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CommunIty news | sun lakes lIfestyles | auGust 2015 | 3 By George Moyer, SLCC HOA President FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK I want to applaud our staff on responding to the current drought related state and local mandates in a professional and effective manner. They did not panic or rush to implement measures that could have had horrific results, both aesthetically and financially. Instead they took an analytical approach and came up with solutions that have addressed the issue and, at the same time, kept our community beautiful. As a result of their efforts we are proud to announce that in the month of June we met or exceeded the mandatory 32 percent reduction. The Executive Golf Course water use was 34.49 percent under the usage of the same period in 2013, the base year being used by the state. The Championship Course was 35.65 percent under, and the community common areas were 40 percent under. Although it appears July's numbers will not be quite as good, they still show a significant reduction in the amount of water we used this year compared to 2013. Congratulations to the golf course and operations staff for a job well done. I think that the residents as a whole should also be congratulated for their water conservation efforts. In touring the community I see that most of them are cooperating and making a sincere effort to save water. I am sure that those that are still using water recklessly will soon get the message and join the rest of us in saving as much water as we can. In the meantime the new committee, formed to work with the community in this effort, has been meeting and making recommendations to the Board relating to educating our residents and ways of helping those that need assistance. Keep up the good work. Another important project currently underway is the formulation of the Sun Lakes 2016 budget. There are several factors that will have to be considered in determining the budget and ultimately the affect it will have on assessments. One major factor is the mandated increase in the minimum wage. This not only affects us with the Sun Lakes staff, but also the staffs of our vendors. This manifests itself in contractual increases with those vendors. Normal inflation rates and uncertainty relating to utility increases also needs to be taken into account. In addition, maintenance projects need to be addressed, and to keep our community up to date and functional there are some capital improvement projects being considered. Some of the budget direction provided to staff by the Board were: maintain an initial reserve level at 80 percent; keep the bad debt allocation at $80,000; maintain a working capital fund at $800,000; keep the HOA assessment as low as possible while maintaining a superior quality active 55 plus facility. I tell you all this because this is the time when you have the opportunity to give us your opinion on various items under consideration and make suggestions. There will be opportunities to get involved with the budget process, or simply hear what is being considered. The first open workshop will have already taken place on July 28. However, other opportunities will be on Aug. 13 at the Delegate Assembly meeting, 2 pm at the South Clubhouse; Aug. 20 at the Open Board meeting, 6:30 pm in Main Clubhouse Ballroom; Aug. 28 at a Budget Workshop with the Board, 9 am in the Administration Building Conference Room; Sept. 10 at the Delegate Assembly meeting, 2 pm at the South Clubhouse; and Sept. 16 at a Budget Workshop with the Board, 2 pm in the Administration Building Conference Room. Finally, the new radar machine is in the process of being constructed and should be here in the very near future. Once it arrives it will have the capability of showing drivers how fast they are driving, but it will also take a picture of vehicles going too fast. This will help us identify problem drivers and take appropriate action. What appropriate action is going to be is currently being discussed with our legal counsel. In my personal opinion, it is becoming more and more apparent that sooner or later someone is going to get seriously injured or even killed if we do not get speeding and other vehicle infractions under control. The accident on Breckenridge on July 7 is an indication of just how bad it could be. Had the resident not left her bedroom just seconds before the crash she would be dead today. Let's all just slow down a little and stop running stop signs. Charity Week is over! Some are glad, some are sad. Over a hundred Sun Lakers who volunteered for the variety of events held during Charity Week are tired… and glad. And many residents are sad because they were on vacation and didn't get a chance to participate in the events or couldn't attend because the event was sold out. We can report that Charity Week was a huge success again and we have almost $83,000 to donate to the San Gorgonio Pass charitable organizations. The large sum to be donated is your fault – the residents of Sun Lakes – you patronize our advertisers and buy the tickets to all of the events, it is your money we are presenting to the deserving charities. The best part is yet to come. We will present the checks to the various charities on Aug. 26 at 6 pm in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom, and all of the residents of Sun Lakes are invited. Each charity will have a table or booth showing what they do with the donations they receive throughout the year. They are very proud of their organizations and delight in explaining how they provide services to the community. It is your chance to see and hear what your dollars accomplish in the greater Pass Area. Sun Lakes Country Club Charity Week has become a mainstay in our calendar of events each year. This year we celebrated our 25th anniversary. During that time span we have given well over $1 million to the various organizations in the Pass Area. This invitation is extended to all residents of Sun Lakes to see how your generosity helps the needy in our area. sun lakes country club charIty presentatIon aug. 26

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