and then in 2019 there was a $300 increase. This raise brought the assessment to $1800 a year. In 2020 the assessments were raised again to $2,100, as they included a $300 allocation to the reserve funds. In 2021, the assessment returned to $1800, as a response to the pandemic. In 6 years, the Annual Assessment has gone from $1250 to $2100, a $850 increase. As we look around the R Ranch – we must want to repair, mend and improve the Ranch, not only for aesthetics and comfort, but for safety and stewardship. For 2022 our annual assessment will be $2160, an increase by $360 from the previous year. There will not be a special assessment or an allocation this year for any special projects or reserve. All funds will go back into operations, general maintenance, planned repair, and activities. These decisions don’t come lightly and were in great discussion among the board members. Our largest costs at the Ranch are Labor and Property & Liability Insurance. Ed Russell, Treasurer, has done a great amount of research to put together a budget that allows the Ranch to operate to serve all the members, and still improve our property by tackling the deferred maintenance items. I feel many of us, when we really look around the Ranch, we see the beauty but also the work needed to care for this older establishment. As deed holders, and active members of the ROA, we share the burden to fund the care and entertainment offered here. It is a commitment that each one of us makes when we buy a share. This commitment may not often be communicated when a share is given away for the cost of the transfer fees. I would encourage every owner who is looking to resale their share to contact the ROA office and let them help you sell and inform the new prospective deed owner of the commitment required. It’s a good and fair thing to do for the rest of the R-Ranch community that has decided the wonderful place is a worthy investment of funds and time. Finally, we hope to see you on the Ranch and at the Board Meetings, where we invite members to participate as much as possible. We welcome you to join our established committees – Equine, Boat, Cabin, Campground, R Ranch Riders – or our new committees, Firewise or Audit. If you’d like to chat sometime, well, you can find me at the Stables!
Lisa Massaro President
