The Link

David Uhlman President

Monterey Country Club

Homeowners Association

Assessments… the life blood of your Association

As you are aware, the start of every new year marks the start of another budget and expense year at every HOA community.

The payments collected from homeowners to cover expenses in the Association are known as assessment fees, or dues. Because HOA assessments are vital to the overall health of the Association, members are responsible for paying assessments in a timely manner. These funds are the only income available to communities like Monterey.

We rely on all homeowners to pay in full and on time to have enough money to fund the various projects, amenities and utilities that your association is responsible for. If even one homeowner doesn’t pay their dues, our income falls short which means our “operating cash” may have a shortfall which could threaten the financial integrity or the entire community. Not only is it unfair to the majority of the homeowners who pay in a timely manner, but if income shortfall is severe enough, it could necessitate drastic actions to correct the shortfall, such as special assessments. Some homeowners would like to deduct the cost of facilities they don’t use or want to use, or to withhold payment due to a grievance of some sort. But as dues are tied directly to the annual budget expenses for the entire community, this isn’t permitted or possible.

I think we all understand that there is a benefit to living in a common interest community and paying the HOA dues that are required. Things we have as a result include the ability to use and enjoy community amenities that you may not be able to purchase and maintain on your own, like swimming pools. But they also include things like trash removal, street cleaning and repair, maintenance and many other items that you would be paying for directly or to a government entity if you were living in a singlefamily home.

Many people consider HOA dues an unnecessary expense, but, as I’m sure you can see, they are very necessary to enhance both a desired lifestyle and to keep your community clean, safe, beautiful and financially stable, which in turn helps protect your property values.

Now, I’m going to turn the rest of this article over to Trish Forte’ for examples of items that are important to maintain through assessments. Her column is on the following page.

Monterey Country Club Homeowners Association

275 Avenida Del Sol Palm Desert, CA 92260

Office: (760) 346-9778

Fax: (760) 568-9558

Hours of Operation: 8:00AM to 4:30PM M-F

Emergency / After Hours

Phone Numbers

North Gate* (760) 568-2832

South Gate (760) 346-1515

Text to Report Maintenance Issues: (760) 459-5794 dwellingLIVE website: https://community.dwellinglive.com

The Link

Published Quarterly by the Communications Committee of the Monterey Country Club Homeowners Association

Publisher Dave Uhlman

President MCCHOA

Editor/Writer: Lynne Velling

Contributing

Writers: Bruce Aboudara

David Bangsund

Marcia Erickson

Cheryl Campbell-Hutter

Christine Gessner-Easton

Shirley Gibson

Adam Jasick

Rick Johnson

Jan McEvoy

Mary Nelson

Jan Tanaka

Production: J. Brent Dunn

Ad Sales: thelinkadsales@gmail.com

Printing: Crown Connect

Cover Photo:Brendan Mathews

Isabel Deutsch

Centerfold

Photo: Lynne Ladd

Country Club Homeowners Assn.

As Dave just discussed on the previous page, there are many things that make up the budget of a community such as Monterey. There are over 87 line items on our annual budget for income and expense, but I’m going to highlight just a few. And, by the way, our community’s budget is nearly $10M per year.

Insurance – property and liability

Associations must purchase a Master Insurance Policy. This policy protects the exterior of your building and the common structures like our HOA offices against damage from fire and earthquakes. Other riders and add-ons are required by our community’s location, property type and other needs. Remember, this insurance does not replace the need to carry your own homeowner’s policy on the interior of your unit, but ensures that all owners are covered equally relative to the association as a whole.

Items included that you don’t have to pay for directly

When you think about the monthly fee that you pay each month, take time to look at the breakdown that is provided each year with your annual budget that outlines what that fee covers ‒ trash pick-up, cable TV and internet, pest control, street cleaning, and gardening services to name just a few. And yes, the cost of payroll for a management company to administrate all the things that go on in our community.

By contrast, in single family home communities, homeowners in California report spending on average, approximately $2,676 annually on basic maintenance and repair costs. However, a major repair, such as roof repair or replacement will significantly increase that figure. In an HOA community, the reserve fund portion of your monthly dues help to cover these costs. Cable TV and internet costs are over $600 per year.

Most items in our budget are based on what the costs are we pay to the companies providing those services, such as pool maintenance or gardening. Others, such as gas and electric, can only be adjusted based on information from the provider and for the rate of inflation with a “best guess” scenario, depending on what the economy is doing at any given time.

Reserve Funds

To remain fiscally sound, HOAs like ours direct a portion of your monthly assessment to a special

Continued on page 13

David McGuffin, PGA

General Manager

Monterey Country Club

Can you believe we’re already in the third month of 2023?! Our Spring Bocce league is well under way and our Sports Director Adam Jasick and his staff have been busy with tennis and pickleball lessons, leagues and tournaments. The Golf Operations crew worked through the January rains to repair the damage to the wash area and to make the course as playable as possible. By the time you’re reading this, we hope the greens are back to their beautiful condition. We have many entertainment, dinners and golf events still left this season:

March 11 - Dinner and entertainment by Daniele Alexander

March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Buffet (sold out last year, make reservations early!)

March 19-22 - Pink Week Fundraiser, MCC’s annual benefit for Desert Cancer Foundation (DCF)

March 24 - Chinese Buffet Dinner

March 25 - Pro-Member Challenge Day 1

March 26 - Pro-Member Challenge Day 2

April 9 - Easter Brunch

April 22 - An evening with keyboardist Mario Rossi with dinner.

May 6 - Season Finale - Luau

I did not forget about Bingo nights, however, with the flux of changes in the golf association events, at the time of press, we do not have specific dates for Bingo. Watch for upcoming dates in the weekly blog.

Please remember to check the weekly blog at https://member.montereycc.com/home for details on upcoming events. If you are not receiving the blog blast every Saturday, please reach out to our receptionist, Letty, at (760) 568-9311 ext. 4, to have your name included on the email list.

Thank you for your support this season! Chef Nick and our Food and Beverage Manager Lyle have been working hard to ensure great food and service!

Monterey Country Club

41 500 Monterey Avenue

Palm Desert, CA 92260

Office: (760) 568-9311

FAX: (760) 568-5261

Pro Shop: (760) 346-1115

Reception/Club Hours

Mon-Fri 8:30 AM —5:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM —1:00 PM www.montereycc.com

Mike Feeney PGA Head Professional

Jeff Lester PGA 1st Asst Golf Pro

Kelly Jensen PGA Asst Golf Pro

Ruben Work Asst Golf Pro

Juan Martinez Golf Shop/Outside Services

Jesse Candelas Outside Supervisor

Adrian Ramirez Outside Services

Daniel Cronk Outside Services/Golf Shop

Sinai Gallo Outside Services

Christian Cuaderno Outside Services

Driving Range Hours

Monday-Sunday 6:30 AM —4:30 PM

Closed Thursday 9:00 AM —12:30 PM

Golf Shop Hours

Patio Grill Hours Nov

Lounge Hours

PM

Sports and Recreation Center

Court Times: (760) 346-0679

Nov 1 - May 31

Weekdays 7:00 AM —7:30 PM

Weekends 7:00 AM —4:00 PM

Jun 1 - Oct 31

Weekdays 7:00 AM —12:00 PM 4:30 PM —7:30 PM

Weekends 7:00 AM —12:00 PM