Annual Meeting Minutes

Board Members Present:  Jim Davidson, president, Paul Canny, vice-president, Dick Vautravers, Treasurer, Carol Conway, Secretary, Bill Rice and Steve Imes.

Staff: Don McIntyre

 The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. by President Davidson.

President Davidson acknowledged the residents in attendance and asked new residents to please stand and acknowledged them.  He asked that all residents that have lived in Wellington Greens over twenty years to stand and seven stood, asked for those over 25 years and four stood and those over thirty years and 2 stood. He introduced Board members Dick Vautravers, Carol Conway, Paul Canny, Steve Imes and Bill Rice.  He introduced the Administrative Assistant Don McIntyre

President Davidson asked for approval of the 2017 Annual Meeting Minutes.  A motion was made by Ned Hedges and seconded and seconded by Jim Wharry that they be approved. The motion carried.

President Davidson introduced the candidates up for election to the Board of Directors and asked them to make their presentation to the group.

The Candidates made their presentations.  President Davidson read Mr. Barber’s bio as he had just had a knee operation) and took questions.

President Davidson called a recess so that members could cast their ballots.

The meeting was called back to order and as the votes were being counted, the officers gave their annual reports.

President’s State of the Association – James Davidson

This has been a productive year for the association.  We have repainted the outside of the clubhouse, repainted the inside and put in an American for Disabilities compliant restroom on the main floor.  We have ended the year well financially, and I am blessed with a tremendous board of individuals that give sacrificially of their time for the Association.  We lost several people this past year in Wellington Greens and our sincerest condolences go to each of the family members.  Dues are not going to be raised this year.  We plan to do a slower continuation of updating the kitchen in the clubhouse.  Dan Riner and his crew do a tremendous job on the facilities and the campus looks great.  Thought for the day:  What do the following towns in Nebraska have in common with Wellington Greens?  Bassett, Arnold, Overton, Firth, Dorchester, Greenwood, Palmyra, Paxton, Valparaiso, Adams and Beaver City or Elmwood?  They each have the same population base as we do at Wellington.  So, the job this Board does, and the job the maintenance staff does is second to none.  Nebraska won the game last week and we are encouraged!  We stand ready and committed to keep the property values growing, the landscape great, and the experiences here at Wellington warm and inviting.

Treasurer Report – Dick Vautravers

My name is Dick Vautravers, and I am a member of the Board and Treasurer for the Wellington Greens Homes Association.  Did all of you pick up a copy of the Financial Statements that were at the door?  If not, raise your hand and we’ll see that you receive one.

The Fiscal Year for our Association is October 1 through September 30.  The Financials that you have in front of you are for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.  The financial information is prepared monthly by Barb Geiger at Professional Accounting Services.  Barb had worked with, and took over for, Stan Martin, who moved from Wellington Greens to Houston, Texas, recently.  The compilation that you have in front of you is prepared by our independent public accountant Watts and Hershberger.  Barb, Stan and Jim Watts are CPA’s.

Jim Watts indicated to me that he is very comfortable with the controls and procedures that we have in place, and did not make any adjustments to the financial statements that he received from Barb Geiger.

Our Association is over 50 years old.  Dan Riner, who authorizes many of the expenses, has been at Wellington for 46 years, most of the time as the Head Groundskeeper.  I’ve had two terms as Board Treasurer.  We’ve had the same accounting partners for many years.  So, our financial results are very stable and very predictable.  There’s perhaps something to be said for chaos, but I find stability very comforting.

Let me just go through a few highlights from the report:

• On page 2, you see that Cash increased slightly to $82,480 at year-end 2018.  Property and Equipment increased by $26,000, reflecting the work on the Club House that you will hear about from another board member.  The Note Payable Liability for the Maintenance Building was reduced by nearly $30,000 in principal repayments.
• Page 3 is the Statement of Revenue and Expenses, or Income Statement.  Our Assessments went up by $32,000, reflecting the dues increase implemented on October 1, 2018.  We used $23,800 of that increase to pay for Concrete Repair.  Otherwise the dues increase helped pay down our Note and pay for the Clubhouse Renovation.
• While Page 3 shows we had Revenue in Excess of Expenses of $34,603, the Statement of Cash Flows on Page 5 shows why we only added $3,000 to Cash on hand.  The statement shows that in 2018 we had a $29,020 reduction in long-term debt (principal repayments on Note), and had $26,020 used for the Clubhouse renovation.  These two items do not flow through the Statement of Revenues and Expenses, except for monthly depreciation, as we use accrual accounting.  Cash on hand, however, is the most important factor that we manage to.

We have several issues to deal with in the next several years.  Our Note has a balloon payment due on September 15, 2019, of $50,302. We anticipate taking out a new loan for the same approximate monthly payments that will require less than two years to pay off.  The interest rate will probably increase slightly over the current 4.5%.  We also have some equipment needs (truck and mower), and will have to continue removing ash trees.  We should be able to manage these activities within our current dues structure, although we’ll have to manage our cash position carefully.  By paying off the mortgage 2 years from now will free up $33,600 per year to be used for capital expenditures that we have been deferring.

Dick ask if there were any questions.  Katie Pocras ask if there were any check and balances as far as the treasury; that most boards and business had many in place.  Dick explained that our accountant collects all dues and makes the deposits and her records are audited by our CPA.  That Dan Riner approves bills that are received and I pay those.  Dick felt that it was not necessary to have two check signers for some or all checks.  We have a finance committee that determines the budget and then it is approved by the board.  Dick said he would look into our accounting system to see if there are ways it could be improved.

Concrete – No Report

Landscape – Carol Conway

First of all, I want to say that it has been a pleasure to work with this board.  We get a lot of work done, but we also enjoy ourselves, thanks to our fearless leader.

I also want to commend Dan Riner and his crew for the job they do every day.  There is a lot of work to do around here and they somehow get it done.  There was no tree event like we had last year.  We have five or six Silver Maples that need to come down.  There are nine Ash trees in Brian Glenn that will have to be taken out.  Our plan is to take ten to fifteen out per year.  The Tom Johnson tree fund is at $1295 and six to eight trees will be planted with those funds.  There is a box in front of the clubhouse that contains work order forms.  If you need something done around your unit that is the association’s responsibility, please fill out one of these forms.  There is another box out front where you can put completed forms.  The crew might not get to your request right away, but please be patient because they will eventually get to it.

Now, on to snow!  Unfortunately, it’s coming.  The crew can start about 3 am unless there is wind involved.  If the snow is very heavy, they will make one pass through each court so people can get out if they need to.  We appreciate patience considering the number of courts they have to clear.

I encourage all of you to thank Dan and his crew.  I frequently walk in the mornings and take every opportunity I get to tell the crew what a great job they are doing.  Thanks for your time.

Golf – Carol Conway

We brought in $26,954 this past year in golf through non-resident memberships and guest fees.  We have lost one of our golf leagues.

Architectural – Steve Imes

Steve thanked the Board for their time, experience and expertise.  He said he had lived in Wellington Greens for 18 years.  He said this is his second time around on the Board and that his wife Lana is a court captain.   He thanked the residents for their cooperation in complying with request to make repairs to their properties.  He said there have been some disagreements but usually everything got resolved.    Steve said he sent 86 letters to residents about painting, rotting wood and other issues.  He said sometimes it takes two years to get everything accomplished.  He said that many times the neighbor will call and report an issue and he will go look at and visit with the occupant.  He encouraged everyone to be good neighbors and visit with your neighbors.  He said he is working on updating the paint codes. Katie Pocras said she questioned the time line for getting repairs done; that it should be a shorter time.  Dick said the big problem is rentals and getting the owners to take care of their property.

Social Committee and Court Captains – Paul Canny

Paul thanked the other Board members and said it was a pleasure working with them.  He said the Social Committee will be having a Holiday Boutique next Saturday from nine to three.

Long-Range Planning and Clubhouse renovation: – Paul Canny and Bill Rice

Paul said the clubhouse has a new roof gutters and down spouts; that rotting wood on the deck was replaced.  Pat Wharry said she had praise for the Board and what has been done with the clubhouse, but that the door opened the wrong way; that it should open out.  Paul said he thought that had to do with the concrete.  Bill said they had to get five different permits to remodel the clubhouse and make the bathroom ADA compliant.  He said we replaced a 32-inch door with a 42-inch door and that he will reinvestigate the door. Paul said the kitchen need to be updated and we are awaiting funds in the treasurer.  Bill said that he was investigating putting solar panels on the maintenance building; that there is room for 68 panels.  That we would receive a rebate from LES.  He said he was also looking into solar lighting for the court yard lamps; that we have 22 courts and LES charges around $30 per court for an administration fee.

More residents’ questions to the Board members were taken.

Election results were announced by Jim Davidson.  Dick Vautravers and Steve Imes were elected to the Board of Directors.

President Davidson thanked the volunteers that worked today.  He reminded everyone of Bridge and Pitch in the clubhouse.

President Davidson declared the meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.

Respectively submitted: W. Don McIntyre, Administrative Assistant