Image Up Advertising & Design

FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2026 19 By Kirk Frerymuth, kafreyer@frontier.com No matter how you measure it … • number of residences: 1,853 • annual dues: $5.350M (M = million) • total assets: what we own totaling $11.243M • total reserves: $9.191M (funds set aside for future expenses) • members equity: $1.669M as of Dec. 31, 2025 (our assets less what we owe) Four Seasons Beaumont is not a small homeowners association (HOA). But, even as large as our equity was at the end of 2025, it was $136K (K = thousand) less than it was as the end of 2024, meaning we spent $6.528M including an increase in the reserves of $338K. So what did we, the community residents, get for our money? (I know there are a lot of figures in this article but bear with me.) We spent $858.8K on utilities. This includes: • Cable TV: $24K • Water: $429.8K • Electricity: $231.3K • Gas: $100.3K Land maintenance (keeping the community trees, shrubs, and turf at a level befitting a premier resort community) cost us $1.323M. A large portion of this expense was for irrigation maintenance, $348.2K. It's dismaying that this item was $180.4K over budget. The Finance Committee recommended and the Board addressed this issue with a fixed price contract from Park West, our landscape contractor, that will both obviate the overage and reduce the cost to the HOA. The next two expense items are swimming pool/spa, $139.4K, and Community Services/Events, $60K. The latter category includes the activities such as productions at The Lodge and the 20 year anniversary events. Common Area expenses totaled $902K. Two of the largest items in this category are janitorial and patrol services. The funds that the Facilities Committee under the able leadership of Regina Farmer recommended and the Board approved, such as The Ballroom upgrade and the pool renovations were paid from our reserves, not this year's dues. The biggest expense category was Administration, coming in at $2.359M. Almost 73 percent of the expense was paying for the services of our hard-working FirstService employees. Other large items are insurance, $179.1K and Contract Maintenance (largely, legal review and advice), $185.7K. The final two categories are Springdale and Front Yard Cost Center (FYCC) expenses. These expenses were $79.9K and $570K, respectively. The Springdale expenses are almost entirely insurance. The FYCC expenses include water, $100.6K, and Irrigation Repairs, $70K. Some residents might argue that the amount we spend on each category could be reduced, perhaps in a major way, but what would we lose? The grounds not only provide eye candy for the residents but also serve as powerful attractions for guests and prospective homeowners. We've all interacted with the FirstService staff which provides superb support of our Board and the many resident- staffed committees. Our HOA by the Number$

• Cover