2024-06-12 (June 12)

MINUTES OF AMBERLEIGH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING

JUNE 12, 2024

The Amberleigh Homeowners Association held its annual meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at Mill Creek City Hall North in Mill Creek, WA.  Board of Directors in attendance included:  Mark Beales, President and Director, Roger Deffner, Vice President and Director, Tyler Davis, Treasurer and Director, and Dianne Bratz, Secretary and Director.  Director Mary Spaulding was unable to attend.  Including absentee ballots/residents attending in person with ballots, 52 Amberleigh homes were represented in voting this year.

Mark Beales opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. and welcomed the residents in attendance at the meeting, thanking the current HOA Board members and Michael Beaumont for their past year of volunteer service
on behalf of Amberleigh residents.

Tyler Davis presented the Treasurer’s Report as a summary of the pages sent by email to every Amberleigh resident ahead of the meeting for review.  Highlights of Tyler’s presentation included:

• Special thanks to and grateful acknowledgement of Diana Beaumont’s many faithful years of service as Amberleigh Treasurer, and for her tremendous support for Tyler as he assumed the Treasurer’s role

• A brief overview of the multiple financial system changes undergone by Amberleigh’s HOA over the past several years, noting the current financial system in use is PayHOA.com which all Amberleigh residents should have by now received an online invitation to join

• Notice that Tyler will send PayHOA instructions to all Amberleigh residents, explaining the benefits of the system as a whole and of the PayHOA online quarterly autopay option as an expedient way for residents to stay current in paying their HOA dues

• Description of major PayHOA features as relate to Amberleigh residents at large, noting that Amberleigh HOA and Mill Creek Community Association are now synced in using the PayHOA system

• Report of all HOA accounts as currently solvent with $109k currently in reserves, which should be ample for any unforeseen expenditures ahead

• Notice that significant increases in landscape costs and MCCA dues require the 2024-2025 HOA Dues be increased by $50 per quarter, raising the annual total per household from $1800 to $2000

Mark Beales asked if anyone had questions regarding the 2024-2025 budget.  One resident asked if the quarterly HOA dues increase could be deferred to next year, given the funds currently in the HOA reserve account.  Both Mark and Tyler responded that deferring would deplete a large percentage of our reserve funds, create a substantial loss of interest in the account’s money market fund, and potentially create a significant deficit as many, many trees in the neighborhood are fast approaching the need for replacement under an arborist’s counsel.  There were no further budget questions.

Mark Beales informed the residents in attendance that historically Amberleigh HOA has conducted its annual financial audit with a 3-person volunteer team + the Treasurer-as-advisor-only, saving Amberleigh residents many thousands of dollars that would be required if we hired an outside, paid CPA auditor.  He noted we are currently seeking volunteers for this team if the meeting vote indicates this is the corporate choice of the residents this year.  There is no CPA experience required to volunteer.

Michael Beaumont, Amberleigh Landscape Coordinator, presented an overview of our current landscape and irrigation status:

• Currently our irrigation system runs three days per week: once for 5 minutes after midnight to soften the soil and again for 5 minutes at approximately 5 a.m. to water deeper into the softened soil; this schedule changes with the weather, potentially changing to daily watering in very warm weather

• “Al” is paid $250 per month for his irrigation supervision, a role he has held for the past 20 years with outstanding expertise and service and nearly 24/7 availability

• Residents are earnestly urged to not attempt any repair or changes to their irrigation system but to call Michael with any irrigation questions, concerns, or requests to ensure the proper action is taken

• Sigfredo and his landscape team are the best Amberleigh has ever used, consistently bringing excellence to their weekly maintenance service and undertaking projects far above and beyond what is normally expected for the sake of Amberleigh’s long-term landscape needs

• Amberleigh residents are asked to not interrupt the landscape team when they are working in the neighborhood but to bring all landscape questions and concerns to Michael Beaumont, who will relay and coordinate with the landscape team to resolve any issues

• Amberleigh residents are additionally asked to:
  - find the necessary forms for landscape change requests on the Amberleigh website and give 
                  them to Michael Beaumont or Mark Beales for review and approval
  - refrain from planting annuals in the front yard unless they are planted in raised pots, noting
                  pots can even be incorporated into the irrigation system for watering if properly done

• Over the next year it is possible 20 large maple trees in the neighborhood will be replaced due to the wide and damaging spread of their roots beneath sidewalks and driveways

• Gabriel’s Landscaping recently trimmed all branches overhanging Amberleigh roofs to prevent rodents from gaining access to Amberleigh homes via roofs

• It is a longstanding Amberleigh tradition to give our landscape team a special monetary collection as a “thank you” for their outstanding work, the money given shared as Christmas gifts, periodic luncheons, etc. throughout the year.  This is optional to residents but deeply appreciated and Amberleigh homeowners have historically been very generous in this endeavor

New Business:

Mark Beales noted three changes to Amberleigh’s Rules and Regulations Amberleigh residents should take special note of, the full text to be found on Amberleigh’s website along with applicable MCCA R&R’s, as well:

• Section 3.4/Exterior Home Painting:  exterior paint colors must be approved by both Amberleigh HOA and MCCA, requiring forms and posterboard paint samples be presented on the front porch before painting begins.  Several painters used in Amberleigh are familiar with the process already

• Section 3.5/Fence Painting:  adjoining fences must be painted the same color and be of the same style if they face the street, and HOA will be speaking to residents regarding proper fence maintenance

• Section 3.8.1/Common Driveways: residents are asked to discourage the use of common driveways as playground areas out of consideration for neighbors living in close proximity to those spaces

Mark Beales noted Amberleigh’s 2024 Neighborhood Night Out potluck will be held August 6, 2024 in the upper loop; Mary Spaulding heads this up and would appreciate volunteers to help her in this effort.

After counting and ratifying all returned ballots the 2024 voting results are as follows:

• 52 ballots or 59% of Amberleigh Homeowners voted in 2024

• The 2024-2025 proposed Amberleigh Budget passed unanimously

• Amberleigh’s 2023-2024 audit will be carried out by an internal volunteer team per a unanimous vote in favor of this decision

• Mark Beales and Tyler Davis will officially serve their three-year respective terms as Board Directors per a unanimous vote in favor of each case

Mark Beales thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting at 7:58 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Dianne Bratz
Amberleigh HOA Director and Secretary