Minutes of Annual Meeting May 4, 2013

Plantation Estates Homeowners' Association

(PEHOA)

P.O. Box 2284

Swansboro, NC 28584

May 27, 2013

 

Minutes of Annual Meeting May 4, 2013

 

 

• First Order of Business:  Duane Jastremski, President, called the meeting to order at 10:03 A.M.  Members present were Rick Chase, Grant (Vice President) and Marla Sparks, Peggy Stolzenberg, Chris Rowland (Treasurer), Duane(President) and Bobbie Jastremski, Dave and Julie (Member-at-Large) Brown, Bruce Miller, Bill and Dorothy Tisdale, Woody Stewart, Ben Reece, Whip Wilson, Tawnya Losito, Lydia Hellams and Alice Aurilio (Secretary).  Members represented by proxy were Gene and Carol Bennett, Sheldon Derksen (representing the estate of Phyllis Perrine), Jack Dudley, Jeff Gormley, Paul and Linda Haid, Bill and Denise McCulloch and Jim and Linda Stephens.  Twenty two members in total were represented.  Twenty members are required for a quorum (40% of the members), and as such, the requirement was met and the meeting proceeded. 

 

• Second Order of Business:  Proof of Meeting Notice for this Annual Meeting on May 4, 2013, was e-mailed, mailed and posted on the PEHOA blog on April 11, 2013.

 

• Third Order of Business:  Minutes from the April 28, 2012, Annual Meeting were read by Alice Aurilio, Secretary.  Grant Sparked noted a correction on the date of the Special Assessment of $300 from 2012 to 2013.  No other corrections were noted and the minutes were approved.

 

• Fourth Order of Business:  Chris Rowland, Treasurer, presented the Treasurer's Report.  (Please refer to the materials e-mailed or mailed prior to the meeting or distributed at the meeting for specifics.)  No questions were raised concerning the report.  Chris asked if there were any questions about the proposed 2013-2014  budget.  As there were no objections to the budget, it was ratified.

Chris and Duane thanked Lydia Hellams for auditing the financial records of PEHOA and finding the records in order.

 

• Fifth Order of Business:  Old Business dealing with the proposal to amend the Restrictive Covenants of PEHOA to allow keeping laying hens was discussed.  A letter sent to members dated April 10, 2013, explained that the Board could not justify the expense of $1,500 to $2,000 in attorney fees to amend the covenants when a third of Plantation Drive remains in need of patching and repaving.  Bruce Miller asked if this amendment had been approved by the members.  Several Board members noted that it had been discussed, but never put in writing for approval.  Any proposal given to members would have been that, only a proposal.  It would be the attorney's job to write the proposal in a recordable format and this is what would cost PEHOA approximately between $1,500 and $2,000.  Additionally, for the covenants to be amended, 60% of members would need to vote in the affirmative.  A recent informal survey, returned by 23 of 50 lot owners, resulted in 10 votes in favor, 13 against and 1 not caring one way or the other.  Whip stated  he felt the results of the vote would have been different if folks had been given a proposal. 

A discussion concerning the process required to amend the covenants followed.  Ben asked if individual members could put up their own money to amend the covenants.  Yes, they could, but if the measure didn't pass, their money would be lost.

Tawnya  wanted to know if new residents and/or landowners had a copy of the covenants so they would know what is and isn't permitted in Plantation Estates.  Alice said she would e-mail a copy to Bruce Miller and asked Peggy Stolzenberg if she received a copy.  She said she'd check and if not, she would get in touch with Alice. 

No other Old Business issues were raised.

 

·         Sixth Order of Business:  Topics of New Business were introduced and discussed.  Tawnya asked if dues could be raised.  Duane stated the Board had agreed not to discuss raising dues until the dues return to $200 per year in 2015.  This being the result of crediting Annual Dues in the amount of $100 for 2013 and 2014 for payment of the $300 Special Assessment.  Julie wondered if raising dues and amending the covenants to allow laying hens could be done simultaneously.  Dave asked if possibly the covenants could be amended to give the Board the authority to raise dues by a given (not specified) percentage each year without requiring  it to be approved by the members.  Julie asked if the Board should work on a covenant change such as the one suggested by Dave.  No consensus was reached on this matter.

 Whip suggested the possibility of another Special Assessment, this time in the amount of $500, to finish the patching and repaving on Plantation Drive.  He said $300 could be put into the Capital Improvement Fund (maintenance of Plantation Drive) and the remaining $200 could be used in the Operating Budget and each member's dues credited $100 for another two years.  A concern raised by Board members was that this would leave the Operating Budget, which is already in the red through 2014, in the same shape for an additional two years.  Julie asked if extra monies could be put into a "slush" fund.  Grant responded that money ear-marked for a certain budget item must to be spent only on that item.

Julie asked to know who fixed the signs and mailboxes after the night of vandalism caused by the drive through in January.  Several members replied that many neighbors helped to put things right.  Thanks go out to all who lent a hand in the clean-up!

Ben mentioned that a family living in River Reach West behind his property had set-up a practice area for bows and arrows complete with hay bales and targets and were shooting toward his house.  He spoke with the home owner and the bales have been moved, but may be near the Stolzenberg's home.  Peggy said she would have her husband check into this matter.

The matter of mowing was discussed.  Duane thanked those who had volunteered their time to keep the neighborhood well manicured, among them Grant, Whip, Ernie and Nancy Combs, Angela Lawson and Ted Pope.  Apologies to anyone whose name may have been omitted.  Grant volunteered to continue helping with the mowing.

Officers elected to the 2013-2014 PEHOA Board  are as follows:  Grant Sparks, President; Duane Jastremski, Vice President; Chris Rowland, Treasurer; Julie Brown, Secretary and Alice Aurilio, Member-at-Large.

 

·         The meeting was adjourned at 11:02 A.M.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Alice Aurilio,

PEHOA Secretary