I received our notice for the annual association dues this past week. What!!!! $240!!!! I better come us with a way to rationalize this to Maria. So, I've got two lots on the water, maintained gravel roads, access to a new clubhouse (even for personal use), a nice beach for us and our visitors, garbage service, miles of roads to hike, common areas maintained, great friends and fellow association owners, and it's costing me $240 per year. I live in an older subdivision in Pekin and my garbage collection alone is $63.50 per quarter. That's $254 per year.
This dues notice is for 2015 annual dues. And I know that in 2014 we ran a budget deficit as an organization. With the new dues structure, that won't take effect until the 2016 assessment, I'll have to pay $335 per year ($275 per owner and $30 per lot). Here's what I'm doing. I'm making my 2015 assessment check out for what the new dues will be in 2016. Why would I do that? Because our association needs it and I enjoy the standards we have set for our lake as an association. I'd like to say it's only because I'm independently wealthy and am tired of burning the cash in the fireplace, but that's not the case. It's not easy but I can argue with the return on that money.
At $335 a year it's still a steal. I think of how fast I can go through that amount just in restaurants, movies, entertainment, and the enjoyment I get out of that doesn't come close to what I get out of our lake association.
I'm going to encourage everyone I know at the lake to give more than they are assessed this year when paying dues. Even if you don't go up to the 2016 amount, it would help out the association as a whole. That's a personal effort on my part and of course our board would never ask that for. But I also know I'm going to request a load of sand for the beach this spring and those are the types of upkeep I would expect from our association.
This dues notice is for 2015 annual dues. And I know that in 2014 we ran a budget deficit as an organization. With the new dues structure, that won't take effect until the 2016 assessment, I'll have to pay $335 per year ($275 per owner and $30 per lot). Here's what I'm doing. I'm making my 2015 assessment check out for what the new dues will be in 2016. Why would I do that? Because our association needs it and I enjoy the standards we have set for our lake as an association. I'd like to say it's only because I'm independently wealthy and am tired of burning the cash in the fireplace, but that's not the case. It's not easy but I can argue with the return on that money.
At $335 a year it's still a steal. I think of how fast I can go through that amount just in restaurants, movies, entertainment, and the enjoyment I get out of that doesn't come close to what I get out of our lake association.
I'm going to encourage everyone I know at the lake to give more than they are assessed this year when paying dues. Even if you don't go up to the 2016 amount, it would help out the association as a whole. That's a personal effort on my part and of course our board would never ask that for. But I also know I'm going to request a load of sand for the beach this spring and those are the types of upkeep I would expect from our association.
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