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4 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | October 2026 | Developing the Annual Budget Each year the Four Seasons Board undertakes one of their major responsibilities, which is developing the association's annual budget. A budget is more than a spreadsheet of numbers but is a financial roadmap for maintaining the community, protecting property values, providing essential services, and preparing for future needs. We as directors have the responsibility of maintaining the common area. Developing the budget is all about the common area… planning today for a healthy community tomorrow. The journey of creating the 2027 budget began in May with the first meeting of the Budget Committee which is composed of representatives from the Finance, Facilities, Landscape, and Capital Improvement Committees, along with a couple of Board members and administrators. The first step was to scrutinize the costs to operate and maintain our community. The committee typically reviewed the prior year's actual expenses compared with the current year's expenses. Historical spending was helpful in considering anticipated increases and forecasting remaining current year's expenses. The committee considered current contracts and agreements, changes in services, utilities, landscaping costs, insurance premiums, inf lation, and other changes that can have an inf luence on the coming year's expenses. One important aspect of budget development, and oftentimes misunderstood, is reserve funding. As mentioned in a previous article, the Board uses reserve funds for maintenance, replacement, and repairs that do not occur every year but are inevitable over the life of the community. Examples may include roadway asphalt, pool and sport courts maintenance, fence painting and repairs, irrigation systems, lodge improvements, and other common area components. The other end of the budget is keeping the assessments fair and predictable. You, as homeowners, naturally want to keep assessments reasonable. There is a balance between a fair assessment and one that is artificially low that can result in deferred maintenance, inadequate reserves, and potentially special assessments in the future. Four Seasons Board of Directors is striving to establish an assessment level that properly funds the services and maintenance of the common area expected by the homeowners and prepares the community for future obligations. Ultimately, creating the Four Seasons budget is about much more than balancing income and expenses. It is about homeowners coming together in making thoughtful decisions today that support our livable and viable community, maintaining home values, marketability, and the long-term financial health of Four Seasons Hemet. Treasurer's Report

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