Therefore, I will vote against every proposal that asks for more money, and I will continue to do so until they accept their fiduciary duty for providing full transparency of the Association’s financial records to the property owners.

At the very least there should be no debt retirement out of this fund unless and until we have an adequate reserve established. Removing funds for use as debt retirement should be voted upon option with all parameters presented for the property owners to assess.

For example all capital needs for current and future assets and maintenance thereof properly identified including cost estimates before any funds are recommended for debt payment. In other words the case should be made each time funds are extracted for non-capital expenditures.

It is a proper function for the board to manage and inform the property owners therein. Also with the board is about to change covenants to permit million dollar disbursements and additional incurrence of debt a million dollars at a time for capital projects without property owner approval.

This reserve fund then becomes a crapshoot for the property owners. Showing the property owner quarterly reports is an after the fact offering.

In other words there is no accountability before the fact. I am not implying that we have a need for micromanagement but with the size of the funds involved, I think there should be some checks and balances for some defined size of expenditure be it 100k, 250k, 500k or a million.

There has to be rules and accountability and some assurance that the property owners have some say at some level before the fact and not be forced to deal with a problem after the fact. This too often is the case with the POA Board.

It is a corporate America type approach but even though the POA might technically be a corporation it is still first and foremost a Property Owner Association.

I have heard only one person, soon to be on the board express and interest in actually managing our money in tight economic times. We are too free spending and have built in too many layers of expensive management.

We may as well be living in a condominium for the size of fees and assessment and the rate at which they are growing. I am concerned about the number of properties for sale, the number of people I know that are considering leaving and what this continuing propensity for spending gobs of money will do for Big Canoe’s future.

I am concerned about the shrinking size of the work force needed to maintain our resource and assets.

I fear I too may be forced to leave Big Canoe because we cannot control our spending.

Certain People who have been on the board for too long have broken just about every rule in the project management book They have cost this community dearly with their lack of integrity and distain for the property owners in general.

Too much ego implying a particular individual knows what is needed has driven many a corporation into oblivion. I fear that instead of preserving the property values, ultimately the financial excess of recent years will ultimately make it difficult to sell our homes at any price.

I do not know what happens to people who get elected to the board and become turncoats. What kind of gun exists that would encourage people to vote for things that will ultimately be a detriment to their own well-being?

I am not encouraged by this (what appears to be a) shell game called the Capital Reserve and Debt Retirement Fund. The explanation of why this was designed or proposed this way is non-existent.

I am not comfortable with this proposal as it stands. Ironically, I am open to a reasonable explanation as to why this is now a capital and debt fund and what the justification for it is.

Along with this I want to see how it will work in conjunction with the other financial covenants and proposals the board now has on the table.

I love Big Canoe and love living here, but my peace has been shaken by one blunder after another financially.

It is good to see some attempt these days at planning but I do not see that we have arrived and a truly solid mode of operating and management at this time.”

If you haven’t already taken the survey on the POA site, it’s not very thought provoking. The questions are very shallow and there is only one place for any comments. I’m pretty certain they aren’t interested in what the property owners have to say.

While I think we should be giving some thought to paying off these debts and funding repairs and maintenance, I remain very concerned about giving our board a free hand to spend money at a million dollars a pop for whatever they want. Unfortunately, it seems that even the best meaning individuals who get elected to the board quickly fall under the spell of the old hands who no longer feel compelled to represent the desires of the property owners.

I think what was done at the fire station in the village is exactly the kind of improvement that could be done at the main gate and at the maintenance yard. It’s too easy to just tear things down and spend other people’s money (ours) on unneeded “improvements.” The north gate is an example. While it is nicely done, there is no question that it has the look of a commercial entrance. I certainly hope this isn’t what they have in mind for the main gate.

The obscene overruns at the Sconti are reason enough why the board should never be trusted with discretionary spending authority. The recent explanation of how there may have been some lapses in communication show that they still don’t get it.

It is amazing how the composition of the board changes over time but the same attitude prevails. I can only hope that the two new directors will be able to withstand the pressure and actually live up to what they said in their campaigning.

I would urge everyone to very carefully read what they want us to approve and be prepared to stand up for what’s right.