SOUTHGATE
Official Publication of the Southgate Homeowners Association
The
Southgate G
azette
October 2011
board of directors meetings The Southgate HOA Board of Directors meets the 2nd TUESDAY of every month at the Shepherd of the Heart Methodist Church from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The church is one-half mile west of Kirby on CR 59. All homeowners are welcome to attend. Contact the board at our email address: southgatehoaboard@gmail.com
homeowner assessment for 2012 The statements for the year 2012 homeowner assessments will be mailed to your home by our management company, LPI, on approximately December 1, 2011. Payments are due by December 31, 2011 and will begin accruing late fees if not received by January 31, 2012. Our annual dues are $200 and pay for lawn maintenance of the area surrounding our neighborhood and around the retention pond. They pay the management company for billing and collecting dues, twice monthly drive through to note deed violations, send letters to violators to remedy problems and letters to homeowners who have not paid their dues. They also pay for lighting and water at the two entrances on CR 59, for landscaping and lighting improvements to those two entrances, paid for the new sidewalk from Harris to connect to the sidewalk to the Town Center, and pay for legal fees required when homeowners don’t live up to their commitment to maintain their home and pay their fees. The $200 per year equates to only $16.67 per month, per homeowner. You can go to our community site www.sgatehoa.org and pay online with a credit card. There is a fee for this service, but some homeowners prefer to use this form of payment.
national night out is oct. 4th National Night Out will be celebrated in Texas this year on Tuesday October 4, 2011. Turn on your porch light and step out and meet your neighbors. While you are out this would be a good time to exchange information with them such as phone numbers, work numbers, etc. It has been proven time and again the best way to prevent crime in a neighborhood is to have caring neighbors that will watch over their neighbor's property. If you have exchanged phone numbers and see something out of the ordinary you can always call them and ask. Let's all get out there this year and make the effort. Copyright © 2011 Peel, Inc.
Volume 1, Issue 7
responsibilities of a board member At our November 15 General Meeting we will elect two new Directors for the board. These Directors will serve a two year term expiring at the end of December, 2013. Candidates should commit to attending the twelve board meetings, once per month, and two general meetings in May and November. We hope you will consider being a candidate for the Board of Directors. Being elected to the Board of Directors of the SouthGate Community Association is an honor, but with this honor comes responsibility. Each homeowner should know the duties and obligations of the Association’s Board of Directors. SouthGate Community Association was created as a membership organization managed by a board of directors. Texas law and the Association’s governing documents outline the rights and responsibilities of the Association and its Board of Directors. Each Director owes the Association legal duties of good faith, loyalty, and obedience. These duties include the obligation to follow all of the state and federal laws and all of the governing documents of our community, including the Association’s deed restrictions and bylaws. These duties mean that the Directors must always put the Association first, must not participate in any self dealing, and must stay informed about the proper functioning of the Association. These duties also mean that each Director must obey the rules governing the Association even if the Director does not agree with the rules. Also within these duties is the principle that the Board of Directors acts as a whole and by majority vote. An individual Director has no authority to act independent of the rest of the Board of Directors, and no individual Director has more authority than any other Director. This prevents one Director from ruling the Association without regard to the rights of all homeowners. (Continued on Page 2)
Have a Safe & Happy Halloween! The Southgate Gazette - October 2011
1