A LETTER TO MEADOWCREEK RESIDENTS

Dear Neighbor,

In reply to the latest letter, proposed budget and proxy sent by our illustrious president Doug Parker I can only make the following comments:

First, why does it take so much pressure from the community to get the present board to go to work and do the things that should have been done in the first place? The reduction in electrical costs is long overdue. And no recent drops in the cost of electricity have been evident – so the savings have probably been available all along. All a lazy board had to do was research it and find a better deal. In other words – do their job.

Second, how can the board scream about needing additional funding when they were able, albeit under the same pressure, to present a somewhat balanced budget that even allows payment of 2009 shortfalls of Eighteen Thousand Three Hundred Ninety ($18,390) dollars?

Third, why is the proposed budget presented in a “combined” format? I think that the presentation should be by section, allowing us to see where and when the money will be spent.

Fourth, why are we budgeting $9250 dollars for accounting and CPA fees? If we assume that the association has 40 payments per month, taking an average of five (5) minutes per transaction to pay and record in a suitable accounting program, we can make a further assumption that this requires three and one third (3.33) hours per month. This works out to forty (40) hours per year. Now assume an additional ten hours at the end of the year to print out an annual line item profit/loss statement and prepare tax documents. The total is now fifty (50) hours of work. Divide the $9250 by 50 and you get a whopping one hundred eighty five dollars per hour ($185). How many of us working stiffs would like to earn this kind of money? Who is this whiz of a bookkeeper/accountant anyway? Is he/she related to anyone we know?

Fifth, how much do you suppose it costs us to have our prez send out the numerous appeals that have been sent? Let’s assume postage of $.44 and a cost, excluding any labor, of about $.20 each for a total of $.66 for each correspondence sent. Multiply this by 741 and we get a raw cost of six hundred seventy five ($675) dollars. I know of two letters that have been delivered, so Big Doug has spent at least One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty ($1,350) dollars telling us that they can’t pay our bills. Is something wrong here? Does this sound like responsible fiscal management to you?

It’s way past time for a change. Please do come to the annual meeting. If you are unable to do so, appoint a responsible friend or neighbor as your proxy to vote for change. Please do not sign the proxy sent by the board. They will only use the vote to maintain the “status quo”.

Sincerely,

A Caring Meadowcreek Neighbor

HOMEOWNERS RESPOND

As many in our neighborhood now know, the Board of Directors of the Meadowcreek Association, Inc., recently initiated a campaign to raise the annual maintenance assessment in Sections 1, 2&3 and 5 by $100.00 per year. What many did not know is that the intent was to also revise the Covenants and Restrictions that govern property in the sections.

A "grass roots" movement was started to inform residents of the actual intent of the board. After an initial meeting at the Black Eyed Pea, individuals volunteered to walk the individual sections, talk with residents, deliver handouts, provide needed supplies and do what was necessary to get the message out.

During the week prior to the November Board meeting held on November 12, 2009, literally hundreds of hours of labor resulted in the largest crowd to attend a homeowners meeting in years. We were elated to see a reporter/photographer team on hand to film the meeting for a news segment on Channel 13 (ABC) Houston. The board appeared to be somewhat surprised, and was totally unprepared to meet the challenge. Documentation was limited, and seats were few. The only area in which the Board was prepared was in providing police protection (three officers were present for crowd control).

As members arrived they were asked to sign in on forms provided. An additional form was provided for those who wished to address the assembly (with a 2 minute time limit). As the meeting progressed, the attorney representing the board was observed asking the reporter from Channel 13 and his photographer to leave. They were told that the clubhouse was private property, and that they needed to leave the property. Many of the homeowners in the immediate vicinity advised the attorney that the reporter was an invited guest, and the end result was that the media representatives were allowed to stay and film the meeting.

During the meeting, board president Doug Parker attempted, with limited success, to defend the boards position regarding the increase in the annual assessment. He met with much less success when asked to defend the changes in the Covenants and Restrictions. Several members that had signed the "petition" for the board insisted, by both voice and letter, that their signatures be removed from the documents held by the board.

Finally, President Parker relented, and advised the audience that the Board would table the petition and make do with the status quo. You can view the news report by visiting the following link:

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7115716

Then, without allowing a single person who had signed the speakers log to address the meeting to do so, President Parker decided to go into executive session, effectively shutting the residents down. What a surprise. Fifty or so residents left and held an impromptu meeting in the parking lot. It doesn't appear that too many were happy with the way the meeting went. More is sure to follow.