Toscana Hot Topics - Nicole Careaga

by Nicole Careaga

This month, I thought I would address a few concerns that have been brought to me either via email, or from our June Fireside Chat. As you know, I enjoy providing all of you with education about Association Law, and information about the goings on- at Toscana. So, bear with me as I jump around on a few topics.

Board Member Duties: As we move closer and closer to transition, I have been asked to inform everyone what we are looking for in our future Board Members. We are looking for those residents who have a desire to learn and to lead. It is also imperative that we find members who are interested in assisting the Association with moving into our next phase, as we age and need to complete the necessary upgrades. I have also been asked to remind residents that Board Members take on a significant amount of information to make these decisions. A large amount of information they are given is confidential and not able to be shared within the community. Please be kind and respect the fact that, while they are here to serve the community and you as residents, they also must be held to these certain procedures.

Board Members are technically only Board Members during the scheduled Board Meetings. While in these meetings, the Board will be voting on all decisions that affect Toscana, the Budget and how we conduct projects and future planning. While the Board may not vote unanimously on a decision, the Board will all uphold that decision and is expected to respect it and move forward toward completion.

Community Concerns: With over 600 current residents there is bound to be a resident or two with questions about landscaping, the events calendar, project happenings, and other concerns. If you find yourself wondering about something within the community, I urge you to reach out to the management team, not your resident Board members. As a reminder, your resident Board are only Board Members at sanctioned Board Meetings. During other times, they are residents, just like the rest of you. In order to avoid legal consequences for your Board - and you, by extension - it is important to avoid having "Board" conversations outside of these meetings, especially when addressing multiple members of the Board. You and your Board members could, inadvertently, violate open meeting laws, as well as open the community up to various accusations of unethical operations.

The team within the Palazzo Centro office are all part of a professional management company team; our company is contracted by you to understand and operate under the various, nuanced, laws that govern HOAs in Arizona. We are here to assist you with all of your needs, including facilitating Association-related communication between the Board and residents outside of regular meetings. Our phone number and email addresses are listed within the front cover of this newsletter. This is also encouraged should you have concern with a community vendor. We ask that residents do not provide any type of direction to the landscape, pool or janitorial vendors.

Contract Negotiations: As we move through transition, your new Board of Directors will be working with the Finance Committee to assess the current contracts for Toscana. This is a normal and welcome part of transition. Many of the contracts will automatically renew from year to year; however, as we are entering our next phase, it will be imperative, that we create and sign new contracts with our community vendors. Should you be interested in the process, I would suggest that you attend the upcoming Finance Committee and Board Meetings as they discuss these plans in their open session meetings.

2022 Budget Planning: The Finance Committee will be reviewing preliminary budget amounts at their July 9 meeting as we begin planning the budget for 2022. This year, we will not only be reviewing one budget, but two, as we anticipate the new residents of the Luxe joining us. Next year we are anticipating potential increases in landscaping, janitorial, and water costs, just to name a few. We are not yet sure how your assessments and other budget items will be impacted. We highly recommend that residents join the upcoming Finance Committee and Board meetings to stay up to date as we move through this lengthy process.

Should you have any questions about these or any other topics, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any member of the team. We are here for you for any of your questions.