FAQ Regarding Your Recent Invoices

Unsurprisingly, we have received a few inquiries and messages about the necessity of the dues increase. We're sure that there are others out there that have some of the same questions that have been asked already and rather than keep those replies between the board and the members who have asked, we felt that it would be best to put together a more complete response that everyone would have access to. To that end, please see our FAQ below:

1.      I don’t use the pool or want to be a member; can I sell or transfer my membership?

The short answer is yes but there are some difficult steps to go through before any ownership transfer can take place.

The BPA has two membership classes, optional and mandatory.  Optional members cannot transfer their membership to another party at any time.  Optional members must also, broadly, reside in either Wexford or Briarwood subdivisions.  If an optional member wishes to discontinue their membership, they can simply inform the board or withhold dues payments beyond the deadline.

Mandatory members were established by the property developer in the governing documents over 30 years ago.  These members are defined in section three of the articles of incorporation as well as the amendment to the articles of incorporation filed on May 17^th, 1994.

While we would love to provide an option for mandatory members to be able to transfer their memberships, it’s not something that is feasible for us to do on a case-by-case basis as it would require individual amendments to be approved and filed for each member wishing to transfer their membership.  As outlined in section seven of the articles of incorporation, amendments require the approval of 75% of the total membership to be passed.  Even though the current board is relatively new, we have sent out meeting notices to all of our members several times and our best attendance to date is less than 16 total members.  With that in mind, it’s extremely unlikely that any amendment vote would garner enough attendance to even have enough votes to pass.

2.      The dues have gone up a crazy amount the last two years!  How does the board have authority to raise dues and levy assessments like this?

We’ve heard from several people that are upset and/or concerned about the increase in dues and the last couple of assessments.  All the board members are also pool members and, just like our overall membership, the board members vary in their use of the pool.  We pay these fees as well and we do not take lightly the decisions to spend money or increase fees.

That said, the documents governing the operation of the pool do vest authority with the board to set dues and levy assessments as the board sees fit with some restrictions.  In general, the board cannot raise dues for the operation of the pool more than 8% per year: “Directors may increase the maximum annual assessment not more than eight percent (8%) above the maximum assessment for the previous year without a vote of the membership.” 

With decades of neglected repairs and a lack of dues keeping pace with costs, this left the new board in a tough spot.  Last year, the board did not want to just raise dues to $340 in perpetuity.  Rather, we took a vote among members who attended our special meeting to raise annual recurring dues from $175 to $225, an increase of 28.57%: “the maximum annual assessment may be increased above eight percent (8%) by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of each class of Members who are voting in person or by proxy, at a meeting duly called for this purpose.”  This helped us start to get back onto the right financial path for future success in managing the pool’s operations.  Additionally, because we knew we needed to raise even more funds to tackle areas of immediate concern, we instituted an assessment of $25 to help cover the costs of what needed to be taken care of immediately.

This year, we raised dues from $225 to $240, an increase of 6.67%.  That amount was below the threshold of 8% that requires a vote at a special meeting.  As we’re sure you’ve seen on your statements this year, we also added in an additional assessment of $160.  The board has authority to make these types of assessments “so that no deficiency for payment of the maintenance and cost of operation of such swimming pool results.  Such assessment may be made, any limitation on annual assessments stated above notwithstanding.”

There are repairs that must be made to continue safe and enjoyable operation of the pool for years to come.  Our alternative to sending out assessments in this manner was to either simply raise dues immediately to $340 for this year (with that as the baseline for years forward) through another special meeting or raise dues at 8% per annum maximum until enough reserves were saved to cover the annually increasing cost of repairs.  The former would likely be met with the same resistance we’re seeing now with no change to the outcome while the latter would have delayed much-needed repairs and improvements to a later time when costs would be higher.

Unfortunately, the board was faced with a tough decision and chose to take what it determined was the most financially prudent path forward, tackling as much as we can now while we know the costs so that we can, ideally, keep dues affordable for years to come.

3.      Can the board guarantee that there won’t be any other special assessments or increases in the future?

As much as we would like to say “yes” we simply don’t know what the future holds.  It is our hope that tackling all the items done this past year and planned for the upcoming year will help set us up for future stability when it comes to the association’s finances and the pool’s overall operability.  Currently, once the planned work is completed, we’ll have a new cover, all new mechanicals and a refinished pool shell.  Those are our biggest ticket items, and we hope that they will last for years to come.  Additionally, with where dues are currently assessed and with the funds raised through the special assessments, we intend to establish a savings account to help cover future unexpected costs in the hope that we won’t have to do any other special assessments in the future.

We know that many of you, as well as several of the board members, have lived in the neighborhood for decades.  Aside from an assessment in 2005 to replaster the pool and a dues increase from $150 to $175 in 1999, there haven’t been any major costs passed along to our members.  In a sense, we have been relatively lucky to have been able to enjoy this amenity for so long with so little cost.  Unfortunately, at some point the music must stop and the bill comes due.  It’s disappointing that prior boards hadn’t planned better but we can’t change the past, we can only plan for the future.  That probably makes us look like the bad guys/gals in this situation but if it wasn’t the current board making these decisions it would be another board making these same decisions or, worse, the city/county shutting the pool down entirely.

4.      Why am I just now finding out about these repairs and the associated costs?

We knew, as a board, that rolling this out without any notice would not go over well.  With that in mind, we sent out a special meeting notice to all of our members so that we could outline the path forward and the costs associated.  The meeting was held at the pool on Sunday, September 28^th.  Aside from the board members in attendance, we had one other member attend out of our total membership of over 260. 

Since the new board was formed last year, we’ve done our best to make sure that everything we do and everything we want to do is clearly communicated to all of our members as often as possible.  This is why we collected email addresses, established a new website and host this blog.  While we certainly had hoped for more attendance at the last meeting, we cannot control how many people actually choose to attend the meetings. We welcome involvement from anyone willing to participate but without participation, the board is left to make the decisions that it feels best serves the overall membership and sometimes those are decisions that the board knows will cause some frustration.

5.      This amount is difficult for me to pay all at once.

We understand that an increase of this size can create hardship for some of our members.  A similar situation was presented last year when the costs rose from $175 to $250.  To help accommodate this, we decided it was best to send out invoices as early as possible and to provide additional time to pay.  This year, we will not be requiring full payment upon receipt of your invoice, and we will not be assessing late fees or additional charges until the new due date of February 28^th, 2026, passes.  This means that you can pay as much as you’re currently capable of paying as long as the full amount is paid by the final due date.  After the final due date, normal collections procedures will begin.

6.      Can’t we cut expenses to help shore up the finances? What about those pool techs?  Do we really need them?

Over the last year, we’ve worked hard to reduce our operating expenses.  One change we made was reducing the hours that the pool techs worked from 8-10 hours per day to just four and a half.  This has helped to meaningfully reduce our labor costs. 

The upgrade we made to the chlorination system also saved us on chemical costs this year.  Additionally, several board members, the pool manager and neighbors contributed sweat equity to get things where they are now.  The value of those contributions easily runs into thousands of dollars.

The new pool cover, while expensive initially, will save money in the years ahead by limiting the amount of power washing needed to open the pool.  In addition, if the new pool cover works as intended, we won’t have a need to completely drain and refill the pool every year, which will save us hundreds on water costs.

Some of the upcoming improvements will also help the pool run more efficiently.  Completing the upgrade to the chlorinator will help and so will the automated chemical management system.  We also plan to switch our internet provider over to Google Fiber from Comcast to help realize some additional monthly savings.  With the current pumps, our electrical bills easily can get over $500 per month since they run at full speed all the time.  The new variable speed pump will allow us to run at a lower speed when the pool is closed, which will help us reduce the electrical costs.

For years, the pool operated with little oversight or concern for its financial and physical well-being.  Previous boards simply focused on making sure it opened on time and any issues that arose were painted over.  The current board was voted into place so that we could make meaningful change and provide better oversight.  We feel as though we are on the right path and while it might be bumpy to start, it will only get smoother from here.

While we've heard from a vocal minority that the changes and associated costs are unwarranted, many more have given their support. They recognize, just as the board does, that having a safe and well taken care of neighborhood amenity like this not only provides a nice place to cool off during the summer, but it also adds value to their properties.

When it comes to neighborhood associations, it's almost impossible to make everyone happy. With that in mind, the board tries hard to make sure as many people as possible are aware of what we're doing so that when the time comes for the pool to open next season, it can be enjoyed without worry. With these upgrades, we'll be able to make sure our kids' feet don't get roughed up by the bottom of the pool, we'll be able to make sure that the water stays clear and safe to swim in all the time, and we'll know that our current and future neighbors will be able to rest assured that the pool's operability and financial stability are in a more secure place than how we found it.