Minutes

Tuscany HOA Monthly Board Meeting
January 11, 2021
(via Skype call-in virtual meeting)

Board Member Attendees: Stephen Jones, Monica Lepp, Randy Mears, Jeanne Yazinski, Andrew Horne, Larry Ort, Mike Pastor

Resident Attendees: Sandra Wilt, Dexter Blois, Heather Peery, Nathan Cassidy

1. Meeting called to order by Stephen Jones, President, at 7:09 PM (this Skype meeting was recorded to aid in preparing meeting minutes)

2. Meetings of December 7, 2020 Board Meeting

1. Motion to accept the minutes was made by Jeanne and seconded by Andy. It was approved unanimously.

3. Treasurer’s report presented by Monica Lepp. 

1. Dues for 2021 have been paid by 72 homeowners, totaling $21,600 and 22 still need to pay, which totals another $6,600.

2. Checking Account balance:  Current balance is $39,479.97 (last month was $21,389.25).
3. Savings Account balance:   Current balance is $43,514.42 (last month it was $43,512.96).
4. Luminaries are over budget by $65.25 because we bulk purchased and prepaid for 2021 since we got a quantity discount when purchased for 2020.
5. Lawn Maintenance is under budget $500 due to an anticipated rate increase budgeted that did not occur.
6. Mulch & Tree Trimming is over budget by $1,650 due to the unexpected removal of a dead tree next to a homeowner’s property, on Tuscany common property, for $2,400 expense.
7. Pressure Washing is over budget by $300 since the City of Winter Garden no longer performs this service on the sidewalk along Fuller’s Cross Rd.  We have now added this expense in the budget for 2021.
8. Legal Fees is over budget by $283.25.  We were reimbursed by the Bowersox residents $372.48 for lien related legal fees. Other legal fees spent were for HOA Charter and Covenants Renewal & filing fees.
9. Wall Repair is over budget by $800 for cleaning and mortar repair.  As the wall is expected to be an ongoing maintenance need, we have funds set aside in the savings account, and we transferred $2,000 to the checking account as needed and approved by the Board previously.
10. Office Supplies were over budget by $477.03 due to the purchase of a laptop for the treasurer recordkeeping and quick books software was installed there along with HOA files and forms, like the Estoppel form and others. This laptop will transfer to the next treasurer when there is a transition.
11. Directory Printing expense was under budget by $351.17 due to Sandra Wilt & Don Kress’ efforts to produce this resource for less cost than budgeted.
12. Utilities-Electric was $439.69 over budget due to the December bill coming due in December dated 12/31/20 (resulting in 13 monthly expense) of $307 instead of in January. We also had that one month (Aug. 11 – Sep. 10) of higher-than-expected electricity primarily believed to be due the pond water pump running continuously.
13. Website expense was over budget by $221.20. We paid for two years, which prepaid 2021.
14. In summary, we are showing total over budget by $5,283.91, however not all lightening related repair invoices have been received and paid.  Approximately $3,156.00 remaining from the insurance reimbursement that will need to get paid out once we get those invoices.  Annual income was over budget due to higher than expected receipts for estoppel fees, late fees and legal fee reimbursements.

• A resounding expression of appreciation to was given to Jeanne for all her effort working with the insurance company to include as much as possible into the lightening claim.

• A motion was made by Jeanne to approve the Treasurer’s report and it was seconded by Stephen, Mike and Andy.  It was unanimously approved.

4. ARB Review - Larry Ort, Community Oversight Committee  

1. Prior Month “Non” Violations:
   1. None in December due to holidays.

2. Lawn of the Month – Presented to 1219 Thornbury Ct

3. Best Holiday Decorated Home – Awarded to 1674 Victoria Way

4. ARB Requests Received and Approved:

1. 1607 High Hampton – Replace roof shingles.
2. 1536 Cashiers – Install new fence.
3. 1516 Cashiers – Trim Trees and remove 1 tree.
4. 1571 Victoria Way – Screen enclose front entrance.
5. 1605 High Hampton - Replace roof shingles

e.Storage boxes of Christmas decorations were retrieved from the storage unit by Candi & Heather.

6. 12/02/20 Larry forwarded a revised Notice of Violation form to all board members via text message.

7. 12/02/20 Larry forwarded a revised ARB Request form to all board members via text message.  The revised form emphasizes the need for complete information to be included for the requested change.  Dexter requested he get the finalized new version of the ARB form to post on the Tuscany website.

8. Yard of the Month
   1. The Yard of the Month (YOTM) award winners will become a collective Board Member activity beginning January 2021.
   2. Yard of the Month sign and three $10 Publix gift cards will be given to Stephen.
   3. Candi typed up a list of all winners since 2018.  Larry has maintained this list to prevent the same home from being selected multiple times.
   4. Thank You’s to Heather, Candi and Sandra for assistance with this.
   5. A motion was made to skip January & February annually since these “winter” months look poor anyway, for $10/month and $20 for December Holiday Decorations equaling $120 annually.

i. On 12/08/20 another light sensor was purchased for the entry lights.  Larry considered instead, putting a mechanical timer, but the electrical box is in very bad condition due to inconsistent maintenance activities over the years coupled with aging.  He hasn’t contacted electricians yet but will be contacting Bright Future to evaluate it.

OLD (Ongoing) BUSINESS

10. Lightening & Irrigation Repairs (presented by Jeanne):

1. The well pump was replaced and was paid for by the insurance claim and it would not work (and a 2^nd pump was installed) before it was determined that the underground wiring is defective that goes in front of the homes at 1679 Victoria Way (Horsley) and 1673 Victoria Way (Zorn) under a driveway, city home water supply pipes and irrigation.  This electrical work has been estimated to cost $3,400.  This will have to be dug by hand, install new conduit for 240 feet to get irrigation to work.

2. Pump wiring - This needs to be done whether insurance covers it or not—the insurance claim limit may have been reached.  The insurance company withheld half of the pump replacement cost until it got installed, so we should receive another $2,800 from them.  We anticipate getting more insurance money in total than the claim repairs actually cost. 

3. A $3,400 Wiring expense request motion was made by Stephen and seconded by Andrew. It was approved unanimously.  Work should begin Wednesday, 12/20/20.

4. We should have about $2,000 leftover from the insurance claim and mulch needs to be replaced on both sides of the wall, entry beds and all common areas. Jeanne made a motion to buy new mulch and Stephen seconded it.  It was approved unanimously.  Ivan has been contacted for mulch pricing and Jeanne asked her yard care provider for pricing, too. We use chocolate brown mulch.

11. A letter was received by the HOA Board about an uneven sidewalk concern previously reported to the HOA Board.  It was discussed in a past HOA Board Meeting.  This is the City of Winter Garden’s responsibility and not the HOA’s. 
    1. Stephen called the City at 9am and someone else did too earlier today. 
    2. Heather also sent a list of 10 addresses to the City of Winter Garden that had sidewalk repair needs.
    3. Any resident can (and should) contact the City for these.
    4. It was expressed that feedback for issues brought up to the HOA Board, should go back to the resident who contacted the Board.
    5. We should determine a “better” contact tracking method or system to insure everything gets followed up to avoid missed opportunities.  Future Board Meeting minutes will include these types of requests/contacts.

• The Annual Board Meeting is currently planned for March 1st to be held at the nearby church, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was discussed to possibly hold this meeting outdoors in a cul-de-sac in Tuscany instead of inside an enclosed building to better insure social distancing.

13. Three open Board Member positions are anticipated to replace Jeanne, Monica and Larry – all interested homeowners are encouraged to contact any current board member to express your interest.

5. NEW BUSINESS

1. Board Meeting Minutes – A question was raised if committee activity notes should be retyped into the HOA Board Meeting Minutes.  It was confirmed that the meeting minutes can (legally) only contain what was discussed in the meeting itself.

This meeting was adjourned at 8:18 PM.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, 02/08/2021 at 7:00 PM Virtual Skype Look for Link from Stephen, the front entry Announcement Board and Facebook.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Pastor, Secretary

The mission of the Tuscany Homeowners Association is: To institute and enforce rules, regulations and legal restrictions designed to ensure that the Tuscany neighborhood is a safe, attractive and desirable community where property values and resident satisfaction are maximized.