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Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc

Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting

Sept 14, 2017

Attendance: Sandy Ericksen, Trenton Kelly, Richard Solis, A.D. Koen, Charlie Bowman, Lori Bulla. Members Amelie Fredland and Michael Kuhnen participated by speaker phone in order to discuss and vote for next year’s budget. Residents: Marilyn Harper, Jill Prado Salyers. Guest: SEAL Officer Garza

Meeting opened at 7:32 by President Sandy Ericksen. SEAL Officer Garza passed out August Incident Report and read the statistics. He said that SEAL Headquarters were never flooded during Tropical Storm Harvey’s rains, and that the K-9 kennels had been sandbagged to keep out water just in case. SEAL did not patrol this area for about a week and a half due to closed roads preventing mobility.

Social Chair Richard Solis reported that the food for the Labor Day Free Swim event had been paid for by an anonymous donor. He is planning this year’s Oaksfest which will be a wine sharing event, with food, a movie, a free swim for those brave enough for cold water, and possibly a water slide. He will make a flyer for the event. Oaksfest is also the last day for voting for Board members and the 2018 budget.

Treasurer Trenton Kelly reported that he expected to collect 93% of the homeowner dues by the end of this year. There have been quite a few people on payment plans, management of which is a time burden for any volunteer treasurer. The board will use ProLedge accounting services for a cost of $200/month to manage the accounts. There was a discussion of reinstituting fees for payment plans, $5 for a monthly invoice and a $10 late fee. Trenton asked Pool Chair Lori Bulla if there would be any new pool expenses next year. Lori said the pool will need resurfacing but can wait till 2019. $200 was estimated for the replacement of some tiles in the pool, during the winter off-season.

Sandy made a motion to approve the budget, Lori Bulla seconded, and all members approved.

Michael Kuhnen reported that he has contacted Harris County Flood Control District regarding repairs needed on the banks of Cole Creek since last month’s flooding. He will keep the board informed on results.

A.D. Koen proposed the formation of a formal neighbor-to-neighbor disaster support program, but Amelie Fredland opposed if there was any mention of flooding, as being harmful to real estate values. Charlie Bowman opposed any program that would give money from HOA dues to any individual. A.D. had proposed paying for his program with proceeds from Oaksfest wine raffle, but Trenton said that Oaksfest has never generated any proceeds.

Outgoing Secretary Lori Perjak asked Sandy to announce she needed to get some stored paper records out of her house, due to her flood cleanup. Arrangements will be made to relocate these records until they can be scanned and digitized.

Sandy said that one planned Deed Restriction drive through had been canceled due to the storm debris in some parts of the neighborhood. It is currently rescheduled for Sept 23.

The Board got to meet candidate for the election Jill Prado Salyers , who is a CPA with an interest in filling the Treasurer vacancy in January.

Sandy moved to adjourn at 8:45, seconded by A.D.

August 10, 2017 Meeting Attendees:  Lori Bulla, Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland, Marilyn Harper, Trenton Kelley, AD Koen, Mike Kuhnen, Darin Lee, SEAL officer Montgomery, Lori Perjak, Richard Solis

Meeting began 7:30pm.

SEAL Officer Montgomery provided a print out of neighborhood incidents to all who were at the meeting.  Vacation watches are available by providing this completed form to SEAL or asking an Officer directly.  There is no cost to residents since this is part of the paid SEAL services.  https://sealsecuritytexas.com/vacation-watch-form.php  SEAL reminds us that the number 1 reason for burglaries of vehicles is that vehicles are left unlocked.

Pool – There are currently 58 memberships.  There is $6,600 income from both memberships and pavilion rentals including an upcoming rental.  There are no major maintenance issues at this time.

Deed Restrictions – Another drive through is being schedule for August 26.

Landscape – No changes at this time.

Finance – Current balance is $120,255.19.  The current amount of 2017 and past due collected HOA dues since Oct 2016 is $ 115,798.20.  The amount of unpaid HOA dues is now $24,996.59.  Trenton is creating an updated budget showing actual cost/expenditures verses projected for 2018.  He plans to distribute within a couple of weeks for board review, and it will be available for the elections in October at Oaks Fest.   Letters were sent to 44 residents who have not paid HOA dues in full.  Currently 22 homeowners have not paid 2017 dues.  Two board members met with the finance service Proledge which currently provides some financial services to the board.  Some service that Proledge may provide COCC for a fee is issuing monthly statements and budget review, but Proledge will not have access to the bank account.  Their list of services and costs are being reviewed.  Banking processes for other businesses were discussed by several board members as suggested processes for our COCC.  The board is seeking an interest bearing account for the savings portion of the budget.  There is a Proledge proposal list with services and costs which is starting to be reviewed.

Records – being stored

Social – In September, the Labor Day party is being planned for Sunday, Sept. 3 instead of Monday.  Several family friendly features for the event were brought up as well which includes special lighting for a Movie Night along with open pool and serving a chicken meal.  An estimated $80 printing fee for mailbox notices was discussed including discounts for creating the notices. For Oaks Fest, a bottle share is being planned again.  This is not a fund raiser, but raffle tickets will be sold to offset the cost of wine basket gifts which residents can win with raffle tickets.  Food provision for the Oaks Fest is being discussed.

Long Term Planning – Steps for building a traffic protective wall for COCC along Tidwell include getting signatures from residents listing our concerns and talking to Brenda Stardig with the concerns and inviting her to personally witness the traffic along Tidwell.  Our City Council and Public Works representatives would also be included in the invitation.  If a majority of residents show concern, it would help move the issue to a 5 year plan of Capital Improvement with the City of Houston.  Traffic Incident statistics from HPD would be collected by Ms. Stardig.  The plan is to provide further information to residents at the Oaks Fest election meeting in October.   There will be at least 3 board positions open for voting at Oaks Fest including Pool, Secretary and Treasurer.  All volunteers can be found an assignment to assist the COCC board.  Please come forward!  Each role receives assistance as needed from other board members.

Handouts from the Ed Emmett meeting in August were given out as well as a list of Harris county public health pet wellness veterinary fees.  The meeting ended 8:43pm

July 13, 2017 COCC Meeting Minutes

07/13/2017 meeting attendees: Lori Bulla, Sandy Ericksen, Marilyn Harper, Trenton Kelley, AD Koen, Mike Kuhnen, SEAL Officer Montgomery, Lori Perjak

The meeting started at 7:40pm.

Security – meeting opened with Officer Montgomery providing incident reports to all who attended the meeting. He reminds everyone that a free vacation watch is available if you fill out the SEAL form on their website and submit. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the vacation watch and the officer reminds of this at every meeting. Residents can also approach the SEAL officer for a vacation watch form.

Finance – Current budget balance is $198,997.24. Over $75K of this is savings. More than $20K of overdue HOA dues has been collected. Proledge will be taking over part of the finance responsibility. Proledge is being interviewed for additional services they may be able to provide such as bill paying and bank statement reconciliation. Proledge will not have access to the bank account. An annual budget is being prepared for August. Approximately 22 residents have not paid past dues, and new statements will be sent. The COCC insurance policy is up for renewal and the rate will remain the same with the new policy. Additional coverage is being reviewed and recommended.

Pool – The community pool has passed inspection. The emergency phone has been repaired where it corroded. The chase lounge chairs were repaired with fabric that was kept from previous repairs. Over $6K in revenue has come from pool memberships and pavilion rentals.

Deed restrictions – A three person team made a drive though the neighborhood. This resulted in 40 new letters being sent out for non compliance. There are no penalty fees at this time for people who do not make the repairs. There is a progression of 3 letters mailed out for violations with the 3rd letter being the final demand. The COCC attorney has not been contacted recently for any repeat letters that need to be sent. The board will need to vote on whether to assess a fine for non compliance of deed restriction letters. Some historical documentation on how deed restriction fines were given years ago will be provided to the committee. Interest has been shown by the board in beginning fines.

Landscape – No update at this time. The new playground repairs are being monitored for vandalism.

Records – being kept

Long Range Planning – Elections are in October at the Oaks Fest event. There will be two board vacancies that need to be filled. Residents are encouraged to submit a bio for the upcoming October election. New board officers are needed.

Ed Emmett will hold a meeting on August 1 which includes COCC.

Meeting closed at 8:32pm

June 8, 2017 COCC Meeting Minutes

Meeting Attendees: AD Koen, Patrick Bilnoski, Mike Kuhnen, Darin Lee, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, SEAL Officer Montgomery, Richard Solis, Gerard Bohorques, Ziad Taha, Charlie Bowman, Sandy Ericksen, Lori Perjak

The meeting began at 7:32pm

Security – Officer Montgomery reviewed the May incident report. All who attended received a printed copy. SEAL reminded attendees to use the free vacation watch form from the internet. AD notified us that we will not have speed bumps installed by the city on Bolivia because there is not enough traffic at this time. http://sealsecuritytexas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/vacation-watch-form.pdf

Pool – Lori B let us know we currently have 38 community pool memberships. She reminded us that the pool is available to reserve for private parties. An annual pool inspector is coming on June 12. The board is accepting bids for the baby pool tile repair and magnetic cards along with a pool gate card reader. A request to make the pool hours open at 8am rather than 6am and closing at 10pm was approved. New signs are being created to provide the pool street address in case of emergency call.

Finance – Charlie reports the HOA is 30K short of what’s anticipated for 2017. Charlie and Trenton have done a fantastic job of collecting unpaid dues. About 28 residents have not paid HOA dues this year and letters are being sent for collection. An attorney will be used for collection for 2 residents who won’t contact the board concerning payment.

Deed Restrictions – Three board members will make a drive though in June reviewing any deed restriction violations. 35 deed restriction violation letters were sent out on the last review.

Landscape – Fence vandalism has been taking place repeatedly at the playground. Several men from the meeting offered to repair the fence again.

Records – records are being stored

Long range planning – Some board positions will be available on the October 2017 ballot including Treasurer and Secretary. Please consider any role you may want to participate in. The board is extremely helpful toward any volunteerism you provide. The easement drive to the park/playground may need to change when the vacant lot on Tidwell is sold for use and construction begins. Also, the board is seeking to move to uniform fencing for approximately 58 residents along Tidwell. There are concerns about safe as well as uniform fencing while vehicle accidents have occurred several times along Tidwell into the neighborhood. The board is accepting suggestions for safe and uniform fencing along Candlelight Oaks. Richard offered to contact Brenda Stardig concerning any fencing or walls the city may provide. Several people are interested in beginning a committee concerning the fencing.

*Judge Ed Emmett will be speaking at the Garden Oaks HOA meeting on August 1, 2017. Candlelight Oaks residents are invited to attend.

Meeting closed 8:31pm

March 2017 Board members in attendance: Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland, Lori Bulla, Charlie Bowman, A.D. Koen

Residents in attendance: Marilyn Harper, Gerard Bohorquez

A representative from SEAL attended the meeting and presented a security report from the month before. He reminded us that SEAL is not receiving vacation watches and that residents should contact SEAL, fill out a vacation watch form and SEAL will monitor your home while you are away. This includes, among other things, two visits to the residents property while SEAL is on duty in our neighborhood.

Charlie Bowman gave a treasurers report and an update on how many residents have paid their dues year to date. Residents that are more than two years past due and have not made any contact with the board regarding a payment plan will be sent a final demand letter. Thirty days after the date of the final demand letter, residents that have not contacted the board with a payment plan will be referred to the HOA attorney for collection.

There was a discussion regarding the lot on Tidwell that has been sold and a sign on the property indicates a convenience store and fast food restaurant will be built. Lori Bulla agreed to craft a letter to our city councilwoman, Brenda Stardig, expressing concern over this project. Update: a letter was sent and Brenda Stardig’s office responded by saying no permits have been applied for and the office would watch to see if and when they were. She also mentioned that the city of Houston has no zoning, therefore, a business can be constructed near a neighborhood. Residents can go to the SEAL website and download a vacation watch form.

Regarding the “Roadster” gas station and fast food. The sign has been relocated to Tidwell and TC Jester and according to the NNWMD the gas station could not obtain permits for alcohol because it was too close to the schools and church.

Pool memberships are available and one member has joined this year.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30

Meeting attendees 02_09_2017: Officer Burton, Darilene Bonnet, Blanco Gonzalez, Michael Kuhnen, Sandy Ericksen, Trenton Kelley, Marilyn Harper, AD Koen, Richard Solis, Lori Perjak

The meeting began promptly at 7:38pm

Security – A handout of previous months’ SEAL incidents was given to all who attended the meeting. A gray pit bull dog has made an attack toward a neighborhood child. The child is ok. The incident happened near the intersection of Spring Forest Dr. and Bolivia Blvd. inside Candlelight Oaks Village. Please take caution.

Finance – The HOA is 30K short of the dues collection that is anticipated for this year. Approximately 130 residents had paid their dues as of the Feb. meeting. Late notices are to be distributed on March 1. A letter is also to be sent to notify residents of the need to raise HOA dues to $400 per year. A cost projection and specific reasons are planned to be included in the letter to residents.

Landscaping – Cost cutting measures are being investigated in regard to mowing costs.

Deed Restrictions – A drive through is planned for February 18 to seek any deed restriction violations in the neighborhood.

Social – An Easter Egg hunt in the community pool area is being planned for April 15 which is the day before Easter Sunday. On Friday April 14, families will supply 2 dozen plastic eggs for each child filled with a child’s treat. Suggested items are coins and candy. Signage at the entrances/exits of the neighborhood is being investigated to notify more residents.

Records – are being stored

The meeting closed at 8:37pm

January 2017 meeting attendees: Officer D Burton, Lori Perjak, AD Koen, Amelie Fredland, Marilyn Harper, Trenton Kelley, Charlie Bowman, Michael Kuhnen, Richard Solis, Lori Bulla, Sandy Ericksen.

SEAL – The meeting opened with a hand out of SEAL incidents from the previous month. All who attended received a copy of the report reviewed by Officer Burton.

President’s opening – Sandy welcomed 3 new board members and explained the meeting agenda process. We welcome Amelie as VP, Michael as Landscape chair and Richard as social chair.

Safety – neighborhood ACORN vehicle identification stickers are available at the meeting or please contact the board for one. AD will help and provide instruction on where to place the sticker on the vehicle. It will also be featured regularly in the ACORN publication. AD volunteered to be editor for the ACORN. Volunteers will be needed to distribute the ACORN once created.

Pool – Lori B is updating the pool membership forms. A $100 pool membership is now the official fee. The board would also like to get the pool gate reader reinstalled and Ray is getting an estimate. An upper hinge on the easement entrance gate to the park also needs repair. The park is roughly open 7am to 10pm. Some discussion by several followed in regard to easement access and safety for the park area.

Deed restrictions – The board is seeking (1) additional Deed Restriction assistant for monthly drive through with review. A monthly driving review takes approximately 1.5 hours. AD has offered to drive and Marilyn will assist, so one more person is needed. It’s recommended to have (3) people to help with deed restrictions. One person will drive. One person will write down the address and violation. One person will snap a photo for the resident of their deed violation. All (3) review the notes and agree on the deed violation with photo to be US postal mailed to the home owner.

Landscape – Michael asked about an existing landscape contract to review. Currently, there is no contract but there are invoices to review. The Pool area is kept separate from the other landscape budget. The Near Northwest Management District takes care of the center median on Tidwell. Landscape mainly focuses on the sidewalks and trash pickup on Tidwell. Insured work is required. Michael is creating a scope of work and minimum insurance liability recommendation for landscape.

Records – records need to be transferred to the secretary for storage.

Social – Richard began gathering information on the social role and there are many suggestions for events including Neighborhood Night Out in October, a Santa for Christmas time photos, a hay ride for events, an Easter egg hunt, neighborhood picnic, potlucks, outdoor game events and more. Memorial Day, Labor Day and Oaks Fest have been traditional neighborhood gathering events for our community. Lori B has been helping with necessary forms for pool side gatherings. Oaks Fest has been important for COCC elections and has never been a fund raiser for the budget.

Finance – HOA dues will be voted to be raised to $400/year for 2018. A venue is needed for a large COCC gathering to vote for the needed increase in HOA dues. The notice of dues increase will be in future ACORN publications too. The current budget is $171,781.09 and about 40% of the recent HOA dues have been paid. HOA dues are overdue on February 1. A lot of discussion followed concerning the timing of gathering the votes. Door to door collection of official votes will probably be needed before a change to the deed restrictions. A neighborhood resource was suggested to help with the process. He is someone who helped with the last HOA dues increase in 2001.

The meeting closed at 8:45pm.

Board members in attendance: Sandy Ericksen, Jeff Morrison, Wendy Gonzalez, Lori Bulla, Trenton Kelly and Charlie Bowman.

SEAL officer Burton attended. In his monthly recap, he noted that none of our residents have been reporting vacation watches. He encourages our residents to contact SEAL when we are on vacation. Residents should also include SEAL as the second contact on your security systems.

The two year term for Wendy and Jeff is coming to an end and both will be transferring records to the next chairperson.

Trenton and Charlie reported that residents are beginning to pay dues for 2017 and that several accounts have paid their past due invoices.

Past due invoices will be mailed to residents on March 1st.

Meeting adjourned at 7:45.