Continuity, Backlogs, Leadership and Vision

Here's the results of my annual driveway survey. It is an example for what follows in this post. We'll be replacing four driveways this year, which gives us 52 new driveways, or 62% since 2009. The older driveways are in good condition but crack filling and future replacements will be necessary. I'd like to point out that replacing four driveways per year, on average, will replace all driveways every 21 years. Our driveways have a useful life of 15-20 years, so replacing all at such a pace is within the guidelines we've established.

Yes, recent boards have been playing "catch up" to the problems created by earlier boards. The driveways are an example.

• Since 2009 52 driveways were replaced
• Based on lifecycle studies, only 32 should have been replaced
• The additional 20 that were replaced since 2009 were part of the maintenance backlog created by earlier boards. 
• Add to this streams, patios, common area patios, garage floors, etc. which were maintenance delayed. 

The current driveway data was collected by me and provided to the board [There were actually two surveys this year; one in the spring and one as fall approached]. This approach is typical of ongoing and frequent conditions surveys I instituted in this association in 2010. In 2016 there was no resistance to replacing the four driveways because I had take photos of all of the older driveways and presented that information to the board.  This is an example of an approach which avoids sticking our heads in the sand to the detriment of the association and its owners.

Driveway Survey August 2016

Prior to 2009 we had problems with aging driveways. The boards were faced with the magnitude of the roofing project and rising annual fees to accommodate it. Fees and the roofing project are only part of the problem.

It seems that annual condition surveys were suspended prior to 2011. With the infrastructure aging, it was easier I suppose to simply sit back and deal with those upset owners who came to association meetings. So the squeaky wheels got the grease. This approach has other problems, including the establishment of a substantial maintenance backlog.

Irate owners finally stormed association meetings. Most of the "kick the can down the road" leadership was replaced. However, the new board faced some real challenges in 2009. I think they replaced more than 12 driveways in 2009-2010. That was the tip of the iceberg.  They had made some big promises to win those seats in 2008. Those promises, combined with a real maintenance backlog led to a steady stream of owners attending association meetings with their hands outstretched. So the squeaky wheels had taken over the association. Expectations were high. Walking the talk is the difficult part.

The earlier boards had left several land mines behind for the replacement board of 2008. That included severe animosity toward any board by some owners. A failure to communicate was another. So we had a backlog of maintenance issues, an underfunded mega dollar roofing project underway, our major street was failing, we had chronic communications problems and owners were angry. That was directly a consequence of a failure of leadership and vision by earlier boards.

The true magnitude of the problem became apparent with the reserve studies that followed.

Another casualty was future boards. Is is any wonder that owners don't want to participate? But I'm making excuses for the owners. There is no excuse for avoiding involvement and protecting one's major financial investment. But too many owners used the problems as an excuse and simply promoted their personal agenda. Some had difficulty believing what was so. After all, the earlier "kick the can down the road" boards hadn't communicated and then the new "neighborly" board painted a rosy, fictional picture. Some owners were confused and had a right to be.

Solving the Problem
To deal with these types of problems takes leadership by example and vision. Not everyone comes to a volunteer board position to work; after all it is a power position and it does carry some cache in the community. When the going gets rough, some will run, some will attack those who communicate the bad news, and some will attempt to assassinate the champions. Others simply fulfill the role of underminers. There may be personal agendas and legacies to protect.

The new board of 2008 attempted to resolve the communication issues. But they lacked the backbone to tell the owners what was really so. After all, if one runs on a political slate of "change, " "neighborliness" and "we have enough money" it becomes difficult to tell the owners otherwise. So there was some real silliness. For example "We can maintain the property with an army of handymen." One of the board actually had a non-owner handy guy come to an association meeting to promote his agenda. Another silliness was "porous asphalt." At best these were diversions. At worst they pushed serious matters far lower on the scale of priorities.

It was difficult for the board to own up to the serious delinquencies and foreclosures that occurred commencing with the financial crisis of 2007-2008. They couldn't replace a rosy picture and communicate reality. It is really difficult to walk the talk, and our new board at the time discovered just how really difficult that is. The reserve study of 2010 was the sign to leave and all that they needed was to find an excuse. I was it and three ran for the exit.

There is that old expression "Lead, follow or get out of the way." When faced with underminers I'd prefer they simply get out of the way. But not all do. Nevertheless, there has been sufficient opportunity to move this association forward.

Major Steps
Here are some of the major steps undertaken at our association in recent years:

• Reserve Studies.
• Using reserve studies as the tool they are meant to be.
• Frequent condition surveys
• Establishing priorities
• Responsible budgeting
• Honest and thorough communications
• Continuous improvement
• Using data rather than automaticity.
• Acknowledging that budgets must consider property values, the financial impact on owners and the assessment increases necessary to fund reserves. 

Not everyone agrees with the previous steps and it has been an uphill struggle. You really can't "teach old dogs new tricks" if they are too inflexible and set in their ways. But they may be absolutely certain that they are right, never mind the numbers; that's an inconvenience. I supposed the "new tricks" expression could be the slogan for some HOAs. I can't take credit for the current amounts we collect via reserves. That goes to the boards of 2000-2010, who ramped up our reserve budgets by very large amounts. The average fee increase for reserves from 2002 to the budget meeting of 2010 was nearly 13% each year. It would have been higher had I not argued for a moderation of these increases in recent years, based upon:

• Current infrastructure knowledge
• Current 10-year infrastructure projections
• Current 30-year projections
• Knowledge of the financial impact on owners and property values.

Leadership and Vision

There are many aspect to leadership in a homeowners association. 

• Setting long term goals
• Establishing priorities for goals
• Managing our managers
• Managing a diverse group of volunteers
• Dealing with belligerent owners who run their personal agendas
• Building better boards
• Mentoring new board members
• Communicating responsibly to owners while avoiding glossing over inconveniences

It is unfortunate, but some association board members become bullies, some lose their vision and some fail to communicate honestly and authentically with owners. 

Nevertheless, I do think we have sufficient owners with the necessary qualifications to fully staff our board and tun the association. But to do so requires dealing with the bullies and some honest work. Perhaps that's the reason why "Ken" the apple orchard guy doesn't hire young people to help him in his orchard. At 95 Ken was pruning and climbing ladders with a half-bushel basket attached with a harness. He said younger people would expect a Cola machine and some would have their mothers come along. As for the older? Simply too lazy, I guess. 

Projects Nearing Completion

It's fall and the annual good weather projects are in completion, We're completing the roofing project this year, 13 years after it began. [But it is important to note that about 70% of the roofs were completed in 2011-2016]. We repaired one of the cul-de-sacs, replaced four decks, will do four driveways, repaired a stream, created drainage for one of the final large muddy areas, and so on,

Some of these projects required years to get to this stage. That's a problem when board continuity and mentoring doesn't exist. Without a mentoring program and frequent owner participation on committees, or with frequent partial board turnover, we instead may have inexperienced people who struggle to figure out what we are doing in the long term sense and short timers who leave the board after a year or so. It does take several years on the board. Some of the challenges and issues for new board members were described during the annual meeting. Budgeting might be the single most daunting task and certainly the one which carries the strongest opinions and emotions among boards.

Even with some board members on the board for a decade or more, with a previous lack of long term plans it can become difficult to impossible to take on multi-year projects.

We will have a number of projects continuing for a decade. Who will spearhead these and see that they are completed? I raised this question at the annual meeting and addressed the 10-year plan during that meeting. The few owners in attendance were given a summary. I advised them that they are being given that summary for several reasons which go beyond the requirements of informing our shareholders and transparency.

In fact, it is probable that some of the owners in attendence will serve as future board members. With 10-, 20- and 30-year plans it also also probable that many on the board won't be available to serve and complete even the 10-year plan.

So continuity becomes essential if we are to avoid some of the maintenance pitfalls that occurred in recent decades. It is a fact that some aspects of maintenance actually stopped for a period of years.

So what is included in the 10-year plan presented to owners?

• Streets, curbs, catch basins and driveways,
• Interior carpeting, entry ways and doors, intercoms and mailboxes.
• Water mains and related, including long term planning and finances.
• Masonry walls and window sills.
• Drainage improvements and roofs.
• Concrete ponds, walks and streams.
• Garage floors.
• Common area decks, gazebo, pedestrian bridges.
• Unit limited common element patios and decks.
• Common area lighting.

In fact, we are saving for the next roofing project which may begin with one roof in 15 years. That's the roof that was done in 2003. We do have major street projects for the cul-de-sacs and we do have stream and related deck work to do. We have a common area deck to complete and a gazebo replacement. 

If associations fail to plan, save and do the work in a timely manner, it becomes impossible for associations to catch up unless boards are willing to take extraordinary steps, I worked up to 750 hours per year to define costs, conduct the numerous condition surveys, and direct the board to get many projects back on track. My involvement is unusual and I assure the reader that I did not "expand the tasks to fill all available time."  I informed owners at the annual meeting that our board is comprised of amateurs. We are not paid professionals. Yet too many owners feel that our boards should be held to professional standards. There is a range of expectations for individual board members. Why is that? According to the Illinois Condominium Act, we are each to have equal skills and capabilities. We are each working in an amateur capacity. We each should be putting in equal time. We each should be able to perform the tasks of any other board member. My position is simple, If owners want such "professional" results from amateur boards then we need to hire more professionals, be they management, engineers or whatever and we need to pay them to achieve the professional results. Of course, that will result in higher fees. Which is why so many owners talk out of both sides of their mouths. Ditto for some board members. In fact, I've observed a range of expectations for our professionals. I guess having a level playing field with uniform standards is simply too much for some of us. But, no matter how many years on the board or even our backgrounds, it is true that we are all amateurs. 

To assist future boards I prepared a 30 minute video with audio track. It is unscripted and a version without audio was presented to the owners during my 20 minute presentation during the annual meeting. I didn't prepare it for the couch potatoes. It is a tool for current boards and for future boards. In part, I am disgusted by the politicking and undermining that sometimes occurs during the budget meetings. Totally unsuitable for fiduciaries. 

In fact, what is necessary for budgets is realistic plans including future expenditures, realistic fees to back those plans and ongoing preventative maintenance to prevent "kicking the can down the road." Far too many boards at our association kicked the financial and maintenance work down the road to the detriment of future owners who had to pay for these failures. However, it is also true that owners elected each and every one of these boards. Ultimately, it is the owners who are fully responsible. Boards are sometimes pawns or tools and fall to the personal agendas of the owners. Not all boards do, which is why we have accomplished what we have here. There is no question each board did their best, but at times they didn't ask the important questions, at time they failed to act, at times they didn't stand their ground when owners ran their personal agendas, and at times they failed to plan. Yet, here we are. It wasn't easy. 

Another Association Election

The election results are in and again we won't have a full board. I now tell owners when they complain that the person responsible for their issue, or a lack of performance, or whatever, sits in that vacant seat.

Oddly, the owners expect the board, which is fewer than 2 percent of the owners, to overcome the problems caused by the 10% who are behind in their fees. Meanwhile the 98% sit back and some complain.

At the annual meeting we completed early and so I asked owners to state any issues. What was the major issue? Apparently, one of our streams has trapped some ducklings. So an owner complained about that. Yes, it must be wonderful if that is the most significant issue we face here.

When I am asked what is the single greatest problem facing our association, I point to owner apathy. If history is correct, there will be a severe upheaval in the near future. What do I mean by "near"? Well, as a board member I routinely create 10 years plans, based upon our 30 year plans. Far too many of our owners apparently have no plan beyond next year. That is one explanation for the foreclosures, delinquencies and so on that occur and reoccur. It is also an explanation for the "sit on our duffs" mentality of far, far too many owners.

On the other hand, there is a real need for affordable and nice housing in the area, so perhaps we'll one day have a majority of owners who live elsewhere and rent their units to others.

Projects and outdoor work coming to a close

Well, it's that time of the year. We're nearly into October and so there is some time pressure to complete all of the outdoor tasks before freezing weather becomes the normal here.

The final phase of the roofing project which began in 2003 is moving forward. We are dealing with one of the remaining standing water areas on the property. All I can say is, this property is nearly 40 years old. Are some things really worth the wait?

We're also replacing several driveways. The very large landscaping renovation project to deal with the consequences of the removal of more than 100 trees is scheduled to move forward this fall.

I did give a unique presentation of the finances of the association at the annual meeting. It included a video I prepared and took about 20 minutes. Each of the board members also gave a very good presentation. It is too bad that so few owners attended the meeting. But never fear, when their personal agenda buttons are pressed they will band together and come to a meeting.

I've pointed out to others at the association that low attendance is the consequence of several factors. Many owners view their condo as an apartment, the board is expected to make things work for them and because most things seem adequate, there is really no reason to get of their duffs and come to an annual meeting, much less vote for a board.

The same people probably expect our Federal Government to take care of them. Frankly, if I were Obama I wouldn't be here for the meetings; I'd be politicking and taking care of myself. After all. that's what politicians do at the State and National level.  However, down here with the little people, and we are all little people compared to the likes of the Obamas and the Clintons, we do have to do our work. No stupid servers to be hacked in our association. Duh!

Returning to our HOA, is there cause for concern? Yes, there is. As I expressed to the motivated few who attended the annual meeting we should be concerned about the loss of expert knowledge and continuity. When owners turn their back on their association that vacuum creates an opportunity for the opportunistic. In any association there are those who promote their personal agenda to the detriment of all others. The only thing that keeps these selfish individuals from running amok in an association is the board. What happens when the self serving become the board? Look out!

Why HOAs need competent boards and financially astute owners

Why is financial diligence an absolute necessity for an association? Here's an example of  what happens when an association pays attention to the minutia and ignores the elephant in the room. It is what happens when budgets are viewed as annual problems rather than long term issues.

In 2002 this association set aside $148,000 for reserves. That was a lot of money and it was about 15% of the entire annual budget. In fact, fees set aside for reserves were increased that year. These reserves were intended to be saved and dedicated to infrastructure replacement, Things like streets, streams, driveways, garage floors, patios, decks, roofs, etc. As I recall at the time the association had less than $400,000 in savings for reserves and was about to replace all of the streets.

At that rate of saving the association could accumulate $2 million for infrastructure over a period of about 10 years. That too sounds like a lot of money, and it is. But collections, or reserve funding is only a half of the picture. The other half is planned expenditures. These two items must be balanced. At BLMH they weren't and in 2003 the board made the decision to replace the roofs with a project that was determined to require $2 million or more. A little simple arithmetic reveals that this roofing project would absorb all of the fees collected for reserves for at least 10 years into the future. Would that be a problem? Yes, because there would be absolutely no savings available for streets, driveways, water mains, walks, bridges, decks, patios, special projects, etc.

It is also a fact that the existing roofs were designed for a life of 18-20 years. Many would reach 20 years of age in 2011 and 2012.  Anyone who attended association meetings prior to 2011 heard board discussions about the plan to replace roofs at the last possible moment. This was promoted as wringing as much life out of them as possible. No one knows how to predict the precise year of failure for an aging roof and so there was significant risk in this approach. By risk, I mean roofs that would fail at inopportune times and leak.

Delay, however would have the real benefit of allowing reserves to accumulate. That is essential if an association lacks the money for a large project. An association can't spend money it doesn't have. Boards are left with four options. 1) Delay or extend the completion of the project, 2) Raise fees annually while delaying the projects, 3) Do special assessments, 4) Borrow the money.

One other consideration would be the age of the roofs. It is also a fact that the existing roofs were designed for a life of 18-20 years. Many would reach 20 years of age in 2011 and 2012. So even if allowed to exceed the design life of 20 years, most would have to be replaced by 2015.

By doing a little arithmetic, it would be obvious to the casual observer that saving at the annual rate of $148,000 was unworkable. It was no surprise to me that the boards set about raising fees. But how to save $2 million in less than 10 years and continue to maintain the property? It wasn't possible. So in order to stretch the budgets, beginning in 2002 some boards apparently did so by curtailing a lot of work. Cutting corners resulted in streets destined to fail in less than a decade while work was suspended on streams, garage floors, patios, driveways and so on. Boards apparently “kicked the can down the road.” I assume they hoped that things would stay glued together long enough to allow fees to catch up and reserves to grow before the roofs, etc. failed. Or perhaps someone else would deal with this. Some sold their units and left the ship.

To accumulate the funds and run a minimal infrastructure program the boards raised the fees an average of 4.5% each and every year for more than a decade. Most of the increases went into reserves, and from there into the roofs.

Average fees per owner increased from $195.11 to $330.44 per month from 2002 to 2016. Because of the fee increases, the association now has reserves of about $1 million, but barely. While this collective sum seems large, it is in fact about $2,976 per owner. To put this in perspective, this is approximately the amount I spent to have the fireplace in my unit removed. In other words, not really a lot of money if properly and evenly shared throughout the association.

By 2008 owners were upset. "How could this happen?" A new board in 2009 had some concerns about the finances. Did we have sufficient funds? Some suspected that fees were too high. In 2009 the average fee per owner per month was $292.84. In 2010 it was the same. Apparently the board didn’t do the arithmetic for the roofs, but then, neither did the owners based upon the clamoring in 2009 for the board not to raise fees. I overheard a board member commenting to an owner that “we have enough money.” That apparently was determined to be untrue because in 2011 the fees were increased by about 7%.

What had happened? To determine an answer about the adequacy of our reserves, a reserve study was commissioned. To my knowledge the study of 2010 was the first one professionally prepared by an outside firm in the entire prior history of this association. It is my understanding that reserve study recommended a series of 10.5% annual fee increases and a $1.5 million dollar loan to be paid via special assessment.

While fees did increase dramatically until 2015, the increases have moderated. But that has been the source of much contention between two factions on the board. One is backed by a short view "raise fees by 3% or more each year" leader who led the 4.5% annual fee increases. The other view is mine and this it is preferred by some but not all on the board. My view is a dynamic one which realigns annual priorities while accomplishing necessary maintenance and growing long term reserves via moderated fee increases below 3% annually. Most recently a 1.5% fee increase. In fact, this approach has been put into practice beginning in 2011.

So the important question to ask is why didn't the 10.5% annual fee increases commence in 2011? Why was there no need for a $1.5 million loan and special assessments? I was elected to the board in the fall of 2010. My first task was to determine how to do this another way. It took hundreds of hours of number crunching but I did come up with a solution which neither penalizes current owners or future owners. No more "Kick the can down the road."

How was this possible? First, by working diligently to firmly address maintenance problems the cancer was stopped. The decisions since 2011 have been to forcefully address infrastructure problems and an incredible amount work has been accomplished. We hired engineers and other competents to determine how to build a street designed for 30 years. Modern maintenance methods could extend that to 40 years. We conducted many condition surveys and these continue each year. There is no more "head in the sand" approach to the condition of our infrastructure and the "wait until it fails" mentality was replaced with preventative maintenance where appropriate.Water mains were replaced pro-actively. The roofing project was accelerated and as some roofs reached 23 years of age, that was essential as these roofs were designed with a life of 18-20 years. Some garage floors were replaced. Annually some driveways were replaced.  A failing bridge was replaced. Streams have been repaired and decks and patios replaced, And so on.

Condition surveys and serious number crunching continues each and every year. This is absolutely necessary and it does provide an excellent picture of the state of the infrastructure. Problems are pro-actively addressed annually, It isn't possible to do everything and so issues are prioritized and prudent decisions to delay a year or so are made where practical. Yet myriad capital improvement tasks are accomplished each and every year.  As a consequence the association no longer has a decade long backlog of maintenance issues. Collections and expenditures are more balanced. The association is today able to focus on current issues such as dealing with the more than one hundred scars caused by the removal of dead or dying trees. Is the work done? No. the association is nearly 40 years old. We have failing mailboxes, antique intercoms and electric door openers. But we have a plan and we are using it. It doesn't sit on a shelf nor is it ignored.

The association has a 10-year plan to address all of the identified issues and grow savings for reserves. This is an important part of the larger in scope 30-year plan. Information from annual condition surveys are fed into the plan and the plan is updated annually with newly identified issues and to recognize the work completed and the money spent. There are frequent reserve study updates prepared by outside, unbiased professional firms. One question owners need to ask is this: Will future boards use these plans and continue them? Who knows; recent budget planning has been contentious. Do owners know about it? No they don't because so very few are involved. 98% don't attend the budget meeting. The plan can work without raising fees by 3% or more each year. But it will require diligence and some serious financial acumen. It won't happen by "kicking the can down the road" and cookie-cutter annual fee increases. It will also require some human capital. That could be too much to ask of modern owners.

Are there other obstacles? Lack of a transition plan for new board members is a problem; in the past board members simply walked and took their knowledge with them. Understaffed boards and lack of technological ability are certainly problems for any large association. After all, this is 2016! Running an association via word of mouth, pencil and paper, and US mail won't get the job done. In a association in which only about 1% of the owners have ever served on the board getting the job done might be impossible. There are serious consequences to owner apathy.

For the 16 years I've lived in a condominium I've heard a lot of owner complaints. Yet it is true that each and every board member was elected by owners. Owners made all of these decisions and owners are fully responsible. Most never even bothered to serve on the board. In other words, what we need isn't necessarily what we get.

Owners and their personal agendas

Owners aren't forthright about their personal agendas, and in my experience neither are board members.

There have been times that this association was apparently run on special favors; that could be a source of some owner confusion. At times in the past I observed owners cornering the board and the board complied with their request. For owners, the reasons are sometimes financial. It is a means to transfer wealth from the coffers of the association to their own. Of course, that wealth was contributed by their neighbors, But I suppose for the greedy that is what neighbors are for.

A few years ago I sat in the audience during an association meeting. On cue I watched 30 or so owners pass slips of paper up to the board. These were the wish lists.

This is a political way to run a HOA, and a populist way. With an elected board, should it be any other way? I think there is a better way, but owners and even board members have conspired otherwise. So that is how it has been at BLMH from time to time. There are a variety of reasons for boards to run a HOA this way. One is to be liked. Another is to get re-elected. One is to get persistent owners to go away, and another is to stretch budgets; things that can’t be given to all for financial reasons are given to the few who complain or are favored. Then they go away and the problem is swept under the rug. The other owners aren’t informed and remain clueless.

If boards wanted all owners to participate this way they would mail a “wish list” to each owner and ask them to compete it with the special requests and things they want, and then provide it. No boards have ever publicized their back door manipulations and so past owners were not aware of some of the machinations that have occurred. One would have to attend each and every meeting as I did for years and practice critical thinking skills to figure this out.

A few years ago an owner who was struggling financially wrote to the board and said that he/she would gladly give up some perks to stop the continuous fee increases. I always have wondered how that person would have felt had he/she attended the meeting in which owners demanded more flowers, or a better view or whatever.  This association doesn’t have funds to operate this way. It doesn’t now and as near as I can determine it never did. But owners continue to make demands and some boards do eagerly spend. I don’t.

Our budgets are really tight. Yes, we do have more than a $million in the bank. That seems like a lot, but by year's end it might be less than a $million. How much is that really? About $2,976 per owner. That is less than I spent to have my fireplace removed. It is far less than the typical remodelling project in one of our units. Even the appliances cost more than this.

So it is no surprise to me that owners will try to shake down the board from time to time.

Yet a few owners see that $1 million and lust for the gold. Okay, so why do I say that our reserves are barely adequate and why can’t this association flush that $1million on owner personal demands? To answer that question one needs to ask “What is the condition of the infrastructure today?” For several decades minimal work was done on the streams, etc. We have additional major street repairs on the horizon, the consequences of hundreds of dead and dying trees to deal with as well as ongoing water main issues. Average cost to remove, regrade and replant a single tree is possibly $1000 and we have lost several hundred trees. This year the association will spend nearly $200,000 dealing with this and related landscaping issues. There are also the issues with rainwater drainage on the property which is in part attributable to the design of the new roofs. And that is merely the tip of the iceberg. Our buildings are now approaching 40 years of age, with failing mailboxes and antique intercom and door systems. Our most senior board member once made the comment “You can slap paint on a pig and it is still a pig.” Perhaps that is why earlier boards emphasized painting the buildings. In fact, there is no funding in the budget to provide special favors, and there never was.

City of Wheaton Trash and Recycling Update

The latest Press Release from the City of Wheaton:

Contact information: City of Wheaton, 630-260-2000 Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016

Updates on Garbage Sticker Exchange and Cart Delivery WHEATON, Ill. – Wheaton residents should note several important changes as the City transitions to a new garbage and recycling collection provider, Lakeshore Recycling Services, on Oct. 1. New Garbage Carts The registration period for choosing which size garbage cart you would like to use with the new program has ended. Lakeshore Recycling Services will begin delivering garbage carts the week of Sept. 19. If you did not select a cart size, you will receive a 35-gallon garbage cart. To exchange it for a 65-gallon or 95-gallon cart, call Lakeshore Recycling Services at 773-685-8811. You can exchange the cart at no cost until Nov. 30. Please DO NOT USE the new garbage carts until the week of Oct. 3. The current garbage service provider will not collect garbage in the new carts. Continue using your current garbage can or bags until the week of Oct. 3. Once the new program begins, you will no longer need to purchase garbage stickers for your weekly service, as you will be charged per pickup each time the Radio Frequency Identification tag in your new garbage cart is scanned. The new program will use stickers only for excess garbage (beyond what will fit in your cart), yard waste, organics (food scraps), leaves, bulk items, white goods and E-waste. Each sticker costs $2.75. Please see the City’s website to determine how many stickers are required for bulk items, electronics, etc., and note that carpet rolls require 2 stickers (not 5 stickers, as is stated in the brochure you received in the mail). Sticker Exchange Period The City is offering several options for what you can do with any extra Advanced Disposal garbage/yard waste and leaf stickers you have: Sticker Grace Period: Lakeshore Recycling Systems will allow you to use Advanced Disposal stickers through Oct. 14, but they can only be used for excess garbage (beyond what will fit in your new garbage cart), yard waste, organics (food scraps), leaves, bulk items, white goods and E-waste once the new program starts. You will still need to use the correct number of stickers for items required by the new program. (For example, an extra bag of garbage requires 1 sticker, and bulk items require 5 stickers in the new program. See the City’s website for the new program information.) Sticker Exchanges: If you would like to receive a refund for Advanced Disposal garbage/yard waste or leaf stickers that you don’t need, or if you want to exchange them for Lakeshore Recycling Services stickers, from Sept. 19 through Oct. 14, you can bring your unused stickers to: The Finance counter of City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, the following retailers will allow you to exchange Advanced Disposal stickers for Lakeshore Recycling Services stickers: Carlson True Value Hardware: 125 E. Front St. Jewel Food Stores: Danada Square West, Wheaton; 2031 N. Main St., Wheaton; and 599 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn Mariano’s, 625 S. Main St., Wheaton Ultra Foods: 501 S. County Farm Road Walgreens: 1601 N. Main St.; 2020 S. Naperville Road   Recycling Carts You will continue to use the same blue recycling cart. In the next couple weeks, please leave your recycling cart out at the curb throughout your pickup day, as Lakeshore Recycling Services will be placing a sticker on the carts about what can/can't be recycled in the new program and attaching an identification tag needed for the new program. For more information about Wheaton’s new garbage and recycling program,visit the City’s website or Lakeshore Recycling Systems’ website. ###

Roofing Project Update

Back in 2010 our HOA had entered uncharted territory. We had a new board which was floundering and despite the objections of a small group of owners who purported to know better I was elected. Lucky me. My first challenge was to take on a botched reserve study.

An earlier board had begun a multi-million dollar roofing project, but really had no clue how to fund it. So the newer board was left holding the bag. They really didn't have a solid idea of how to do this, either. So they did the prudent thing, which was to commission a reserve study. This was the first independent study ever commissioned for this association. Somewhat disappointing for an association  more than 30 years old. Our management firm told us that "we could be opening pandora's box" and they were correct.

With no solution in sight, and with my perseverance our magnanimous owners allowed me to be elected.

One of my first chores in addition to coming up with a financial plan which worked was to determine how to complete the roofing project which was begun in 2003. Here is one of a number of summary charts I presented to the 15 or so owners who were willing to attend a HOA meeting in 2010 and stay for the presentation. I had figured out a way to do it, and accomplish everything else, too. And, without the purported 10% fee increases or special assessments. What is important about this chart is the fact that it predicted the completion of the roofing project in 2016. Lo and behold, we will complete it this year. My roof will be among the final group. It was designed for 18-20 years and is 23 years old. Yes, those earlier boards really did make this difficult.

Here is a cash flow diagram prepared and presented at the same time:

The Election is Coming

The election is coming. Are you thinking the one between the Hillary and the Donald? Yes, that will be an election of epic consequences.

However, I'm alluding to the election at our HOA.

Normally, we have fewer than 2 percent of our owners volunteer. They prefer to sit on the sidelines. Will this year be different? Who knows? We usually have one position vacant. I suspect that is the way it will be in 2017.

Yes, everyone wants a well run HOA, as long as someone else is doing the work.

It is no secret I did put my unit up for sale. We spend more than 6 months elsewhere and it won't make a lot of sense to own an unoccupied condominium. However, it could be a couple of years before we move on.