Your HOA
President’s Message By Matt Metz SRCA Board President
Your Scottsdale Ranch Board of Directors is comprised of people just like you – proud residents of Scottsdale Ranch – who want to volunteer their time to make sure this community maintains its position as the best place in the Valley to live. The board members you vote for have tremendous experience – years of working for companies or running their own businesses, serving in the public and private sectors. They have the desire to serve, and a passion for helping Scottsdale Ranch. But unlike our Executive Director and her able staff, what most board members don’t have is a deep knowledge of how homeowners associations work, all the issues that arise in the management of a large association such as SRCA, and the business model under which the association works. That’s why, a few years back, your Board of Directors passed a resolution that requires annual and continuing education for all Board members; we want the team that sets policy for Scottsdale Ranch to be just as informed and capable as the boards that run other companies and organizations. Late last year, still in the midst of the pandemic gripping our country, our Board participated in another of these training opportunities. As we participated in this event, I realized that as residents of Scottsdale Ranch, you might also benefit from some of these lessons, so I’ve highlighted a couple of the key takeaways from our most recent training: • Be fair, sympathetic, reasonable and consistent in the application of rules. It’s important that the actions of the Board and the HOA are not perceived as being applied in a discriminatory or inconsistent manner. That means looking at prior decisions and also means putting ourselves in the shoes of our members when making decisions. • Make sure our Architectural Review process is fair and consistent. Have clear standards against which applications are evaluated. In the few cases when requests are denied, be able to explain the exact reasons for the denial. If done correctly, the applicants should have enough information that they can re-apply with (sometimes) small changes and be approved. • Ensure the HOA is sufficiently insured. We live in a litigious society, so having the proper levels of insurance is critical to protecting the financial well-being of the association and thus its members. • Don’t be afraid to ask for expert help. In fact, when the Board asks for the advice of experts – be they attorneys or contractors or consultants – the Board helps protect Scottsdale Ranch from liability during litigation. • Follow Arizona Open Meeting Laws and strive for transparency. This is something at which SRCA excels. We give lots of notice of Board and committee meetings and make it easy for members to attend. In fact, one of the very few benefits we’ve seen from doing business during the pandemic is that by holding our meetings electronically, more homeowners have been attending our meetings than when we were meeting face-to-face at the Community Center. These aren’t the only lessons Board members are expected to understand, but these are some of the more important ones. Although we are volunteers, your Board wants to act responsibly and professionally as we serve to protect the quality of life and property values throughout Scottsdale Ranch. 4
February/March 2021
Board Briefs November 17, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting • Adopted the 2021 budget as presented. The annual assessment for 2021 remains at $395.00 per unit. • New homeowner representative code of conduct approved. December 15, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting • Approved the contract for Arizona Pump to remove a waterfall pump and install a new submersible pump. • Approved the proposal for Arrowhead Environmental for the dredging of the lake sedimentation in the lake coves adjacent to the Community Center and between Unit 8 and Heritage Village IV. • Approved the use of a heavy microbe treatment to reduce the sedimentation in Lake Serena. • Approved the 2021 Board meeting dates to remain on the 4th Tuesday of every month unless affected by a holiday. • Set the 2021 Annual Meeting date for Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. • SRCA will continue with the current procedures for the office and community center. Reopening will continue to be re-evaluated each month. PLEASE NOTE: HOLIDAY LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS WERE TO BE REMOVED JANUARY 15TH, 2021. THE SRCA OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH FOR PRESIDENT’S DAY.
