CA
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At a Glance 2014
FISCAL YEAR May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014
We’re looking toward the future! We’ve created the Inner Arbor Concept Plan to redevelop Symphony Woods Park, finished dredging Lake Elkhorn and Wilde Lake, completed plans to rebuild the Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club Clubhouse, began developing a Comprehensive Plan for Serving Older Adults, and launched a new community engagement website. There’s a lot going on with the Columbia Association (CA) lately! As part of our mission to enhance the quality of life for people living, working and playing in Columbia, CA has been working hard this fiscal year to provide residents with numerous facilities and programs, as well as plan and think about the future of the community with large-scale projects and initiatives. We’re all lucky to call this great place called Columbia our home, and CA is proud to be a major part of what makes this community so fantastic. ■
By creating the image of the rational potential of a city, we generate the power to carry it forward.
WITHOUT VISION, THERE IS NO POWER. — James Rouse, Founder of Columbia
get inspired
speak
UP
Help shape Columbia’s future!
Columbia Association has launched a new community engagement website, InspireColumbia.com. The site was designed to engage Columbia community members in conversation with CA by submitting ideas in response to topic questions posted by CA. The topics posted are related to CA’s organizational goals and each serves to garner public opinion on how to maintain and enhance the quality of life for people living and working in Columbia. The questions posted remain on the site for 30 days and are then rotated out for new questions.
2 What is Columbia Association?
Columbia Association (CA) is in the quality-of-life business. Columbia is not a city; rather, it’s a master-planned community. CA is a private, not-for-profit community service corporation which not only provides high-quality facilities and programs for residents to enjoy, but also maintains the open space land in Columbia, helps keep property values in the area high, supports standards for altering homes’ exteriors on CA-assessed property, protects and restores Columbia’s waterways and more. Columbia has won numerous awards for being one of the best places in the country for people to live, and it’s thanks in part to CA’s involvement that the community is as desired and well-regarded as it is. ■
$
3,307 MORE THE AMOUNT PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR A HOME NEAR PERMANENTLY PRESERVED OPEN SPACE
RATHER THAN PASTURELAND THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED IN THE FUTURE. J ou rn a l o f Am e rican Planning Asso c iatio n
Property values and the benefits of living in Columbia
Did you know that homes in the US within a three-block radius of a park or open space have higher property values? You can probably guess that the majority of homes in Columbia meet that criteria, and it’s CA that provides and maintains more than 3,600 acres of open space, which includes almost 94 miles of pathways, 167 tot lots, three lakes and 41 ponds.
The village community associations in Columbia set and enforce the architectural covenants (the exterior alteration standards) for homes in Columbia. The covenant system is administered by each individual village community association, and each association has its own Resident Architectural Committee made up of residents in that village. You can learn more about your village’s guidelines at ColumbiaVillages.org. ■
3 handles what? Columbia Village Community Associations handle the following: • enforcing covenants
Columbia Association handles the following: • maintaining fitness facilities, golf clubs,
tennis and basketball courts and indoor and outdoor swimming pools
• providing resources and
referral services for residents • advocating for residents at the village, Columbia and county level • fostering partnerships between villages, Columbia Association and Howard County • facilitating information sessions and community meetings with local stakeholders • managing, maintaining and renting out CA’s village buildings and neighborhood centers • hosting individual village events and partnering with all villages for Columbiawide special events • offering programming, including classes, camps and lectures • creating village master plans • working with village merchants • communicating to residents via newsletters, web sites, and social media • encouraging neighbor-toneighbor connectivity via block parties, beautification grants and block captains You can learn more at ColumbiaAssociation.org/ Villages.
• operating the Columbia Ice Rink,
Columbia Horse Center (via lease), Columbia SportsPark and SkatePark • operating the Columbia Art Center,
Youth and Teen Center at the Barn, Columbia Archives and Volunteer Center Serving Howard County • providing Before and After School
Care to Howard County elementary and middle school students
• organizing free summer concerts/films
at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront • providing summer camps to area
children and teens • maintaining more than 3,600 acres
of open space • developing plans to improve the
connectivity of the pathway system in Columbia • developing plans to protect and
restore Columbia’s watershed Learn more at ColumbiaAssociation.org; click on “About.”
Howard County Government handles the following: • schools and library management
• watershed management/restoration
• water and sewer management
• inspections, licenses and permits
• road maintenance and snow removal
• planning and zoning management
• solid waste and recycling collection
• historic preservation
• county parks and recreation facilities
• police, fire and rescue services
You can learn more at co.ho.md.us.
4 Columbia Association
Budget
CA’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget was approved by CA’s Board of Directors in January 2013. The total revenues for the FY 2014 budget are $1.2 million higher than the FY 2013 budgeted total revenues. The budgeted total operating expenses for FY 2014 are $61 million, which is about $1.3 million higher than FY 2013 budgeted total expenses. Learn about CA’s budgets for Fiscal Year 2014 at ColumbiaAssociation.org, click on “Budgets.” ■
* How is the Columbia Association annual charge calculated? If you have walked through the woods, fished in a lake, enjoyed an outdoor pool, attended a free summer concert on the Downtown Columbia Lakefront or voted in a village election, you have experienced some of the benefits of the CA annual charge. The CA Board of Directors has the authority, per CA’s by-laws, to set the rate to a maximum of 75 cents per $100 of valuation assessed on 50 percent of the fair market value, as determined by the state of Maryland for real estate tax purposes. Columbia Association applies the same methodology used by Howard County and the State with respect to their caps on property taxes, and they don’t apply those caps in calculating taxes due on a property in the year following the purchase. The income provided by the annual charge covers a little more than half of the cost of operating CA. While many amenities are provided free to all residents, many programs and services such as fitness facilities, art classes, Before and After School Care and golf clubs require the payment of dues and fees. These dues and fees provide the balance of CA’s revenues. Since CA resident members pay the annual charge, their dues are significantly lower than those paid by non-CA residents. For example, CA resident families normally pay approximately 35 to 50 percent less for a membership for the Package Plan or for the outdoor pools than non-CA residents. For information about your annual charge, call the Annual Charge Hotline at 410-715-3058 or visit WhyIPayCA.org. ■
MORE INFORMATION
can be found regarding CA and the issues on the horizon
in Fiscal Year 2014 by visiting ColumbiaAssociation.org. Columbia Association FY 2014 Approved Budget ($000’s) Summary of Funds, Expenditures and Annual Borrowings
where the money comes from
$67,963
Borrowings $3,484 - 5.1% Interest and Others $434 - 0.7%
Commercial Annual Charge $11,866 - 17.5%
Sport and Fitness Income $26,044 - 38.3%
Residential Annual Charge $22,036 - 32.4% Community Services Programs $4,099 - 6.0%
where the money is used
$67,963
Capital Expenditures * $9,594 - 14.1%
Sport and Fitness Programs and Facilities $25,366 - 37.3% Debt Repayment $6,293 - 9.3%
Board of Directors $999 - 1.5% Administrative Services $2,099 - 3.1% Contingencies/Other $1,990 - 2.9%
Open Space Management $10,646 - 15.7% Village Community Associations $4,686 - 6.9%
Community Services Programs $6,290 - 9.2%
* Total Capital Expenditures of $11,416 have been decreased by $1,822 due to certain unallocated non-cash adjustments. * The most recent financial statements and independent audit report are located at ColumbiaAssociation.org. This data representation is not in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
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you help make Columbia one of the
best places to live in thecountry. We think that’s a pretty good investment.
The average Columbia resident household pays an annual charge of just 64¢ a day, per person. This gives all of us open space, lakes, bridges, pathways, village community centers, tot lots and concerts; reduces the cost for camps, pools, gyms, golf and tennis; helps support bigger projects such as Symphony Woods Park development and improved pathway connectivity around Columbia; village center master planning; watershed protection and restoration; and more. When you figure a latte at your local coffee shop averages about $4, what you pay CA goes pretty far.
FAQs
Why do I have to pay CA?
commercial or industrial property
CA is a community-controlled,
CA covenants, which are attached
private, non-profit service
to every deed that requires you to
corporation created to provide
pay the annual charge.
services and amenities for the
& Answers
benefit of Columbia. In order
Will my lender pay the annual charge for me?
to ensure that financial
Some lenders do and some don’t;
resources will always be
check your mortgage escrow
available to maintain CA’s
account and speak with your
property and amenities, the
lender. CA is not a governmental
developers of Columbia added
entity, so the annual charge
to every CA residential,
cannot be called a tax. It,
▼
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For about 64¢ a day,*
What makes Columbia Columbia? That’s easy. You do! Your dollars are what makes Columbia a desirable area to live, work and play. They keep home values up and bring smiles to everyone from 1 to 101 who takes advantage of all the good stuff there is to do around Columbia. It’s thanks to you that Columbia is all that it is. Three lakes covering more than 85 acres are just the tip of the melted iceberg. To learn about all of the other ways your CA dollars enrich our community, check out WhyIPayCA.org.
Fitness Facilities
Are you wondering why you pay an annual charge? WhyIPayCA.org
We invite you to go to WhyIPayCA.org
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Village Community Associations
Tennis Clubs Golf Clubs
to learn more about where your annual charge goes. You can also go to ColumbiaAssociation.org where
Pathways
you can find CA’s most recent financial statements and independent audit report. The more you know, the more
Pool & Mini WaterParks
we think you’ll feel good knowing how much you get for your money.
Ice Rink
Ponds & Lakes however, resembles a tax to the extent that it is a first lien against your property and has
Tot Lots
priority over your mortgage. Why do I now pay more than the previous owner?
Bridges & Pedestrian Over & Underpasses
The state’s phase-in value is used the first year following a purchase
Camps
to calculate the annual charge, and that value may be higher than the previous owner’s
Trees & Forests
last value.
Basketball Courts
*
64¢ a day per person based on an average residential property value of $350,000 with an average of 2.53 persons per household.
Open Space SkatePark
KidSpace
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Awards & Columbia has been recognized with the following:
Accolades
• Number 2 Best Place to Live (jointly with Ellicott City) Money Magazine, 2010 • Number 7 Town to Live Well Forbes Magazine, 2009 • Number 8 City to Date a Nerd Match.com, 2011 • Number 8 Best Place to Live (jointly with Ellicott City) Money Magazine, 2012 • Number 10 Perfect Suburb CNBC, 2011 • Number 16 Smartest Community in the U.S. Baltimore Business Journal, 2011 • Number 17 Best Place to Raise a Family Forbes Magazine, 2008 • Best Neighborhood for the Money Daily Finance, 2010
Columbia Association and the business community
Accolade after accolade make Columbia one the best places in the country for people to live, work and play. CA doesn’t just provide amenities and programs for residents, it also benefits the local businesses and our regional economy by providing quality-of-life amenities that make Columbia and the surrounding area more attractive for professionals, families and businesses to locate here. While 70 percent of CA’s annual charge revenue is collected from residents, 30 percent comes from businesses on CA-assessed property. If your company is located on property protected by CA covenants, your full-time employees can purchase an individual CA membership for themselves at the CA resident price or apply the individual discounts toward the purchase of a two-member or family membership. ■
9 FY2013
Major accomplishments and initiatives
FY2013 was a great year for the Columbia Association (CA) and much was accomplished. Last fiscal year, CA completed dredging at Lake Elkhorn and Wilde Lake. Throughout the fiscal year, CA also continued its work on the project to develop
Symphony Woods Park by developing the Inner Arbor Concept Plan to transition the park into an enhanced downtown setting for cultural events and performances, art installations and community events. CA also moved forward in planning to build a new clubhouse and turnhouse at the Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club. CA also launched its new customer service software system, Spectrum NG. The
new system increases the speed and convenience of transactions and gives members the ability to check account information and register and pay for programs and services online. During the year CA also completed its Connecting Columbia project with an implementable plan to improve the pathway system in Columbia and increase the overall connectivity of Columbia for bikers and walkers. ■
FY2014
Upcoming major initiatives
enhance the quality of life for those living and working in
As we look toward the future of the Columbia
Columbia.
Association (CA) and our community, there
During this upcoming fiscal year, CA will also be focused on
are plenty of new initiatives on the horizon.
rebuilding the clubhouse at the Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club with
At the beginning of the fiscal year, CA
demolition and construction slated to begin in October 2013
launched a new community engagement site,
and continue through October 2014. This year CA will also be
InspireColumbia.com, to garner feedback and
working on a Comprehensive Plan for Serving Older Adults.
ideas from Columbia residents on the future of
CA will be working to construct a dog park in Harper’s Choice.
Columbia. This new site seeks to involve community members in two-way discussions with Columbia Association to further
To learn more about upcoming initiatives and projects, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org. ■
A new spirit
within Columbia Association
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Get involved in the best community association
also committees and work
about the many leadership
teams that could use the
opportunities available in
Whether you have a few
help of dedicated, thoughtful
Columbia by visiting
hours a week or a few days
and enthusiastic Columbia
ColumbiaAssociation.org/
a month to offer, options are
residents. You can learn
Leadership-Opportunities.
abound if you want to get more involved in local leadership. Columbia is a masterplanned community governed by the Columbia Association (CA) Board of Directors (which handles the business affairs of CA) and the village community association boards (which manage the business affairs of the ten Columbia village community associations). But that’s not all. There are
Join the fun! Don’t have a
membership? No problem!
Columbia Card Available to Columbia Residents CA Amenities Without a Membership Persons who live on CAassessed property may pay reduced daily admission and program fees with a free Columbia Card. Visit the Membership Service Center and show your driver’s license or imprinted personal check to verify your CA residency.
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Get involved! Go to ColumbiaAssociation.org/ Leadership-Opportunities
OPPORTUNITIES How to Participate in Columbia Association’s Facilities and Programs
Via Membership
Via Columbia Card
How to Join
You can sign up for membership at a single facility, or you can sign up for Package Plan, which provides you with access to all CA facilities. Membership prices are discounted for those residents who live or work on property protected by the CA covenants.
CA residents who don’t want to purchase a membership may obtain a free Columbia Card and access the membership facilities on a “pay-as-yougo” basis. The Columbia Card is available exclusively for residents who live on property protected by CA covenants.
To purchase a membership plan or obtain a Columbia Card, please visit CA’s Membership Service Center (MSC), Mon-Sat from 10am-7pm, at 10221 Wincopin Circle, 21044 or call 410-730-1801. For more information on income-qualified discount programs and Earn-aMembership programs, contact the MSC.
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Connect with
Columbia Association It’s easier than ever to find us!
ColumbiaAssociation.org Facebook.com/CA.ColumbiaAssociation Issuu.com/CA-ColumbiaAssociation Twitter.com/ColumbiaAssn YouTube.com/CATVchannel