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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2022 5 By Kathy Craven, Board Vice President We all learn many things throughout our lifetime, but some of the most important things we learned as kids were from watching TV. I know I learned how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop (which, by the way, is number three on the top 10 commercials of all time), how to spell B-O-L-O-G-N-A, and what was Magically Delicious! All important things to know. Schoolhouse Rock on Saturday mornings (airing between your favorite cartoons), covered mathematics, grammar, science, history, economics, and civics, and made learning fun and interesting. My favorite was "America Rock." One episode had a catchy tune explaining how a bill becomes a law, how it must go through Congress, and how it can be vetoed, etc. I was thinking that since we all learned about civics at early ages from these animated shows, and hopefully from school, this month I would outline how an idea makes its way through our committees and to the Board of Directors for a vote. We can call it "Four Seasons Rock," without the catchy tune! All joking aside, Four Seasons has a process, and sometimes not a quick one, that enables us to utilize checks and balances and ensure all I's are dotted and T's are crossed. This keeps the association from exceeding the budget possibly incurring a special assessment. Once an idea is presented within a committee, they meet with other committees that will have a piece of the project. They discuss what will be done in each committee. After all committees agree with the project, the FirstService liaison prepares the documentation and sends it out to bid. Each contractor is provided the same information so we compare "apples to apples" on the bids when quotes are returned. Currently, the HOA requires three separate bids. Since committees meet once a month, the earliest the bids can be presented to the committee for a vote to decide which bid to accept would be the following month, assuming all bids are returned and there are no issues that need clarification. After this bid is voted on by the respective committees, it is then passed to the Finance committee. The Finance committee looks at all three bids and takes into consideration the votes from the individual committees and their recommendations. Finance will make the determination if we have the funds available and either send it back to the committee saying no funds available or pass the request on to the Board of Directors indicating funds available. At this point, the request is about a month and a half to two months in progress to the Board. This all is the equivalent of a bill in Congress passing through committees with votes to approve, moving on for a full vote, and on for final approval/veto from the President. Finally, the Board receives the request that has been signed off by each committee involved and funding approved by the Finance Committee. At this point, the clock is ticking up to a minimum of two to two and a half months since conception. The Board will review and discuss in an open session and either vote to approve or deny or pass back through the process for more clarification. Although our process is much faster than a bill passing through Congress, there is still some lag time from start to finish. The time frames outlined above are in a perfect world, so it could take longer. All the checks and balances make the idea worth the wait so everyone is on the same page with the best possible outcome for our community. The Board of Directors meets the second Thursday of the month at 1 pm in the Ballroom and we encourage everyone to attend and see the workings of the corporation. Per civil code, the Board cannot engage in conversation with any homeowner input. If you prefer to meet with the Board in a less formal environment, "Meet the Board" is a more intimate setting where the Board can engage in conversation with you on most anything you wish to discuss (one exception is any issue currently under litigation). "Meet the Board" is held the third Wednesday of every month in the RCN at 1 pm. If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at kathycravenbod@yahoo.com or at (714) 722-1301. Remember, be kind to one another. Message From The Board FOUR SEASONS AT BEAUMONT BOARD ELECTION CALENDAR 2022 Tuesday, Jan. 11 – Notice of Nominating Procedure Thursday, Feb. 10 – Board Nomination (Application) Deadline Wednesday, March 2 – Board Notice of Meeting & Candidate List Friday, April 1 – Board Election Ballot Materials Sent Monday, April 4 – Meet the Candidates Forum for Board Monday, May 2 at 9 am – Board Voting Deadline Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3 - Special Meetings of the Inspectors for Counting Member Directed Ballots Friday, May 6 – Annual Meeting to Cast Directed Votes

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