The Official Newsletter of the Lake of the Woods Association, Inc. Vol. 19, No. 19
540.972.2237
LOWA.org
Proposed 2022-2023 Budget by Phil Rodenberg, General Manager, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM® Dear Members of the Association,
Here for your review is the Revised Proposed Operating, Contribution to Reserves (CTR), and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, which begins May 1, 2022. The proposal is a balanced budget with total authorized spending of $12,653,246. See Budget Summary on Page 4. The LOWA Board of Directors and GM welcome your comments on the budget, which will be most timely before the February 5 Board Meeting addressing budget amendments. Through this budget, the Lake of the Woods Association is able to effectively carry out its obligations to maintain the common areas, lakes and dams; operate the amenities; enforce Association covenants and regulations; and provide adequate gate access and common area security. The budget is a means of implementing many of the stated Board Goals including the Lakes Management Plan to improve the health of our lakes and advance stormwater management initiatives. Since November 19, the budget has been revised towards Board final adoption on February 16 as we have received updates and considered Board, committee, and member input. One significant update we have incorporated in the budget accounts for Winter Storm Frida cleanup expenses. We estimate needing the entire balance of $100,000 in our Contingency Reserve to cover tree debris removal and common area repairs. We will need to replenish the Contingency Reserve through this budget. We built the budget with optimism that our assessment collections and amenity income performance will remain strong. As a result of current and expected changes to the local economy, we have included expense assumptions for larger than normal cost increases related to inflation and salary increases throughout the budget. Like it or not, the U.S. economy is experiencing permanent changes that are putting upward pressure on increasing payroll and contractual services expenses. We predict that LOWA will continue to deal with labor shortages and supply chain delays. We are mindful that COVID-19 could rear its head at any time. Operating Budget Highlights The annual lot assessment necessary to accomplish the ongoing operations and maintenance and capital replacement and fund the fifth budget year of the Clubhouse Area Recreational Complex (CARC) Project is $1,869 for the 4,259 billable lots. Together the amounts total the annual lot assessment. The increase is $130 (7.5%) above the current level, which is 1.5% greater than Board Goal #1 to consider use of other prudent financial decisions that, “avoid an assessment increase of more than 6%.” Compare this increase to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 7%
/LOWAssociation
January 28, 2022
Epilogue to Lee Elder Story by Blair Steelmann, Member
After reading Jack Diehl’s article about Lee Elder in Lake Currents, I wanted to add a little extra human interest to the story. I never met Lee, but have a special connection to that Pro/Am tournament. My wife Dora’s sister is Rose Harper (Elder), through whom I met Dora many years later. Rose spent this past Thanksgiving with Dora and me. Naturally, the news of Lee’s passing spawned some reminiscing about the LOW Pro/Am and produced a few memories. Rose and Lee were married for 25+ years and had a successful partnership which, among other things, included 24 well-received celebrity Pro/Am tourneys. The genesis to the Pro/Am at LOW Photo provided occurred through Rose’s relationship Following the Lee Elder golf with President Ford, whom she had tournament, Mission Impossible star met at the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Springs where Lee had been Greg Morris, (Center) poses with a participant. A friendship ensued, (L-R) Ruthan and Robin O’Toole. which resulted in Rose consulting for Morris agreed to take Robin to her President Ford’s annual celebrity Pro/ high school prom that night. Am in Vail, Colorado, and in turn led to the Pro/Am here at LOW. Dora would take vacation each year to manage the registration process for the Pro/Ams. After the tournament, Greg Morris, of Mission Impossible, was talking with a few of the volunteers, including Robin O’Toole, daughter of John O’Toole. O’Toole Realty had provided rental homes for some of the participants. When President Ford had practice shots, Robin got to shag those balls, and he gave her a presidential golf ball. In passing, Robin mentioned that she had given up going to the prom to work at the tournament. Then, in moment of what could only be described as a 15-year old’s inspiration, Robin asked Greg if he’d like to “take me to the prom.” Greg, who Rose said was one of the truly “nice guys,” said he would do it. After scrambling to get Greg a dress shirt, off they went to the prom in Robin’s Pinto. As a final note, Rose, who was an accomplished golfer in her own right, played a round of golf with Dora and me here at LOW last summer. She shot an 81. Now I realize 81 is not necessarily newsworthy score, except for the fact that she was 82 at the time!
See GM Letter p. 3
General Manager 1 President's Letter 2 Agenda 2 Association News 2 - 11 Board Minutes 3, 6 Proposed 2022-23 Budget 4 Proposed Fee Schedule 5 Calendar 7, 8 Winter Storm Frida Stories 9 Viewpoints 14 Orange County 17 Classifieds 18 - 19
Feb. 1 LOWA 4th Quarter Assessment Due Saturday, Feb. 5 LOWA Regular Board Meeting 10 AM, Community Center, Zoom
Wednesday, Feb. 16 LOWA Regular Board Meeting 2 PM, Community Center, Zoom
See the
LOWA Website Links TEKControl (Visitor Management) LOWA.ORG/TEKCONTROL
Proposed FY2022-2023 Budget on pages 4 & 5.