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Hello Homeowners,
In last week’s article, I said I would come back to the draft budget presentation held last Thursday, Oct. 16. We had 19 owners come up to speak during the homeowner forum. I am going to devote this article to addressing the items that were brought up. Some comments were general, some focused on equestrian user fees, and some on golf user fees.
The largest number of comments focused on equestrian user fees and the desire to reject any charges for homeowners who use the equestrian facilities while housing their horse(s) in their backyard. The proposed budget has an annual fee for bringing your horse to use the facilities. Another fee added is a manure-dumping fee. Homeowners with horses are currently allowed to have their backyard horse manure taken to the facility, with the HOA then paying for disposal costs. Unfortunately, we cannot use this manure for our compost program.
Whether the issue is horses, golf, or anything else, we are trying to offset our expenses by assigning reasonable fees to those who utilize the service or a very specific-use amenity. I use the term specific-use amenity; in contrast, many amenities are general-use, such as pools, playgrounds, courts, and parks. We have all worked to do what is in the best interest of the entire community, 3,451 homes and approximately 11,000 people.
The proposed manure dump fee is $120 annually. The annual equestrian facility use fee is $180 for a single horse, $240 if you have more than one horse that you bring to the facility. These fees are minimal, $10 to $20 per month, billed annually. Ramona Disposal charges $104.72 per month for a personal manure dumpster at your home. Our proposed fee is less than 10% of Ramona Disposal’s fee.
The facility use fee is there to support the costs associated with personal use of the International Equestrian Center or Casey Tibbs Western Center. It is understandable that owners do not want a new fee for services. At the same time, as all our expenses are rising, we are trying to allocate some of those expenses to the individual owners. There are many things that we ALL pay for communally; we strive to achieve an appropriate balance between all homeowners. This is true for programs such as Golf Membership, RV Lot, Day Camps, and Afterschool Programs, as well. User fees are increasing to help offset rising operational expenses.
None of us—management, committee members, board members, or homeowners — wants to see assessments or user fees increase. However, SDCEA experiences the same inflationary pressures that you do in your personal life. The management team and I respect that we are spending your dollars, your investment in this community. We will continue to do our best to find new, outside revenue sources and be prudent with expenses. We truly are on the same team. It is important to all of us. As the Board and management work together to maintain, repair, and replace the community's assets, we will create increased demand for our products and services. That requires dedication to enhancing our reserve fund so that the many deferred items can be renovated, as necessary. As that happens, our revenues will increase to help offset future assessments.
SDCEA is a unique blend of an amazingly beautiful part of the world, a safe and fun place to live and raise a family, with multiple business operations. We strive to make improvements in all aspects of the businesses we run. Ultimately, I wanted to provide more information to answer questions that came up during last week's budget presentation last week.
Thanks again for helping us make San Diego Country Estates the best it can be!
Carl Weise, GM
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