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The Columbia Association (CA) Board of Directors is meeting less frequently this year compared to last year so there hasn't been as much to update on. However, as we say goodbye to summer, things are looking busier for the fall. In the last meeting on September 12th, the Board voted on some short and long term goals for the CA President and the leadership team. This is important as we have not yet finalized the Strategic Plan as the draft we were presented with at the end of the last term needs a lot of work. Finally, the Board will start reviewing the FY (Fiscal Year) 2026 Budget at our next meeting on September 26th.
One of the high priority items for the new President's short term goals is completing the five year strategic plan. As I've said before, the existing draft lacks a focus on residents who account for 60% of CA's revenue annually. The plan is also lacking in innovation - the things that make Columbia such a unique and special place to live. I've talked to multiple people who felt that the vendor tasked with working with CA to draft what we have now didn't really understand Columbia or its history. The survey the vendor used to solicit information from residents was missing input from key demographics in our community that span race, gender and age. All that being said, I'm hopeful that we can produce something much better as our new President meets with all of the board members individually to get our thoughts on what we want. Of course I want CA Programs and Facilities to be much more affordable and accessible for our residents. I want us to consider our diverse population when making decisions about our programs and facilities. I also want us to take a flexible approach as we prepare for and react to the climate emergency. We need to preserve and protect our open spaces from a rapidly warming climate.
This brings up one of the long term goals, developing a natural resource stewardship plan. I think this is critical and it will require CA partnering with County and State entities to achieve something useful. It will also mean relying on independent experts who don't necessarily work for CA but who we can engage with for their expert opinions and experience. There are a number of residents living in Columbia who are highly respected in the fields of water quality, hydrology, geology and meteorology, just to name a few, that can be called upon to ensure that CA's plan relies on the most recent science and can stay up to date as we move forward.
Last but not least, the Board will get its first look at the budget process at its next meeting and I have more thoughts on that below as I discuss one of my favorite topics, the Outdoor Pools.
Take The Outdoor Pool Survey
I'm interested in finding out why Columbia residents purchase a membership, or not, to use the outdoor pools. This short survey will take only a few minutes to complete. Click on the link below to get started:
Outdoor Pool Survey
CA Can Afford to Offer the Play Membership at No Extra Cost
It's no secret that I've been working to provide the outdoor pools to residents of the Columbia Association (CA) at no extra cost. I asked a good friend and former Chief Financial Officer of Amtrak and the Veterans Administration to take a look at the CA Budget to see if he thought we could afford it.
The good news is, yes, we can definitely afford it. Where would the money come from? To start with, for each of the past several years CA has generated net income greater than its requirements of around $3M. That would cover the cost of including pools. In the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget, CA is generating net income (income more than its requirements) of $8,016,000.
Additionally, all of CA's debt will be eliminated in FY 2030, freeing up $5M annually.
There are other efficiencies and changes that CA could make as well to cover the cost of the outdoor pools that include things like reducing the spend on Category III improvements.
As we begin to review the budget for FY 2026, the CA Board should include the pools for all residents in good standing as a benefit of the annual charge.
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