn't decrease our budget, it leaves a hole in it. Fees are based on the annual budget, not the other way around.
Although the factors aren't based on precise measurements of costs, just because we can't accurately predict all future costs doesn't mean we should not attempt to make any predictions.
Like option #4 because it's simple. Trying to calculate exactly what everything costs and apportion it fairly is a slippery slope.
We asked for everyone who felt strongly about this to meet and discuss it. They didn't.
This is now the third (fourth?) ACM we've talked about it, and we're still going back over the same ground. Why are we spending so much time on a difference of only a few dollars?
If people aren't comfortable with the decision, we can revisit it in the future. Changing only the table in the CC&R won't cost as much for a lawyer to review.
Can you live with this option?
Option 1: 15 yeses. 2. 7 yeses. 3. 12 yeses. 4. 11 yeses
Eliminate option 2.
Straw poll. Which option is your first choice?
Option 1. 15 yeses.
Option 4. 4 yeses.
Mini-mutiny regarding square footage. All options change unit 9 square footage. If one unit gets its square footage corrected, others should have the opportunity. All are probably wrong. The blueprints show the layouts before changes. All units should have their square footage measured the same way. What's a deadline for correcting square footage?
Proposed: Option Zero. No changes from status quo, including no change for #9's square footage.
Consensed. Stand asides from Elaine (good for John & Linda if they had the moxie to get theirs measured) & Shawnie (the proxies all prefer #4)
Stand-asides from Myste & Kay.
Block from Mary. Objection to the proposal being brought by someone who is selling the property. Hans said it was needed to make the sale, which feels like blackmail. [Left meeting.]
Lauren said at the last meeting that it isn't a condition of the sale. She has closed on the unit. Her name is on the proposal, although she didn't write it.
Should someone who hasn't lived here be asking for a change of this magnitude?
Don't feel good about going ahead with this proposal with someone having left the meeting upset.
No decision.
Committee budgets are due November 1. Email to [mgt email] or give to any member of Management.
Next Thursday, cohousing webinar on consensus. Vicky will bring her laptop to the c.h. so people interested can listen and discuss as a group .
December 1, Peace Corps potluck 6:00, slideshow at 7:00. Victor (who was in Lesotho) and two other people will present.
December 8 Christmas caroling.
January 25 weekend, foreign exchange students. Friday 3:30 arrival. Saturday evening potluck & presentation.
Ceremonial unboxing after ACM of snowblower than Myste won a drawing for, new electric snowblower with trade-in of an old gas one.
Kenmore dryer is making a lot of noise. Need a volunteer to call for repair.
Value: Safety.
Shout-outs. Pumpkin carving, dog care, replacing smoke detector, design out of different-colored leaves, speaker loan, snow blower, jam club.
Apologies for totally full dumpster. Trimming branches away from east carport solar, neighbor's trees trimmed w his permission.
Budget Requests are due November 1. Kay presented an example of a Committee
Annual Report and Budget Request. Elements to include are: a) the name of the committee requesting the budget, b) who is on the committee, c) highlights of committee accomplishments during the ending year, d) projects planned for the coming year, e) purchases planned to carry out those projects, f) how much funding is needed, and g) explain anything that needs explaining.
Discussion: Undivided interest (Factor for Desk Roofs)
The ad hoc deck factor committee is recommending that deck owners not be charged extra.
The deck factor brings in $1330 annually, about $9/unit/month. It took 104 hours to clean deck roofs this year. At $30/hr that would cost ~$3K. Thus money brought in by the deck factor would pay for a hired cleaning every three years.
Four options for change in desk factor were presented:
Half of monthly fees is based on unit square footage, that being an imperfect proxy for costs to the community to maintain the parts of each unit it is responsible for, primarily roofs & walls. The special factors attempt to account for differences in layout that seem likely to increase the cost relative to the square footage, e.g., having a deck, being single story, having no shared walls, having a greenhouse extension.
To be revenue neutral, if some people's share of assessments go down, others will have to go up.
Carports are also a "special factor", although one that affects all units the same way.
The amount that a small unit pays for its carport is a larger percentage of its total than for a large unit, but the same actual dollar amount. A fifth option, not calculated, would be to also remove carports from square footage.
The defect in deck roof construction was gaps that let water drain into the wall underneath. The south-facing decks overhang the windows by a couple of feet and get more sun in the winter, melting off snow. Any defect doesn't seem to cause problems like it did for the north- & east-facing decks that had to have the wall beneath them rebuilt.
Cost of removing/replacing decking is borne by home owner; as an example of cost, Mary paid $100 to get her decking removed.
Lynda's deck had the membrane split probably from the weight of water held by debris build up. Her insurance paid $2K; community paid $9K.
Insurance is different for a flat roof (a "flat" roof is anything less than 17% slope). In commercial projects, insurance on a roof requires a yearly inspection. Scott's experience with commercial properties is that flat roofs always develop leaks. On the other hand, commercial flat roofs don't usually have a deck protecting them.
Suggestion, money collected from deck factor might go into an escrow account to pay for cleaning and potential problems, rather than into the general budget.
Residents can reduce maintenance that will be needed by shoveling snow off deck and vacuuming leaves.
At 5:15, a number of those present aren't ready to make a decision. Lauren can't be at next ACM, so moving fence discussion doesn't work for her. Straw poll whether to continue this discussion now or at the next ACM. Decided to stop discussion now and resume at the next ACM.
This is a preliminary discussion of the proposal. There will be no decision today.
Reasons for wanting a fence: Lauren wants to get a dog, to block the view of the parking lot & to have some privacy. If the fence isn't approved, Lauren will probably still buy, but is not sure. Her contract with Hans is that he gets it installed.
The original 1995 site program said the south units could have fenced back yards.
Drawing of proposed fence handed out. It would go south from the corner of the unit to the boundary, leaving a gap by the workshop. The fence would look the same as the other fences along dog row. It would have a gate on the east (parking lot side).
Nobody goes through this area; it's a dead-end. The only fully common area it abuts is the parking lot.
Hans may fence his field at some time in the future, which would fence the back. At the moment he doesn't plan to do it immediately.
Only outside access to Susan & Richard's backyard is from the orchard, not our land.
There's a section in the fence between the yards that could be replaced with a gate.
Richard & Susan are okay with a gate there, although they don't feel a need for it.
Once the fence was in, it would be hard to fix the grading (to lower dirt around foundation and slope away from the building). Need to do this before the yard is landscaped. A fence would make it harder to get tree-trimming equipment in.
Shared space is a community value. Allowing one unit to have a fence raises the question of why other units are not permitted. Some units have almost no private area outside. The people who do have private areas prize them.
Straw poll regarding fence: One stand aside (Kay), no blocks. No formal decision tonight since proposal wasn't distributed enough in advance.
Pumpkin carving will be probably next week. The north field grew pumpkins. Lynda is coordinating; offer her any suggestions.
Baby shower for Asia on Sunday Oct 18 before potluck. She is registered at Target :& Amazon.
Jam Club: 5:30 Friday apple picking in Mary's field. Saturday morning going to Riverton to press the apples. If you have gallon containers that will work for cider, give them to Kellie.
The Cohousing Association is offering online workshops or webinars, October 10, 18, and 24, November 1 and 14, December 4, and January 8. on subjects such as facilitation, meetings, consensus, and communication.
The AFS exchange students arrived 4:00 Friday and left 4:00 Saturday. They gave a substantial donation. Give Vicky any feedback on the stay. They are interested in using the common house again, possibly ending with a potluck Saturday evening. It would be one of the weekends of Jan 25-26, Feb 1-2 or 8-9.
Anyone wanting to work on common house usage/guest policy, contact Maxine or Renee. They are trying to get something ready for the first November ACM.
To reduce the use of disposables, hand-cloths (purple) have been acquired for napkins. There will be a basket to put them in for laundering after a meal. There are linen napkins for nicer occasions.
Deanna will be doing a Day of the Dead altar. Bring any photos or mementos of deceased loved ones you want included.
Reminder to keep dogs on leash. This month three different community dogs have caused an issue when Annalise's dogs were being walked.
Focus on & finding ways to share why we are here as a community.
Plants being put in, 4 sages on west berm, 3 mtn junipers, half dozen more to go in. Deseret Nursery will be moving and is clearing out stock, 50% off.
Underutilized Spaces & Common House: Marina will be running both committees jointly. She needs someone to help hang the whiteboard cabinet and to get the mat upstairs to the gym.
There's a list of others things to be done to get the gym ready like cleaning or sanding.
First week in April will be observing community's 20th anniversary in conjunction with cohousing event & ukulele concert.
North field: Will have meeting before the 15th. Victor stepped up to deal with a lot of things.
Eggs available for sale.
Will be scheduling a work party to work on play structure. (Note, add Carol's broken gutter to Mgt's agenda.)
Call and response: One person says, "I have a shout-out." Everyone says, "Shout-out, shout- out" and puts up hands with fingers spread. Person says, So-and-so did such-and-such thing
Acknowledged cleaning of common house, name painted on driveways, planting on berms, Mgt & Process's work on CC&R and budget.
Budget requests are due November 1. Submit to [mgt email] or to Kellie. Typed is better than handwritten. Requests should include
An example is below.
CC&R requires election of Mgt and budget approval at one meeting. That doesn't mean we can't hold meetings before that introducing and discussing the budget.
It might smooth the budget process if we split the Annual Meeting into a couple of sessions; clarify and discuss the budget at one meeting, make a decision at another.
Most of the budget we don't have much choice on. Educate people on nondiscretionary line items like insurance and water so people understand how much of the budget is negotiable.
Sometimes projects can't be funded; it doesn't mean they weren't judged worthwhile.
If anyone would like to review the reserve analysis from last year, a copy is available in the office. Make sure you return it please. A reserve analysis is a planning tool like a budget, not a solid prediction. Some expenses will turn out to be less, some will be unexpectedly much higher. If you disagree with a particular part, you need to justify it, because you are disagreeing with an expert professional opinion.
Mgt put out the 2018 budget yet didn't get any feedback until at the meeting. Look at the proposal and think about it before the meeting.
It has been really nice when committees have done progress reports on what they did during the year. It gives a sense of accomplishment.
A few items left to look at, before we request the attorney to incorporate the changes the community has decided on, and then the community consents on the whole before it goes to the banks.
Personal participation: Declaration Article X in the draft says participation requirements will be defined in the Bylaws. There isn't anything in the Bylaws. We either need to draft something now, or change to say participation requirements will be in Rules & Regs. The Bylaws are 10 pages.
:: Consensed. Definition of participation requirement will be in the Rules & Regs.
Note: The CC&R and Bylaws have to be reviewed by an attorney, so it is considerably more trouble to change them than the Rules & Regs.
Definition of Common Areas & Facilities: Some question about the clause that common property Includes personal property or equipment used for community.
Language in CC&R about how nominations are made include three options: Mgt names a nominating committee, nomination are made at the annual meeting, or nominations are made by petition signed by 10 residents.
:: Remove 2nd sentence "At least 30 days prior ". Remove from third sentence, " which petition shall be signed " Leaves options of nominations by petition or at meeting.
Management Quorum: Attorney says that legally a management quorum can be a simple majority, but requiring four of five is okay if that suits us.
:: Keep it at four.
Remove Roberts Rules of Order.
:: Agreed.
Question for lawyer. Do we need to specify at all how we run meetings?
Signature. Currently only the association president can sign for the association.
:: The president may delegate signature authority for a particular document to the secretary, in writing and with permission of a quorum of Mgt.
Bylaws have no section five.
:: Renumber.
Article X Section D. If Mgt has delegated all powers to a management company, the company may sign contracts up to $5K. Change to an amount that will self-adjust so it doesn't become ridiculous with inflation.
:: Change to 5% of the budget.
Concern was expressed about making decisions with just the number of people present.
Shawnie & Joel aren't here to discuss their comments. (1) It was clearly announced that decisions would be made tonight on recommendations of changes to be made by the attorney.
(2) Decisions are on language to be added to draft. Final approval of the changes will be made by the community once the lawyer has redrafted.
Request: print the agenda and post it in advance of ACMs.
"If you want a blue wave, you need to do the blue work." also applies to cohousing. If you want cohousing, you need to do cohousing.
Emailed 10/10/2018.
Submitted by the ad hoc Treehouse Committee members: Nutkin, Miss Suzy, and Earl Skay
construction materials $500 see detail 1
construction labor $200
electrician $200 see detail 2
solar panel & battery $200
furniture $100 see detail 3
appliances $800 see detail 4
total $2,000
Justification: The committee determined that the currently inhabited tree-hole could not be enlarged sufficiently to accommodate a big-screen TV.
The treehouse (a.k.a. "The Nut House" or unit 28) will measure approximately 4x4x4 feet with a common room, a large pantry for winter food storage, and three loft bedrooms accommodating six squirrels.
1. redwood lumber, galvanized steel hardware, Spanish tile roof, high-E vinyl window, low-VOC polyurethane.
2. install solar panel, lights, and electrical outlet.
3. 6 Fisher Price dollhouse easy chairs, 3 dollhouse bedroom sets with bunk beds, carpet remnant.
4. TV, wifi receiver, DVD player, and popcorn popper.
If funds are insufficient to grant the full request, costs may potentially be brought as low as
$600 through value engineering; for example, substituting douglas fir for redwood, a used window from ReStore, used appliances instead of new, shoeboxes and old running shoes as furniture (launder the insoles first), and bartering for construction & electrical work.
Subject: [WaCoHo] Re: minutes ACM 2018 10 10 Correction on Baby Shower
Hi,
Small correction on one of the announcements. The baby shower for Linda Reed's granddaughter, Asia's baby shower will be on Sunday, November 18 before potluck not
October. Vicky will be inviting former members who were here when Asia was a baby and living here with her mom, Sarah, and Linda (grandma). They are expecting a boy.
Swamp cooler shutdown by Concierge, Saturday October 6, weekend after next. Check email from Myste for pricing. Starting at east end, will do workshop & c.h.
Ukulele player Stewart Fuchs April 6 seminar & 7th in-house concert (donations) probably at c.h. Website zenukulele.
Monday Oct 22 farewell concert Annalise's choir before going on tour, St Ambrose Catholic Church in Sugarhouse
Nov 6 election. Next Tuesday is National Voter Registration day at library, free tacos between 5 & 7. Can give registrations to Kathy for turn-in.
The wheel came off a community wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow & wheel are in the garage, but the axle isn't. If you know where the axle is, please put it in the wheelbarrow so it can be repaired.
Feel free to pick from Linda's garden beds.
Jam club.
Pear ginger jam tomorrow & Tuesday night 5:00 to 9:00. Week of October 1 apple picking. Saturday week of the 8th cider press appointment, need volunteers (apples from Mary's trees; others aren't fruiting this year).
Management.
The insurance company has told us multiple times we need to get the play structures fixed. In default of Parents committee doing it, Mgt will take on the project. The north-field play structure, despite reinforcement, still isn't great & probably needs to go. If interested in helping fix the c.h. structure, contact Mgt.
If any branches come down, let Mary know. Even some trees that got worked on earlier this year have dropped branches. Need to discuss taking some trees out entirely and replacing them with some well-behaved species.
Remember not to put trash in the blue recycling bins. It makes the other stuff unrecyclable. No food! No glass. "When in doubt, throw it out." If you aren't sure something is recyclable, put it in the dumpster.
The community name is painted on driveways. Reminder: If need to move safety cones for another purpose, pull the trash bins to block the northwest entrance to the path to stop drive-throughs.
Before the assessment revision, the square footage of the unit did not include the deck (this is standard policy). In 2012 there was an assumption, based on the fact we had twice had to replace the roofs, that decks added considerably to a unit's expenses to the community. Therefore the square footage of the deck was added to the weighted square footage of the unit. However, the damage was due to incompetence of the same contractor; they made the original error & made the error again when it was reconstructed the first time. Thus in fact this assumption may have been incorrect as a prediction of future costs.
[The reason for adding it as extra square footage, rather than as a surcharge set as a dollar amount, is so it goes up proportionally as the charge per sq ft goes up.]
Roof Doctor says membrane & shingle roofs are very close in price for labor & materials. The life of the membrane roof should be twenty years. Over the expected life of the roof, the difference is about $27/year.
He also indicated that small debris collecting between the deck and the membrane isn't a problem unless water gets trapped; his opinion is we could get by with cleaning every two or three years rather than every year. The decks were replaced in ~2012; since then, Mary & Matt did cleaning twice (not all decks each time), and the cleaning this year makes a second time for each deck, i.e., twice in six years. Decks with no trees above had accumulated less debris.
The deck is extra "living space" (there was some pushback to that term) that those units have; however, the difference in assessments between units isn't based on how "nice" they are but by what they are likely to cost the community. Maintenance & replacement appear to be slightly higher for a membrane roof than a shingle roof but not nearly what the deck factor was calculated at.
Units with deck and units with shed roofs are both charged for the roof based on the square footage below it.
Extra fees charged to deck owners go into the general budget; they aren't held separately.
Justin's company would need at least three or four homes to install panels (twelve to fourteen total) to justify contract to install.
Right now Fed Gov will pay for 30% of system and Utah State has a tax credit. Since November, net metering on new systems only credits 90% of power generated.
Justin guesses that installation on these units would be $4,000-$8,000.
Clearance on path needs to be twenty feet wide and fourteen feet high.
Emailed 10/2/2018.
Vicky & Kathy meet with Vaughn and go hiking Tuesday & Thursday mornings. Others are welcome to join them.
Grace hosting Orientation for AFS students, 15 or 16 will be staying In c,h. with chaperones; Italians, Germans, Thai, Japanese.
Reminder: Trash pickup people will not take tires. You can either pay for a tire shop to take it or pay for the dump. (Salvage west side Redwood Rd, Pick and Pull(?) have quit accepting tires.)
Elaine purchased a used carpet shampooer $50. Would like to do the kids room first. If each monthly team will shampoo one room, that would get all of them. Oriental rug in living room is wool and needs different treatment. Suggesting a $10 charge for home use.
Upstairs sewing room is ready to use. Still doing a few finishing touches. Marina needs something cut on a bandsaw. Volunteer to sand & paint dresser. Sitting area between upstairs guestroom & bathroom has been
Acquired a cabinet whiteboard. It has a screen. Need someone to hang it.
Next Saturday after caf‚ need volunteers to remove furniture from workshop upstairs.
Broken air hockey table, treadmill that stops unexpectedly, Paul's drumset, etc. Will take furniture to thrift in Mary's truck. Found lost fire extinguisher; Mary got it recharged.
Depending on how you count, this fall is the community's 20th anniversary. Lynda can use volunteers.
Welcoming.
Did an orientation on Monday.
B&L isn't returning Mary's calls. No point in separating yard waste currently; the dump's composting area is too full, & yard waste is currently going to landfill. Big branches will be cut up & put in dumpster since If you see any branches hanging, let Mary know.
by Lynette from American Family Insurance
In 2011 insurance law changed. Unit owner is responsible for deductible of master policy. Sudden or accidental damage to anything permanently attached to unit* is covered under community insurance. (*Anything you would normally leave when you move.) Master policy & unit policies are supposed to work together.
The playground needs better maintenance. There is liability risk from loose boards splinters etc. & our rates could go up if it isn't dealt with.
Especially if you've done improvements in your unit, you want to document them.
Photographs or video to be stored off-site or in cloud is a very good idea
AmFam recommends that unit owners have sewer backup as an endorsement. Other endorsements might include loss assessment or earthquake. For instance, a special assessment to pay for $15K of debris removal would be covered by the homer owners policy with an endorsement for loss assessment
Coverage of water damage depends on the water source. Slow leak is not covered.
Sudden or accidental is covered. Unit owner's insurance is supposed to cover first
$10K, then master policy kicks in.
Water damage from outside unit is covered if from mechanical error. Rainstorm & generally groundwater isn't.
Flood insurance is expensive and doesn't cover a lot. WCCA's policy doesn't have flood coverage.
Earthquake coverage has a deductible of 5% of home replacement cost, which is not necessarily the same as the county's assessment because it doesn't include land (the land doesn't usually need to be replaced). For instance, $498K for one of the duplexes.
Contact Justin in their office for a personal quote.
The Deck factor ad hoc reported on their findings. Roof Doctor's estimate was $4500 for a deck roof. Shawnie called them for details; it includes ripping off old deck replacing membrane, installing new trex decking. Roof Dr is supposed to send us a breakout of the cost.
Hans's recollection is that the lawyer during the 2012 revisions said that since pay-or- play charges money it can't be in Rules & Reg; it has to be in the Bylaws. The plan was to have a community discussion & add it to the Bylaws. Revised Bylaws say Mgt can assess in Rules & Regs.
:: Consensed. Remove "storm doors, screen doors" from list of things that need permission.
Easements. There are no existing easements. Is the provision to allow Mgt to grant easements to adjoining properties owned by residents needed? The adjoining properties owned by residents are no longer landlocked. Mary's field has access by the alley. In
2012 the orchard had "access" only through an alley that had a fence across it. It is now a lot combined with the Noorda house.
:: Decision: Drop clause e', owners of adjacent properties. Rename g' as f'. Keep the general power for the Association to grant easements.
Words that are capitalized in the CC&R are formally defined in definition section. The term "Association" refers to all the owners. Thus when a clause says the Association makes a decision, it isn't Management, it is the ACM.
Some clauses seem to grant powers to Management over the community.
Concern expressed about 5% increase in budget in default of a community-approved budget because it would double assessments in 10 years. Shawnie wants the default kept at 0%. However, that concern assumes the community would fail to agree on a budget year after year after year. A 5% default is an incentive to agree on something lower. The community has never failed to agree on a budget. Is an incentive necessary?
Straw poll: More people would prefer to have a default increase than to default to the prior year. No decision on budget default increase this meeting.
Emailed 10/2/2018.
Define yard boundaries better in bylaws & R&R. Make policy consistent for tree planting & removal currently okay to put in, need permission to take out.
Friday 6:30 August 10, work party applying linseed oil on common house beams.
Saturday August 11, Smith's 400 S 500 E, electronics recycling & pharmaceuticals. Collection box on porch.
Wednesday August 15, Glendale Community Council meeting 7-9 p.m. Discussion about "inland port."
Susan has orientation materials; new or somewhat-new residents, see her to get them. Will be scheduling an orientation soon.
A number of issues are on hold until we get the CC&R approved. Process is keeping track of them and will bring them forward then.
20 Year celebration in early October.
North Garden [sorry, note taker got behind & missed recording this report.]
East Garden. Updated google group.
Jam Club. Lots of pears and plums this year. In last year's survey, top choice was apricot jam. No apricots this year. :(
Becca & Kellie don't have a lot of time this year and are looking for ways to streamline and reduce work load yet still not waste fruit. Considering asking Urban Lunchbox to come pick some trees they give 1/3 to tree owner (community), 1/3 to volunteers, 1/3 to charity.
A couple of people asked for more notice if possible that trees are ready to pick and prefer to see if community itself will use all the fruit.
Satsumi plums have been being picked in early ripeness. Please leave on trees long enough to develop full flavor.
:: Offer one Italian plum tree behind east carport to Urban Lunchbox for picking.
Common House Furnishings. Marina needs handyman help for a couple of projects, putting wheels on alcove door & replacing cabinet doors.
If someone would like to pledge an additional $10, the ad hoc piano-tuning group can schedule a tuner for the c.h. piano. Give pledges to Annalise, checks or cash.
There are instances where the unit owner is responsible for repair & maintenance yet does not have full authority to choose what to do.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Landscaping, grounds and other improvements outside the building foundations
Maintain Limited Common Areas around unit
Maintain all other common areas
The definition of limited common area (LCA) is in Article IV Section e). Part of the definition is as shown on the plat. Currently the LCA is the porch and patio area, the deck, and the carport parking spot and storage. Around most of each unit, common area is right up to the foundation.
:: Clarify: The unit resident/owner is responsible to maintain the common area (not just LCA) immediately around a unit. The community is responsible for common areas not adjacent to a unit.
:: Clarify: Should the plat be changed to include fenced-in yards as LCA? They meet the definition of "reserved for unit's exclusive use" but the plat shows them as common area. Shouldn't have the plat & CC&R contradicting each other.
:: Add: Grading clearance of at least four inches, preferably more, at base of foundation to soil.
Storage Bin: define yard boundaries better in bylaws & R&R. Make policy consistent for tree planting & removal currently okay to put in, need permission to take out.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Patios
All maintenance, repair, and replacement of patios; routine cleaning of the individual unit's patio; patios must be kept neat and clean at all times.
Common House Routine cleaning
:: Clarify: Who is responsible for repairing concrete on porch? Clearly define "patio" vs. "porch".
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Roof Decks (13 units)
All maintenance, repair, and replacement of decks; routine cleaning of the individual unit's deck; decks must be kept neat and clean at all times.
Deep cleaning between deck and roof area as necessary
Association is responsible for membrane roof under deck.
:: Clarify responsibility for structural issues, side walls, railing.
This is consistent with our past practice. During deck-roof repairs, the Association paid for the membrane roof and for reconstruction of the back wall. That is, the special assessment to pay for it was divided evenly among all owners with or without decks. Home owners with decks were assessed a surcharge to replace the decking.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Fences, Trash and Recycling Enclosures
All maintenance, repair and replacement for fences bordering Units
All maintenance, repair and replacement for Common Area fences (eg trash)
:: Clarify: e.g. around dumpsters.
Exception: If a fence was damaged by a community tree dropping a branch, it would probably be community responsibility to repair/replace.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Roof, foundations, exterior walls of all buildings
All routine repair and maintenance
:: Clarify: Responsibility for interior of exterior walls. What is current state law?
Add? roof including membrane roof under decks.
Mold inside the walls resulting from the problem with decks would be a "defect of construction", thus community responsibility.
It would be helpful to new owners if Welcoming had a separate orientation document covering what you can & can't do around your unit: 4" grading clearance, grassy pavers, storage, LCA, planting.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Windows
Routine cleaning of unit glass, repair of glass and screens
Exterior caulking and frames; common area building glass repair
Exterior Doors
Unit door care, repair, and replacement
Common Buildings door care, repair and replacement
:: Clarify: Owner responsible just for window glass? Not e.g., crank mechanisms?
Adding a storm door is a structural change & needs approval. The community at some point might want to decide on a uniform appearance for storm doors.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Electrical systems and components
All systems serving one unit
All systems serving Common buildings or multiple units
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Cable components
All systems serving one unit
All systems serving Common buildings
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Heating and Cooling systems (includes swamp coolers)
All components and systems serving one unit
All components and systems serving Common buildings
:: Wording is inconsistent between electrical & cable for Association responsibility; should it be "serving multiple units" for both?
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Plumbing, sewage and components
All components serving one unit; Homeowner must shut off all outside faucets for winter Association will not be responsible for pipe damage caused by failure to winterize
All other systems & main lines; or unit damage caused by community landscape roots
:: Clarify: Not just turned off, but "shut off" in a way that allows the pipe to drain, i.e., no hoses connected.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Solar panels
Care, removal and replacement for all systems serving one homeowner building or unit
Common buildings only including care, removal and replacement
Owner responsibility includes removal & replacement of panels when roofs are redone.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Trash & Recycling Collection
Remove to dumpster area
All dumpster/recycling pick-up
No clarifications requested.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Carports
Units-routine sweep/cleaning; interior electrical; no exterior storage except transportation items
All exterior maintenance & electricals
Association paid for the repair when the electricity was out to the east carport storage units, because that was a line that served multiple units' LCAs.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Walkways and parking lots
Routine cleaning, snow removal from Unit entrance to common path
Routine cleaning and snow removal on all Common Area pathways and parking areas
If someone chooses to shovel other people's walks, that's being neighborly, not a responsibility of the association.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Pest Control
Units internal/external inspection and maintenance
Internal/external inspection and maintenance for COA buildings
Owner is resp within LCA.
:: Clarify: is owner also responsible in common area adjacent to unit, or "yard"?
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Smoke and CO2 detectors
Units must install and maintain in good working order
All COA buildings install and maintain in good working order
Smoke and CO2 detectors and extinguishers are required!
:: Add extinguishers to table.
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Manufacturing defects in construction
Identify suspected defects and provide proof of defects in Unit
Repair and/or replace defective components in Units
That is, the owner is resp. to notify the Association.
:: Add (just to cover all bases): Association resp. for common buildings.
Emailed 8/9/2018
Schedule of Maintenance Responsibilities Draft (7/7/2018)
Article XIII, Para e)
Item
Homeowner Association (COA)
Landscaping, grounds and other improvements outside the building foundations
Maintain Limited Common Areas around unit
Maintain all other common areas
Patios
All maintenance, repair, and replacement of patios; routine cleaning of the individual unit's patio; patios must be kept neat and clean at all times.
Common House Routine cleaning
Roof Decks (13 units)
All maintenance, repair, and replacement of decks; routine cleaning of the individual unit's deck; decks must be kept neat and clean at all times.
Deep cleaning between deck and roof area as necessary
Fences, Trash and Recycling Enclosures
All maintenance, repair and replacement for fences bordering Units
All maintenance, repair and replacement for Common Area fences (eg trash)
Roof, foundations, exterior walls of all buildings
All routine repair and maintenance
Windows
Routine cleaning of unit glass, repair of glass and screens
Exterior caulking and frames; common area building glass repair
Exterior Doors
Unit door care, repair, and replacement
Common Buildings door care, repair and replacement
Electrical systems and components
All systems serving one unit
All systems serving Common buildings or multiple units
Cable components
All systems serving one unit
All systems serving Common buildings
Heating and Cooling systems (includes swamp coolers)
All components and systems serving one unit
All components and systems serving Common buildings
Plumbing, sewage and components
All components serving one unit; Homeowner must shut off all outside faucets for winter Association will not be responsible for pipe damage caused by failure to winterize
All other systems & main lines; or unit damage caused by community landscape roots
Solar panels
Care, removal and replacement for all systems serving one homeowner building or unit
Common buildings only including care, removal and replacement
Trash & Recycling Collection
Remove to dumpster area
All dumpster/recycling pick-up
Carports
Units-routine sweep/cleaning; interior electrical; no exterior storage except transportation items
All exterior maintenance & electricals
Walkways and parking lots
Routine cleaning, snow removal from Unit entrance to common path
Routine cleaning and snow removal on all Common Area pathways and parking areas
Pest Control
Units internal/external inspection and maintenance
Internal/external inspection and maintenance for COA buildings
Smoke and CO2 detectors
Units must install and maintain in good working order
All COA buildings install and maintain in good working order
Manufacturing defects in construction
Identify suspected defects and provide proof of defects in Unit
Repair and/or replace defective components in Units
COA Buildings: Common House, Garage/Workshop, Carports excluding Unit storage interiors
This chart is not intended to describe or encompass all maintenance functions or to delineate all respective responsibilities between Homeowners and the COA. Where maintenance is required by the Association due to the negligence or failure of the Homeowner to act, the COA will perform the necessary maintenance at the sole expense of the Homeowner.
Reviewing values: Cooperation. Cooperation isn't just a feel-good value; it can be a matter of survival. Cooperation is more significant than competition.
Tax notices have come out. 15% increase in assessed value. John will inquire at the auditor's office how it is derived. Property tax for individual units includes undivided interest in common areas; they are not taxed separately.
New lawnmower. See Ben for how to use it. It is electric; a second battery is on order.
Topic discussion tomorrow, on guest policy, may get rescheduled because a number of people interested in the topic are out of town.
Proposed Article VIII f). "No person or entity shall be permitted to own or have an ownership interest in more than two (2) Units simultaneously."
Rephrase from attorney of language, spelling out what ownership interest means. Specifies secured or unsecured loans, which seems to preclude possibility of even small loans. Would "family-related interest" preclude several relatives living here? Consensed, two unit limit (Kathy A proxy stand-aside).
ProposedArticle VII g) "Each Unit Owner shall, within thirty days of purchasing his unit, provide to the Mgt C the name and contact information of all lenders holding a Mortgage or similar encumbrance against the Unit, regardless of whether the lender is a banking institution, a private party, a public entity, an individual, or of any other character of nature."
Consensed.
Requirement to provide emergency info or estate info? Maybe a bylaw item.
Question in June survey: "Do you support a fee, payable by owners, each time a new tenant moves into a unit at Wasatch Co-housing? The objective would be to raise money for the Welcoming/Orientation Committee and provide a disincentive for turnover." yes 18 (82%, no 4 (18%), total 22.
Details of whether & what fee to charge would be in Bylaws or Rules & Regs. Saying "tenant" restricts it to rentals, not owner occupants. (Reminder: Any rule that Management passes must be approved by the community.) Transfer fees in most condos are based on/earmarked for actual costs of a transfer changing locks, issuing swimming pool passes. Consensed, stand-asides, Mary & Myste.
Capability to Set a Minimum of Owner-Occupied Units
FHA limit is 50%. Having a limit is risk management Mortgage lenders tighten standards in the same economic times that people might need to sell suddenly. Limit on number of units owned by a single entity & requirement that only residents can purchase a second unit already control probability of high number of rentals.
Need more discussion.
Thursday weeding & spreading mulch on playground.
Annalise will spearhead getting the piano tuned.
Meeting Monday 7:00 p.m. Making it regular. Hob & Sandra #18 unit for sale, couple coming to potluck on Sunday. Any questions talk to Hob, Vicky or Lynda.
Got more weedeating done. Ben will buy electric mower. Mary will buy weedeater.
Had fun cherry-picking. Next project is spreading mulch on playgaround.
Underutilized spaces. Lost half its membership when Aitch moved. Mel will join.
East Garden. Will send a doodle poll scheduling a meeting.
North Garden. Scheduling a meeting.
Met & arranged tonight's agenda. Have added a bunch of new members and are reconfiguring.
Duck proposal is on hold until community holds a discussion on birds.
Deck-cleaning. Still have a few to do.
Values review. Fairness.
Handouts. Landlord/tenant, schedule of maintenance responsibilities, undivided interest, various emails expressing concerns about specific clauses. Enough copies for everybody present; however, please only take one per household when leaving the meeting and leave the others to be distributed to households that aren't here.
A CC&R is about the organization of a community; bylaws are about its operation.
Following discussion, draft will go back to Scott Welker to make changes decided on. Community consensus on final draft, hopefully July 22, before it goes to mortgagees. Paying lawyer $250/hr, so we want to be conservative with his time.
Desired outcome for tonight: discuss landlord/tenant, schedule of maintenance responsibilities, & concerns.
After this meeting, additional concerns will have to go to a parking lot (storage bin) for consideration next round hopefully a long time from now.
This CC&R seems awfully long to some people. Some communities have much shorter, others longer. Length lets things be spelled out so don't end up in court over ambiguities or misunderstandings. Length risks self-contradiction.
There should be a requirement for renters insurance.
Proposed Article VIII e) "No Unit Owner is permitted to lease or rent his Unit for transient or hotel purposes or for an initial term of less than six (6) months Rentals for one continuous period of more than twelve months require the prior written permission of the Management Committee. No Unit Owner is permitted to list his Unit on Air BNB, VRBO, or any other similar website or service without obtaining prior, written approval from the management Committee. The Management Committee shall review the status of all rentals on at least an annual basis to determine whether the rental is still authorized."
Does it make sense to list specific companies? Ten years from now people might not remember what Air BNB was. Perhaps describe service, e.g., "list unit with short-term rental or housing exchange organizations".
Permission is needed to rent either a whole unit or a room.
Individuals from some organizations like SERVAS might be desirable to bring to the community.
Allowing short-term rentals means strangers who have a right to be here, impacting security.
The clause doesn't prevent having rentals or guests, just requires okay from Management
Can we say that it should be the ACM that gives permission? If someone gets sued as a result of a decision to let someone stay (or whatever), it's better it should be Management than the community (ACM), because our insurance covers suits against Management.
Permission for rental over 12 months is required because Management is supposed to review rentals annually.
There may be good reasons to rent a unit for a period of shorter than six months. Rather than totally ruling it out, can it be "only by permission of Management"? Break up the clause: "No transient or hotel. No rentals for less than 6 months except by permission."
Can we make "his" be "his/her", please?
Consensus, no stand-asides, with approved changes: inclusive pronouns; reword to "organizations such as "
Proposed Article VIII f). "Without prior written approval by the Management Committee, newly purchased Units cannot be rented to new tenants until being occupied by the new Unit Owner for at least one year. any unit Owner who already lives in or owns a Unit in the Association at the time of purchasing a second Unit in the Association shall be exempt from this provision as to his second Unit."
Does exempting owners let someone who has left and is renting out their unit, purchase a second one and also rent it?
People aren't necessarily committed to a place after a year. One year isn't even long enough for new residents to become oriented.
The phrasing allow someone who lives here to buy a second unit before they've been here two years.
In survey most preferred one year. Straw poll: How many now prefer two years? Most. Asked reasons for people who still prefer shorter.
"Without prior written approval" allows exceptions if people get deployed, or need to move temporarily, etc.
Consensus, no stand-asides, with approved changes: at least two years. Strike "or owns" so absentee owners can't buy a second rental.
Can we make it by permission of Mgt, for flexibility for changing economic conditions? Flexibility sounds good, but in an economic downturn, having allowed exceptions in better times damages liquidity ("too many" rentals, "too many" units owned by a single party).
"Ownership interest" means any equity. If that includes mortgages, a person who has loaned mortgage money to another resident couldn't buy another unit. If a mortgage is a lien*, the bank doesn't have an interest (if a lien is not an ownership interest). However, if the mortgage defaults, that person would then own three units. Numerous people spoke out against that possibility. It would be different if loan didn't have house as collateral.
A person owning a trust has ownership interest in units owned by the trust.
Let's not hog units. There are people who will buy units.
Anything that happens to a single owner of multiple units affects everyone else in the community defaulting mortgages, failing to pay assessments, dying and having multiple units for sale.
Owning multiple units gives one person extra influence even if they give tenant proxies. Not desirable in a community devoted to inclusive decisionmaking.
The survey included a restriction on arms-length ownership; this doesn't.
There are choices for who must give approval. Management, 67%, plenary, Mgt plus 67%.
Ask attorney for more complete definition of ownership interest? Communicate to him what we want to achieve and ask him for the language? Give him the language from the survey?
Objective is limiting risk, protecting equality.
To be continued.
It was suggested that rentals less than six months might be permitted by permission of Management. Was that approved? I didn't write down that it was, but I was having trouble keeping up with the discussion.
Kay
Movie on lawn tonight, Kiki's Delivery, rated G.
If you would like to attend a training session for deck cleaning, contact Annalise. Also notify Annalise when you are ready to have your deck done. Mike doesn't need access through the unit & can move items on deck if necessary. He won't be available in July.
Drive to Delta June 30, visit to Topaz internment camp. Talk to Vicky.
Next Sunday, 12:30 at Izzy's. Council Circle. Ground Rules: Speak from heart, listen from heart, no cross-talk, confidentiality.
Cherry picking Thursday 7:30 behind east carport. BYOBucket.
Anyone who hasn't taken the survey, please do. Paper copies are available. In the preliminary results, some questions are clearly one direction, while others are more evenly split; the latter will need community discussion.
Hummingbird nesting on Mary & Kay's porch #11. If you come to the door, please move quietly; better yet, call or come to the back door.
Community Council: Mayor attended. Adding a bike squad for west side, five officers. New ramps to river. Meetings are third Wednesday 7 p.m. at library.
Check-in. Share news, or if you normally just say "fine" or pass, tell us your favorite color.
Karen has a foster cat who needs a home. Nine years old, orange, mellow, named Muffin.
Once Linda R's kittens are a few days old, visitors will be welcome.
Water slide & grill party went well. Planning next event.
#18 is still for sale. Meetings Third Monday 7 p.m.
Communications. If your committee doesn't have a google group, ask Joel to help you set up one. He can help update lists contact person etc.. You can unsubscribe yourself. Using a google group helps ensure everyone who wants committee emails gets them & keeps an archive of messages to help new committee members bring themselves up to speed.
Still trying to get every resident to sign up for at least one committee.
Pruning lilacs back from lamp-posts to give better light.
Please rake cut dry grass in non-lawn areas, to reduce fire hazard. Contact Lynda if you know of stumps that need to be ground. If you have opinions on what the new lawn mower should be like, contact Mary with your input before it is purchased.
Putting mosquito granules in drains once a month, except one that Mary can't get to. Please dump out anything that holds water outside.
Storage Bin for later discussion: Should committees publish minutes of every meeting to the community list?
Process would like to document who regularly does what & to encourage people to take on responsibilities. They will circulate a sign-up list of regular chores & as-needed projects. Their starting point was the list Management has pulled together, which John emailed. Two rounds: (1) If you are currently doing a job, (2) if you are willing to take responsibility for one of the jobs not claimed. Add jobs you can think of to the list.
Storage Bin: How long a commitment signing up is. Some people may prefer to keep a job long-term. Some jobs may need to be rotated.
We badly need a Maintenance committee, or czars of particular areas, & people to take responsibility for particular tasks. It pulls Management away from accomplishing much else. While this is outside Process's purview, in the absence of a Maintenance committee, they are doing a task list, as an extension of their work to revitalize committees.
Remember that people are volunteering. Try to support them & mute any criticism.
Handout: maintenance responsibilities to be in CC&R.
Requested: Perhaps make topic discussions meetings a regularly scheduled meeting so people can plan around them when they are drawing up their schedules.
Knowing that no decisions will be made at the meeting takes pressure off the discussion.
Scott Welker gave background on what each governing document is supposed to do & should include. Talked about fences. Recommended removing requirement for bank approval of CC&R revision. Kathy A taped the meeting & Kay will be publishing minutes. There are a lot of things we will need to discuss & get into our Rules & Regs (which we need to collect & publish).
Action Items (all residents): Read June 11 CC&R draft, respond to survey, tell Mgt your mortgage holder
Please speak loudly enough for Naomi to hear.
Someone interested in #18 will be here this weekend, caf‚ & potluck, staying in the c.h. Sunday. Her name is Lauren.
Monday, a couple from Manzanita Cohousing in Prescott staying for several days.
Window cleaning. If you are interested, check the list John emailed, to make sure you are on it. Still trying to get a second bid.
The red Toro lawnmower isn't fixable, & when the black lawnmower brought back from Speed's, it started fine, then when it stopped the blade fell off.
Mike W won't be available for lawnmowing for a week; if someone else from the team will mow, that will be helpful.
Topical discussion on CC&R maintenance responsibilities on Monday.
Open House for #18 June 24. If someone wants to view the unit, give Aitch 24 hours notice.
Presentation from Process on "Why Use Consensus?" Susan & Sara will be co-managers for Process.
Mike cleaned under his deck to learn the process. Please see him to arrange to get trained to do it or to help. If the home owner wants to be involved in doing their own deck that's
The east berm irrigation is broken, beyond Kay's limited knowledge to fix. Kay will call to schedule a sprinkler company.
Revision of Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions
Lawyer will be here tomorrow night 7:00 p.m. to answer questions about CC&R revisions.
History: Original filed 1998, amendment in 2008 (though not filed until 2011?). 2013 revisions were rejected by two banks.
The original CC&R was pulled together by Mike Polacek. It was passed by consensus. It was boilerplate borrowed from several other cohousings & cobbled together.
Estimate one month for attorney to get through input from community and redraft. The community approves it (or not). Then it goes out to the banks who hold mortgages on units. If we don't hear back from them within a certain period, that signifies approval, and we file the revision.
Amy remembers that the objecting banks were Wells Fargo for #13 & the Utah Housing Authority. Wells Fargo objected to something that hadn't been changed & didn't respond when we attempted to clarify.
Utah law doesn't permit supermajority vote requirements greater than 2/3 (so consensus doesn't ). Do we fall back on voting if we can't reach consensus? Let's wait to see if we can pass the revision by consensus before worrying about that.
The third governing document, the Rules & Regulations, is the collection of agreements approved in ACMs (which aren't really collected).
Please read the June 11 pdf version (not the June 9) sent out by John, edited by Scott Welker from Vial Fotheringhan. Scott is working from the 2013 draft by an attorney no longer with firm. Provide input on the draft to Management. The 6/11 pdf is "redlined" showing changes from the 2013 document.
Legalese can be intimidating. If you are reading through the draft (or original) and don't understand something, send out a question to the group.
Please complete the (anonymous) SurveyMonkey survey, six questions.
Kay will attempt a document compare between the 1998 original and the new draft. If successful, she will circulate it; otherwise she'll send out the comparison between 1998 and 2013. She will also find/send her 2013 notes that explain the primary changes.
Kay has been collecting names of mortgage holders; some units have not responded. Please let Management know what bank/institution holds your mortgage, or if you own your unit free and clear.
Summary of proposal: Get two more ducks, keep ducks in their current location.
Why do Kellie & Becca want more ducks? The ducks bring them great joy. There is another breed of duck they would like to try.
Kellie & Becca have a separate permit for the ducks.
Joel & Shawnie have 25 chickens (max for permit). Victor & Renae have 11 chickens. Kellie & Becca have 3 ducks. Total 36 chickens and 3 ducks on community property. (Other chickens owned by residents are not on community property.) It's a lot of poultry. Victor & Renae's chickens were never agreed on by the community.
The Cannons' chicken day-run gets moved periodically. Victor & Renae's chickens are in a chicken tractor, which gets moved around.
Are the various fowl pets or a business?
A separate meeting was suggested to discuss poultry population. Since the ACM dates are known well in advance, people can schedule to avoid conflicts. One week's notice isn't enough to rearrange schedule for discussion meetings.
Shawnie is uncomfortable with the changes from the approved proposal. The ducks were to be kept with the chickens and no longer are. They currently have considerably more space than the chickens (coop? coop plus run?). The Cannons understood their location was temporary, and it's been a year. Shawnie doesn't like having the ducks behind her house. The chicken location was chosen not to be behind anyone's house. She is uncomfortable with the ducks being private pets.
Two separate households make decisions for the ducks, similar to the number making decisions about the chickens.
However much research is done before starting a project, always things come up that weren't anticipated. That was the case with the first proposal.
The ducks originally were put in an enclosure with chicks too young to join the main flock. Chickens get fed scraps. The ducks developed foot problems from overweight; the vet recommended not free-feeding, increase swimming time, sow grass in pen. When the chickens grew up & moved, the ducks stayed put.
Ducks don't dig like chickens do, so rotating their location like the chickens doesn't do anything for weed control. A settled location makes it easier to give them swimming facilities.
The ducks are noisier than the roosters were. Kellie & Becca are working on providing a cover crop for them to graze, because they are noisier when they are bored or hungry. The bare ground is from when chickens were there.
Have any of the neighbors over the fence ever said anything? One or two have commented positively.
It's good to have people collecting experience with growing food, keeping poultry.
Kellie is surprised that the objections coming out now weren't raised when the duck pen was being refenced and when they were applying for the permit.
Are there other locations around the property that would be suitable for the ducks? Most other locations would be closer to units. Ducks don't tolerate heat well, so full sun is undesirable.
The north part of the alley next to the north field has never been vacated. If it were vacated & purchased by the community it might provide a space for the ducks further from any unit, although still no shade.
Sunday June 3 potluck for Marifa's last potluck. She'll be leaving Monday the 4th.
Next Sunday at 2:00 Council Circle at Izzy's.
Topical discussion, first week in June, on CC&R and Bylaws. Watch for Doodle Poll to schedule. Suggested: for emails setting up topic discussions, put "[topic discussion]" in the subject line in brackets.
Thursday June 14, either 6:00 or 7:00, meeting at c.h. with the attorney working on the CC&R and Bylaws. Anyone interested please attend.
Teen sleep-over in c.h. tonight, Grace & friends.
$42 indigenous food tasting, fund raiser for organization for missing & exploited indigenous women.
June 15-16 workshop of Mozart's Requiem. If interested, see Annalise.
Ukelele learning group here Tuesdays 2:30. $10 per class.
If interested in singing lessons, contact Linda R to coordinate with teacher. Once a month get together just to sing.
The monthly work team needs to borrow a vacuum cleaner. Would whoever is the right committee to purchase a vacuum cleaner for the c.h., please do so.
Linda R's granddaughter Asia is expecting a baby in December.
Values: Balance exercise.
Declaration Working Group. A lot of the rewrite for the CC&R and Bylaws is to eliminate obsolete stuff like the Declarant, the CROWN program, and so on, and to bring the documents in line with current state law. The community will be asked to consense the new version before it goes to the banks.
Now is a good time to join Process if you are interested. Linda R is stepping off the committee, and they are looking for new ideas and energy. They want to work on getting decisions made instead of having issues talked about forever.
Welcoming is working on organizing its records on people who are interested. A couple of units are on the market. Members Esther, Linda, Analise, Joel, Vicky.
Jam Club. To return jars, put them on Becca's or Kellie's porches instead of in the back room.
The lawns on community sprinklers are all programmed to run. The drip area on the north half of the west berm is programmed. The drip areas west of the mail room and north of the west driveway to halfway along the berm need repairs; Kay will be working on them. The east sprinkler systems are still to be tested. [6/9/18: Drip on the west berm between clothesline & yellow roses is working.]
Mark has a half-bag of tall fescue grass seed available to reseed community areas.
Ad hoc Lawn Mowing Team: Izzy will post a sign-up calendar for mowing. The red mower works & has been sharpened. Other mowers are at Speeds being worked on.
Security is looking for the doorknob from the kids room.
Underutilized Spaces may need new members.
Communications: No report. Didn't get May newsletter out.
Expect to be getting more active this summer. Meeting soon.
Ad hoc Guest Room: Hasn't met. Will send out a scheduling poll.
Ukulele class Tuesdays 2:30 in the common house. Beginners welcome. Fee to be decided.
Corey from Roof Doctor will be here Friday, probably 2:30 or 3:00. Anyone is welcome to tag alone. Let John know about any roof issues a.s.a.p.
People's Energy Summit, Saturday at Library Square, in anticipation of Governor's Energy Summit Wednesday at Grand America. Workshops and activities, focus on renewable energy.
Welcoming Committee will buy a card for Tim & Micha.
The north paths have a lot of junk on them, like wood chip piles. We need someone to take on the project of cleaning the paths up. Rake chips flat, clear out twigs & debris. For safety purposes, paths need to be kept clear.
Annalise will be working on getting the under-deck roof cleaning project going.
Swamp cooler startup next weekend. Check your emails & get your payment to Myste if you won't be there.
Parking is becoming more an issue and needs addressing. Don't park east of the workshop. Don't crowd multiple cars at the corner of the east parking lot & driveway; it is hard to get past safely (safely both for cars & playing children). The north side of the east drive has a red curb (no parking), but cars can park along the south edge. Keep close to the curb.
The vision statement is extremely broad. It seems to express a "what", not a "why". Why are we a community? Once you figure out "why", "what" and "how" follow more easily.
The Values statement is long. It's easier to focus and work on fewer items.
The values ripple outward. Early drafts had relationships as the first section, but having good relationships starts with being a good person (trustworthiness).
Safety is too low in the values. The position needs to reflect a value's importance.
It's a beautiful document, but it doesn't "belong" to most current residents the way it did to those who created it.. For buy-in it is essential to have a process of going through our values with the people who live here now and with every new person.
The Values can't reflect everybody perfectly. They can't be changed every time someone new moves in.
Maybe focus each month on a different value to get people to look closely at it. Ask the community to be talking about the Values and what we want to do with & about them. Discussion about values will be more productive if we know what we are trying to accomplish by the discussion.
The community needs goals right now more than abstractions. Instead of examining the Vision and Values, work out goals. Where do we want to be? What do we do this year to progress towards our five-year goals?
We want to have an accountable, responsible community in five years. Being accountable & responsible are already in the values. It is a matter of putting them into action.
Goals should have dates (deadlines?) attached to them.
We can't ignore that we have a facility that needs to be tended.
The budget might have gone smoother this year if people responded when Management asked before the annual meeting for questions or feedback on the budget proposal. Waiting until the meeting to raise issues disrespects the work Management had put in.
There's a lot of prep work in getting people together, finding a time people can meet. Accommodating everyone's schedule isn't always possible. People who can't make a meeting have a responsibility to weigh in by email.
Nyland cohousing has topic discussion meetings, apart from business meetings. The topic is announced ahead of time and people who want to talk about it show up. An Oregon community has Friday Forums.
There are issues particular people are passionate about, and others that they trust the people who decide on them to come up with something acceptable.
To encourage accountability, every committee should be required to make a report, even if the report is they didn't meet. Some people may see that as "punitive", but people who choose to live here have thereby agreed to participate. Asking people to fulfill their commitments is fair. Committees should not exist if there isn't a project they are working on.
It is requested that Process publish minutes. It is an important committee. Dealing occasionally with sensitive matters isn't a good reason not to do minutes; it can be dealt with by saying, let's not put that in the minutes. (Management does it all the time.)
Notice: Weed your section of central path if you don't want it sprayed.
Pool party at Westgate for Autumn's birthday, Saturday May 19, below The Canyons
Saturday April 28, gathering at fire pit at dusk
National Cohousing Day April 29th, Sunday. Please take care of jobs; passing around signup sheet to remind people what we signed up for. Open house & tours 2-4 p.m. Concert 4:00 p.m., potluck at 6:00. Invite friends.
Concert Sunday April 29, 4:00 p.m. Japanese bamboo flute player from New York. Need volunteers to help set up, etc. Talk to Izzy.
Council Circle 12:30 once a month on Sundays. Next May 6?
Cake to celebrate April birthdays
Swamp cooler startup probably in two weeks. Watch for an email from Myste.
Ended up with not only landscaping rocks from ksl.com ad, but also four dozen garden tools given to the community. The deal is that we take ALL the rocks; need volunteers to go get the rest (sign-up sheet). Mostly will landscape the west parking lot islands. Residents are welcome to take some for their own yards. Reminder: no rocks in the 20' drivable emergency access between the units.
Think about joining city boards. A lot don't have representation from Glendale.
Communications. Add your events & announcements to the Google calendar. Talk to Meagan to get help setting it on your phone or computer.
Bike was stolen.
Have interested potential buyers & roomers.
Underutilized Spaces. Let Marina & Aitch know if equipment in the upstairs workshop belongs to you or is being donated. They will be disposing of some equipment that doesn't work well.
April work team had a work party last weekend, decluttering. Check the coat rack; unclaimed items will be taken to DI.
North Field Garden. A nonprofit group associated with Unitarian Church collects extra produce & distributes it to food banks, & can give workshops on soil amendment & other subjects.
Still moving sedums to the east berm. Please help before the tour to pick up branches that came down in the last windstorm. Mike McDonald has his license & is working on getting insurance to be hired for community work.
If there are no weeds in the sidewalk & bricks in front of your unit, there will be no Round-Up sprayed. Anyone who objects to spray near their unit, deal with the weeds yourself first. It's impossible to say exactly which day spraying will be done, because if there is any wind it has to be rescheduled.
The gas company said they were marking because there is going to be tree grinding; they marked the whole property, not just near the tree in question (doubtless didn't know which it was).
Management is accepting suggestions for maintenance work parties. If there are jobs you don't tackle because you don't know how to do them, suggest a learning party for them: e.g., learn to run the dishwasher, mend a hose, clear dryer vents.
Thanks to everyone who helped remove bricks yesterday. The area is marked with caution tape. The tree company will be here May 3.
Leak in downstairs bathroom, appears to be from toilet [Edit: it is from the sink]. Maxine will call a plumber tomorrow.
presentation by Becca (who works for our hauler).
It is estimated three-quarters of waste could be recycled; only one third is.
Recycling is a market. Four factors affect whether things get recycled: (1) The value of the recycled material, which tends to be erratic. (2) Landfill tipping fees, typically higher in more densely populated areas. (3) Cultural pressure. (4) Government regulation.
The cleaner the recycling, the more it retains its value. Rinse out containers. Keep food waste out of recycling; it lowers quality of plastics & paper. Dirty items can contaminate a whole load. Certain wastes require everything near them to be thrown out, e.g., sharps.
Recycling rules have changed. China tightened its standards & quit allowing import of most recycling a year or so ago. Sorting facilities kept accepting certain things in the hope they would find another market, but they haven't, and have run out of storage space. They are not earning enough money to cover their costs.
About one fifth of items that people put into their recycling bins cannot be recycled. It has to be sorted out & sent to the landfill. If you aren't sure whether something can be recycled, don't put it in the recycling.
Rule of thumb: If something is made of more than one material, it can't be recycled.
Anything smaller than about a quarter tends to fall through the sorting equipment. Tiny pieces of metal can get recycled if put into a can.
No glass (in blue bins). Glass is handled by a different company.
Plastics number 6 & 7 cannot be recycled. #7 is a catch-all for different polymers.
For lack of salability, plastics 3 thru 7 are going to the landfill. Only #1 & #2 are being recycled, and not all of it either.
Except for ferrous metals, most recycling has to be hand-sorted. The work doesn't pay well & isn't pleasant; often workers don't speak much English, and training is rudimentary. Currently they get trained to sort by shape. The only things being recycled are bottles & jugs. Milk jugs, detergent jugs, soda bottles.
No Styrofoam. It is worth almost nothing & usually has food waste.
Don't put #3 plastic bags or plastic film in recycling bins. Thin stretchy plastic tangles in the equipment rollers & jams, so they have to shut down the sorting line multiple times a day.
Vicky & Meagan can take plastic bags to one of the grocery stores that accept plastic bags. However, it isn't certain that the stores actually recycle them.
Remember that recycling is the last stage of the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra.
Ad hoc to work on guest room policy: Susan, Elaine, Maxine, Meagan, Renae, Mel, Becca
Becca took notes on discussion of handout about community vs. home owner responsibility.
Emailed 5/15/2018
Passing around sign-up lists for
April 15 work party for April work team, 10 to noon.
National Cohousing Day on April 29. Vicky can use help. Tour from 1 until 4. Izzy's concert is at 4:00. Option of visitors staying for the concert.
The earliest Diamond can do the tree is Thursday May 3. The bricks being taken up at the work party April 21 means bricks will be up on National Cohousing Day. Should the work party to remove the bricks be postponed?
:: Decision, keep the work party as scheduled. Caution tape area.
Naomi is looking for someone to work in her yard and also someone to help deal with gophers.
Alex has removed all the chicken feed from the garage.
Would like each committee to designate a reporter to give reports at ACM.
Lawn mowing. Meagan & Seth will mow probably tomorrow. Mary did some in back. Request, avoid mowing flowers in lawn.
Planning a workshop on building community spirit.
North Field Garden. Started a draft plan of where to plant what. Thinking about an area with table & chairs for community gatherings. Joel & Shawnie have rejoined.
East Garden. Confirmed who has which bed. Possibly one new bed. Sort-of approved garden policy paper.
Check email for some collected ideas on the guest room proposal.
Question: Is it okay to make changes in someone else's proposal?
Answer: In consensus, once a proposal is presented, it belongs to the group. Anyone can make suggestions, and it's up to the group whether they are accepted.
A lot of people would prefer to pay with plastic rather than check or cash.
Put your unit number on your reservation on the calendar.
Neither the existing nor the proposed policy require reservations in advance. If a room is available, you can reserve it the same night.
Under current policy, a nonresident needs a resident host to stay in the guest room.
Should one policy cover all the rooms in the common house, or a policy for the guest rooms and consider the other rooms separately?
Could units who don't use their free allotment donate their nights to another unit, for instance one with multiple unrelated adults with separate friends/family? Could a unit host on behalf of another household?
Discussion of guest room policy started when we were trying to figure out ways of coming up with funds during the budget discussion.
Some communities charge a cleaning fee on top of a suggested donation.
One way to track free nights would be for households to have tickets or chits.
Discussion to be continued.
Last fifteen minutes, break into committee groups.
The big driver of this year's fee increase is higher payments to the capital reserve. If we re-evaluate parts of the reserve analysis, would it be possible to not increase the amount as much?
Some replacements can be deferred without harm by nursing items along, e.g., the carpet in the sitting room or the kitchen cooktop.
Clarification: Capital reserve items aren't paid for out of the operating budget. Planning not to replace the carpet this year doesn't lower this year's operating budget. However, successfully stretching life spans lets us get by with less going into the reserve.
The reserve analysis has very conservative estimates of how long items will last. This is deliberate.
A bare-bones or underfunded reserve leaves us at risk of requiring a special assessment if something major & unforeseen comes up. Bringing the reserve to the recommended levels lowers the risk.
Some items will outlive the estimate in the study; others will fail sooner.
The community has had big-ticket items that didn't reach their expected life span, such as the original roof shingles & laundry equipment. We didn't expect to have to rip out back walls & rebuild. It's risky to assume we'll have no more disasters.
Construction might have a higher increases than the overall official inflation rate.
A low reserve can interfere with people getting mortgages, more so when credit is tight.
Community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the reserve study; however, Management looked through it page by page during the draft stage and is satisfied that it is reasonable.
Good maintenance puts off the need for capital reserve expenditures. The community has a lot of catch-up work to do on maintenance.
Some postponements can balloon costs in later years; e.g., tree care.
The leak in the deck roofs was a defect in construction, which has been found & fixed. Keeping the space under the decks clean should improve the life span of the roof membrane & help keep the leak from recurring.
Clarification: People say "cleaning the decks", but the issue is actually the roof under the deck. The deck itself is the owner's responsibility. Mgt at the time of the repairs decided the HOA should take responsibility for cleaning under, to improve the likelihood it got done.
Doing the deck-roof cleaning ourselves lowers the planned $10K maintenance budget to $7K.
Units with decks pay a surcharge in their fees, ~$204/year, to cover costs associated with them.
Instead of her $250/month pay for bookkeeping, Linda R wants just her actual expenses covered, $90/month. Management has been resisting this cut.
Some people argue the social parts of the community shouldn't be paid for from dues, yet they are an important difference between cohousing & a standard HOA. We have many members who are very frugal & creative at doing a lot with only a little, and seed money can go a long way.
Some committees could probably pare down requests to a much smaller amount, yet keep working. Others have less flexibility or have gotten by on a meager budget for years without increases.
Jam Club & Communications are withdrawing their requests. Zero them out.
Giving $300 to most committee is an increase of about 4%. It is considerably less than the requests for Safety, Process, & North Field.
Is Safety really discretionary? Effective safety spending will hold down crime costs. Individuals could do things like put in doorbell cameras.
$300 isn't enough to bring in an outside professional facilitator. Retreats can make a difference in getting the community to pull together & get things done. They affect quality of life. We have communication challenges not being resolved.
Fundraising would be additional work. It's hard enough to get people to show up & do maintenance. Maybe have a committee to look at passive fund raising.
Tightening our belts this year is postponing things, not saying we'll never have them again.
Differences among Proposed Increases
The dollar difference between 4.75 & 7.3% is about $1,900(?). 4.7% is a dollar or two more per month per unit than 4.0%.
People are over their sticker shock at the idea of 4.75%. Assuming we do the deck roofs ourselves while leaving the increase at 4.75% gives us a little additional to redistribute.
Straw poll (one vote per household):
Call for consensus on option 3.
Clarification: If reasons for opposing a proposal are personal preference, stand aside. If opposition is based on potential harm to the community, block.
Stand asides: Shawnie, Lynda, Linda WG, Karen, Annalise & Melanie.
Consensus on 4.7% increase.
Many issues raised in this discussion need further attention during the coming year.
Reminder: Please turn in 2017 receipts for reimbursement.
Ad hoc snow clearance policy committee: Meghan, Scott, Susan, Maxine
What do you want your experience to be living at Wasatch Commons this year?
Acknowledge Shawnie's request to reverse the agenda to budget first, then elections. Reason for putting elections first is so it doesn't have to be rushed if the budget discussion takes a while.
Staying on Management (middle of term) are Lynda Angelastro, Kay Argyle, & Ben Trueman. Completing their two-year term are Kellie Henderson & John Garrison.
Position entails twice monthly meetings, responsibility for legal & financial matters. It is the de facto maintenance committee. According to our (standard boilerplate) CCR, Management does everything, but since we are cohousing the community as a whole makes many decisions that Management would make in a "normal" condo.
Passed out ballots. Put your name, two nominations and why you think the person would be good on Management.
Ballots were read. Second round, additional comments on attributes for position & how the nominees meet them. Third round, accept or decline nominations.
Nominations: Kellie (accept), John (accept), Naomi (decline), Vicky (decline), Kathy A (decline), Analise (decline), Linda WG (decline), Mike W (decline), Mark (decline), Elaine (decline), Linda R (decline)
(plus a bunch of nominations for renters & people already on Management)
Two remaining nominations for two positions: Vote by acclamation.
Decision: Kellie Henderson and John Garrison are elected to Management for 2018 & 2019.
Handout: 2017 actuals. Proposal projected on wall.
The 2017 actuals reflect some committees that spent nothing because they weren't active, e.g., child infrastructure has $400 for 2018 because our insurance requires repairs.
Money unspent in 2017 budget is being used for expected shortfall in 2018.
Proposal is the same as emailed. Versions at 4.7%, 11%, & 17%.
A major driver for this proposal was the reserve analysis. The reserve is used to repair/replace major items and smooth out/save for major expenses, and a low reserve can interfere with getting mortgages.
Highlights/major items: $5K for paid labor for maintenance. $3K to clean roof membrane under decks. Legal advice revising Declaration & Bylaws. Process $1200 for retreat. Some major expenses should be one-time, such as the CCR. We don't do $5K tree work every year.
Most committee requests are only half-funded by this proposal. 4.7% increase would pay for additional to reserve but no committee budgets. Discretionary committee budgets, $5K, are only about 5% (?) of our total budget. Fully funding committee requests would require 17%.
11% is about a $30 increase per unit.
The 3% annual increase recommended for the reserve doesn't equate to a 3% increase in fees. It's 3% times the fraction that the reserve is of the budget (about half).
Changing the ovens from gas to electric probably won't make a noticeable change in the utilities, since one oven was broken and the other wasn't used much.
Labor costs can be held down if residents will step up to do maintenance. If residents do maintenance that we are currently paying for, the money that is set aside for that could be redistributed, but probably not for at least six months to a year (for instance, won't know until summer if we can avoid hiring someone to clean decks).
Can we come up with a process to help people know what maintenance needs to be done, how to do it, etc.? A lot of residents don't know enough to recognize what needs doing.
Residents doing work are covered by the community's insurance. Outside contractors must be licensed & insured.
We are trying to build long-term relationships with certain contractors who we have found to be reliable & reasonably priced. It holds down prices, & reduces uncertainty & pressure of trying to come up with somebody new each year.
Could we let people who save money by doing maintenance have some say on how the money is redistributed? That would give incentive to do work.
Pay-or-play payments aren't reflected in budget. If people who aren't doing community work will pay, that gives us money for paid labor.
Many condo communities have move-in fees. Changes in residents cause expenses to the community.
Jam Club did 300 jars of jam & distributed them; similar jam would cost easily $2-3 per jar. Would residents be willing to pay for the jam?
People who are passionate about particular committees/clubs will be motivated to come up with funding in creative ways, to self-fund, do more with less.
If no budget is passed, the Declaration says our budget is last year's plus 5%.
This discussion will be carried over to the next ACM 4th Sunday and (hopefully) pass it then.
Renters please meet upstairs to elect Renters Rep. Decision: Rebecca Smith.
Emailed 1/11/2018
Subject: [WaCoHo] minutes annual meeting 2018 Jan 10
Joel & Shawnie by proxy for units 5 & 14 (Mark). Is the Quorum 23 units?
From: Price Family\Sent: Friday, January 12, 2018 7:13 AMSubject: Re: [WaCoHo] minutes annual meeting 2018 Jan 10
Hi Kay, I think that proxy vote might have been Anne Hammond instead of Aitch? Or maybe in addition to?
April 25, 2020