November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers

Admin
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"You don't achieve harmony by everyone singing the same note" - Doug Loyd

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November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 11, 2014 5:57:10 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2014 5:57:10 GMT -5

Previous Three months checks from Operating Only--again, they did not provide checks from Reserves. No one knows why or why this is not routinely provided when requesting the check register, which should be routinely provided without asking.

Check Register[2-10-2014].pdf (52.74 KB)

Last Edit: Feb 11, 2014 6:13:14 GMT -5 by Admin

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". --Walsch

Admin
Administrator

"You don't achieve harmony by everyone singing the same note" - Doug Loyd

Posts: 2,585

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 11, 2014 7:02:54 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2014 7:02:54 GMT -5

A look at additional Annex Costs:

tile 3000
mulch 369
plants 453
painting 1050
carpet 1/2 down 1443
plumbing 187
fire equipment 107
fire 128
fire 261
3 Rugs- Really??? 453
paint,pressure wash, caulk 800
?duke 6412 02420 78253
?duke 5557 02422 22260
painting 625
complete carpet 1443
duke 2177
blinds 75
duke 4288
lights 5834
limerock, shellrock, sand 893
K C Nxxxxxx cameras final/conference 1042
contractor equipment/parts/supplies 312
lock 117
computer desk install 900
install blind/paint 65
install hinges on fan 274
Exxxxxxx work 2363

$40, 628
The only ones that are possibly NOT Annex costs might be the numbered invoiced references of $6412 and $5557 which would reduce the total by around $12,000 to:

$28,659

Also not sure if the carpet is from Office job or Annex: that is $2900. Accounting really should put better ID on these costs.

So, somewhere between 30K and 40K was added to the Annex cost (from Operating Funds only) bringing the Annex costs from $402,000 to $432,000-$442,000.

This is for Operating Only. We are not allowed to see the checks written from Reserves unless someone wants to Request these AGAIN.

Last Edit: Feb 11, 2014 7:50:07 GMT -5 by Admin

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". --Walsch

Admin
Administrator

"You don't achieve harmony by everyone singing the same note" - Doug Loyd

Posts: 2,585

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 11, 2014 7:31:23 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2014 7:31:23 GMT -5

Additional things SLohA is paying for:

Lnsz to Chase 24 hours                            278
B B (reim)                                                80
Crnl Vndrbrk (Medical Dock Fall)       466

Suntrust Rental for box                                6221 (Does that seem right for any conceivable rental service?)
Suntrust Nov                                                 4119
Suntrust Dec                                               7862

Suntrust credit card is the hidden costs charged and paid on a single invoice. SLohA members have no idea whatsoever what is being charged on the credit card. There is no credit card charge for Jan 2014 except the strange "box rental". Owner should require better disclosure of these costs; it is not an insignificant monthly bill i.e. $4-9K every month.

Ranger polaris tires                                                      834 (Do we still own old vehicles needing new tires?)

Self inking stamp???                                                    48 (Seems pretty pricey for a stamp--what are we stamping up in the office?
                                                                                                         Complaint/objection letters?)
Florida Rural Water Association Membership Dues         $545 (And we are paying for this because...

)

Sludge removal 370
Sludge removal 2 loads 1480

The Simpler Foreclosure tab so far:

Simpler 4213.23 (Unpaid assessments thru 1/2014)            4213.12
Legal/admin COSTS as of June 2012                                   300
Floyd (simpler)                                                                 1788
Floyd (simpler)                                                                   495

As of 2/11/14, there have been no liens, lis pendens or any other documents recorded in the public record. The above are all legal and past due assessment costs and, of those, $2500 is strictly legal collection costs which SLohA advances to the lawyers. If and when the property is paid up or sold, SLohA should be reimbursed for the legal fees FIRST and anything leftover from the proceeds of the sale will go to Income (who knows what line item). It looks like NOTHING has been done (charged) to the other Grayhackle foreclosure (PITTS).

Attorney:
Brown 1608-1             176.54
Brown 1608-1              232.
Brown (Gen Rep)        1155.

Assuming all these costs are SLohA General Account as there is no other "lawsuit specific" reason to incur costs (that I am aware of). There IS a curious charge for "Medical Dock Fall" that may have triggered a request for legal assistance:

Crnl Vndrbrk (Medical Dock Fall)        $466

These costs are probably "consults" by BOD for various issues since the BOD does not read or understand our governing documents and must rely on professional advice to protect themselves from breach of fiduciary complaints. Of course, BOD will blame these expenses on "people with different opinions".

Last Edit: Feb 11, 2014 9:30:54 GMT -5 by Admin

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". --Walsch

Guest of Christmas Past
Guest

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 12, 2014 9:32:08 GMT -5

Post by Guest of Christmas Past on Feb 12, 2014 9:32:08 GMT -5

Feb 11, 2014 7:31:23 GMT -5 Admin said:

Additional things SLohA is paying for:

Lnsz to Chase 24 hours                            278
B B (reim)                                                80
Crnl Vndrbrk (Medical Dock Fall)       466

Suntrust Rental for box                                6221 (Does that seem right for any conceivable rental service?)
Suntrust Nov                                                 4119
Suntrust Dec                                               7862

Suntrust credit card is the hidden costs charged and paid on a single invoice. SLohA members have no idea whatsoever what is being charged on the credit card. There is no credit card charge for Jan 2014 except the strange "box rental". Owner should require better disclosure of these costs; it is not an insignificant monthly bill i.e. $4-9K every month.

Ranger polaris tires                                                      834 (Do we still own old vehicles needing new tires?)

Self inking stamp???                                                    48 (Seems pretty pricey for a stamp--what are we stamping up in the office?
                                                                                                         Complaint/objection letters?)
Florida Rural Water Association Membership Dues         $545 (And we are paying for this because...

)

Sludge removal 370
Sludge removal 2 loads 1480

The Simpler Foreclosure tab so far:

Simpler 4213.23 (Unpaid assessments thru 1/2014)            4213.12
Legal/admin COSTS as of June 2012                                   300
Floyd (simpler)                                                                 1788
Floyd (simpler)                                                                   495

As of 2/11/14, there have been no liens, lis pendens or any other documents recorded in the public record. The above are all legal and past due assessment costs and, of those, $2500 is strictly legal collection costs which SLohA advances to the lawyers. If and when the property is paid up or sold, SLohA should be reimbursed for the legal fees FIRST and anything leftover from the proceeds of the sale will go to Income (who knows what line item). It looks like NOTHING has been done (charged) to the other Grayhackle foreclosure (PITTS).

Attorney:
Brown 1608-1             176.54
Brown 1608-1              232.
Brown (Gen Rep)        1155.

Assuming all these costs are SLohA General Account as there is no other "lawsuit specific" reason to incur costs (that I am aware of). There IS a curious charge for "Medical Dock Fall" that may have triggered a request for legal assistance:

Crnl Vndrbrk (Medical Dock Fall)        $466

These costs are probably "consults" by BOD for various issues since the BOD does not read or understand our governing documents and must rely on professional advice to protect themselves from breach of fiduciary complaints. Of course, BOD will blame these expenses on "people with different opinions".

I have some questions that should be on all Association Members minds about the Dec. Suntrust charges to our MasterCard by the Manager.

$7,862.00 charged in the month of December.....

Was our money used to buy Christmas gifts ?

Was our charge card used at any time outside of Lake Wales-Polk County-State of Florida ? I.E. Purchase of airline tickets to Michigan, Car Rental , Meals ? (remember the manager did speak about going to her parents 60th Anniversary months ago)

Has our charge card been used for the purchase of items not related to SLohA business ?

Theses are just a few questions I have about WHY is there so much being spent monthly above and beyond what the Managers salary is that is paid by her employer .

I suppose there will be a formal request done by the Membership to get the answers and the BOD will of course need to contact the Lawyer to come up with the answer that suits what the BOD wants to consider the truth.

Then the Membership will be compelled to hire another Attorney to have Suntrust provide Bank records from the time Management placed MK in out office as Manager .

Most of us that have been here for several years know that the previous Manager Nathalie M. had use of our Maint. Truck (the red Ford Ranger) and the MasterCard to use for buying gasoline but nobody was allowed to see what else Nathalie was using the charge card for .

Times have changed , when the Treasurer states that we need an increase in Fees because (the Budget requires it) when SLohA membership see's these excessive amounts that may not be necessary to Resort business and quite possibly personal unrestricted use of OUR SLohA Bank Account/s .

I feel we deserve to know exactly what the contract and agreement is with the use of the SLohA Charge Card and the Manager .

Every month there are charges on the Suntrust card from $4000 to $9000+ dollars , that would be $54,000 on the low end and $108,000 per year on the high end.

Now I ask you , what in the heck is going on here ? We could have a FEE REDUCTION of $150.00 per year and still have more than enough money for the Manager and the BOD to spend on operating costs and upgrades to our Resort .

I know folks don't want to think about what is going on in SLR but are quick to give praise for the smallest return on resort improvements and that is fine. BUT SLR cannot support reckless spending when there has been NO control of wasting moneys . This is a Retirement community, people are living on fixed incomes for the most part and some only see a $20 increase per year for cost of living on their checks whether it be Social Security or a Retirement check .

I feel this spending is out of control and there needs to be something done to protect the very people that make this there home or just come to SLR a few months of the year to enjoy their investment.

If you recall , the Manager said "We are here to PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT" S-bag Express Managers Corner column . Now ask yourselves , does spending our money that we pay for fees on personal needs that the Membership has no access to seem like our investment is being protected ? Why all the secrecy when we were told we would have full transparency or records ? Why did DB raise the records request fee to $100 or more when State H.O.A. law says different ?

I think its high time the Membership starts taking control and starts taking back our community , we WILL get answers and as proven we WILL hire our own lawyers to compel the BOD to provide us with the answers we deserve to know and have presented to us .

Anonymous Environmentalist
Guest

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 12, 2014 10:32:05 GMT -5

Post by Anonymous Environmentalist on Feb 12, 2014 10:32:05 GMT -5

It needs to be noted that on several occasions, written requests were submitted by owners to see the expenditures from the Reserves Account and the expenditures made by the manager using the SunTrust CREDIT CARD--SOME MONTHS TO THE TUNE OF $8K OR MORE; however NO check register(s)copies were ever provided off of the Reserves Account and NO copies or even explanations of the monies spent on the SunTrust Credit Card rang up by the manager were ever provided--even though multiple requests were made by various owners.

This information should have been provided willingly to owners for perusal, however, owner's requests have been continually and consistently IGNORED.

Does anyone know why this information is being kept from SLR owners?

Admin
Administrator

"You don't achieve harmony by everyone singing the same note" - Doug Loyd

Posts: 2,585

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 12, 2014 12:47:39 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2014 12:47:39 GMT -5

I suppose there will be a formal request done by the Membership to get the answers and the BOD will of course need to contact the Lawyer to come up with the answer that suits what the BOD wants to consider the truth.

Then the Membership will be compelled to hire another Attorney to have Suntrust provide Bank records from the time Management placed MK in out office as Manager .

The formal request part is easy; it must be made by a Member and it should request a records INSPECTION (rather than copies). The record is available to be inspected by all members, upon request and bank account statements, receipts and reports are NOT one of the very few protected, exempt records. But someone has to specifically request it, in writing, walk it to the office, get Shn to initial and date it and followup. Records requests must be granted within 10 business days. You can take SLohA to Claims Court and get a court order and $500 in damages if it fails to produce the record.

You must be specific: "I request to inspect the December 2013 bank account statement and all individual record receipts and charge card transaction slips which accounts for the total $7,899.81 transaction on Dec 22, 2013 payable to Suntrust. I do not drive and request that this records be transferred to the SLohA Admin office for the record inspection".

Remember, you need to inspect both the bank account and the receipts in order to validate the transaction, which is reported to Members in a derived report using the Management Company's software. You need not state any reason for the inspection. You must sign your name and stump number. Walk it to the office and hand-deliver it to Shn, who will initial it and time-stamp it. She will give you a copy of the receipted request.

After an inspection is requested to look at the records of a specific charge or transaction and bank account statement--something that would be reasonably provided at no charge per statute--the MANGE would email back a time and place for the inspection to take place. Since the Accounting Records are maintained in the Winter Hayvn Agent office, presumably the requesting member would be asked to travel to Winter Hayvn, but you could request that the specific records be sent to 499 Admin if travel to WH is a hardship i.e. unable to drive, no car, suspended license etc.

The member will then attend the inspection at the pre-arranged time and take either a digital camera or a scanner to photograph the documents. That would be the fastest and least expensive way to accomplish the inspection, since members are limited to time per statute. If you go over the time allotted, you can be charged $20/hour per statute. If you want copies, you incur copy costs and employee time to copy--a waste of time and money. A records inspection only involves employee presence for "securing" an original record and that requires minimal employee time and attention. Statute says that a certain amount of time is "free" to the member.

Also, digital copies are easily shared/posted and can be looked at later at your leisure. Best to take your second member with you to do the scanning and speed things along.

But the important thing is that someone must take the bull by the horns and make the request and not depend on other members to do this. It is regrettable that there are only two or three people in SLR that have ever requested to see an official record yet LOTS of people want accurate information! Since MANBOD didn't want owners to know how much the Annex was over-budget, the records inspection was the only way to find out how much the Annex cost i.e. between $432,000 and $442,000--and still counting.

Last Edit: Feb 12, 2014 12:50:57 GMT -5 by Admin

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". --Walsch

Admin
Administrator

"You don't achieve harmony by everyone singing the same note" - Doug Loyd

Posts: 2,585

November and December 2013 & January 2014 Check Registers Feb 12, 2014 13:54:14 GMT -5

Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2014 13:54:14 GMT -5

This is a continuing issue and an unnecessary one. BOD has been asked before--and refused--to give members a FULL accounting of expenditures of ALL SLohA funds and a FULL accounting of money coming into SLohA as income or bank transfers--as well as a full and continuing accounting of SLohA investments and loans. Members are given nothing except partial derived reports that are inscrutable. BOD attempts to make records inaccessible or expensive to see through its secret SOP's. This continuing absence of a demand for financial disclosure and accountability may come back to bite Members a**** someday in a most unpleasant way.

The accounting audit is not a protective service. SLohA spends $20K per year on an Audit and gets no assurances of anything except that followed general accounting guidelines. It provides no assurances to members against other activities that have nothing to do with adherence to "generally-accepted accounting principles".

IMHO, this should be on the MEMBER Agenda at the MEMBER meeting on Sat Feb 15th. Remember, this is NOT BOD's meeting; the president is only a chair and has no say in the agenda or direction or conversation that MEMBERS wish to have. MEMBERS should bring this up and formally request BOD to provide UNDERSTANDABLE and FULL information about the disposition of all MEMBERS' monies on a continuing basis without the need for Official Records Requests that are reluctantly provided along with snide email comments by IT!

Members do not have to publish an agenda; they only need to take the mic and speak to an issue. Other members can respond doing the same. This is the MEMBERS meeting--once a year the MEMBERS get to say anything they like for as long as they like without being told to Shut up, Sit down, S ue me, You're Beating a Dead Horse or, inexplicably, being asked "Are you an attorney"? (KL WHAT are you thinking?)

The only input from the BOD will be to maintain order if things get out of hand. That should not be necessary--MEMBERS would never conduct their meeting with the lack of focus and lack of control that BOD conducts its meetings!

Last Edit: Feb 12, 2014 13:55:37 GMT -5 by Admin

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". --Walsch