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4 | THE COLONY NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2020 | During the July 2, 2020 General Board meeting, President Walt Bowman read the submitted Member Comments for Board review and consideration. The Board agreed to publish the answers to the questions that were general in nature and/or applicable to all residents. The questions and Board responses are as follows: Is the Board obtaining a minimum of three bids and why aren't the bids discussed in open session? The Board, as a practice, attempts to obtain three bids for large Association projects if possible and to approve bids in Open Session. On rare occasions, the Board will elect to single source a project based on the cost and proven workmanship of a vendor in which case the Board explains why the project was single sourced during Open Session. In addition, sometimes three bids cannot be obtained due to lack of response from vendors. As an example of the Board's process, during the July 2, 2020 General Board meeting, three bids were presented for the 2020 Asphalt Rehabilitation Project, Retrofitting of the Perimeter Rear Doors Near the Locker Rooms and Replacement of Pool Area Umbrellas and Stands for Board review and consideration. These projects were discussed and approved in Open Session. Even though Civil Code section 4935 allows the Board to consider matters relating to the formation of contracts in Executive Session, it is common practice for the Board to approve contracts in Open Session as the Board desires transparency for its members. Is the staff being tested and how often? Since the closure of the Clubhouse due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff has been required to follow the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health by wearing masks, frequently washing their hands and using hand sanitizers, social distancing and continual disinfecting of surfaces to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In addition, staff has taken an additional measure of safety by implementing the daily taking of employee temperatures before they start their shift and documenting their temperature, symptoms such as a cough and shortness of breath, etc. Should an employee have any symptoms related to COVID-19, the employee will be asked to leave the premises and to visit their doctor for testing and clearance before returning to work. Why, when you present a new budget, do you not show the prior year's budget and the prior year's actuals? Both of these figures are very important in setting a new budget. Although the Board strives to simplify information disseminated to homeowners in the Annual Budget mailing, it remains open to member comments and ways in which to improve. The Board will consider providing more information in future Annual Budget mailings. Last year the Board voted to donate $1,500 to the "Buck-A- Door Funding" for the CAI. Associa is on the Board of CAI. Is this a concern? With regard to the "Buck-A-Door" Fundraiser, the Board decided to contribute to the CAI-California Legislative Action Committee (CAI-CLAC) because it assists in fighting against laws that negatively impact Homeowner Associations. The Board contributed $1,500 toward this cause. CAI is an organization that is led by volunteers from within the homeowner association industry. Those volunteers are made up of attorneys, management company representatives (including association managers), industry vendors and contractors as well as homeowner association board members. The fact that an Associa employee serves on the Board of the Inland Empire Chapter in no way affects the CAI-CLAC efforts. It is a stand-alone committee organized specifically to influence the legislators that pass the laws that ultimately impact homeowner associations. Board Meeting Questions Answered HOA NEWS Board Meeting Date Please be aware that beginning in August all future General and Executive Board meetings will be held the third Thursday of each month. The Executive Session will be held at 10 am and the General Session will begin at 1 pm. The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 17. Please watch for Sept. 17 Board meeting announcements in coming eblast notifications. eBlast Notifications Stay informed with the latest HOA communications! Please send me an email or call to sign up: kara.hardy@associa.us, (951) 677-4341.

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