FW: Monthly fees
From: Deborah Behrens (debbehAUTO-TROL.com)
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 08:52:13 -0700 (MST)
> Jim Powell's email address seems inop, so I'm sending this to the
> whole list, 
> 
>  Highline Crossing Budget - these may not be accurate, I was working
> off the drafts I could find quickly, which might not have been the
> finals
 This is not 'actual' expenses, only the budgeted amounts.
 For easiest reading put the following into a 7 column table

> Item  Yr 1995 Yr 1996 Yr 1997 Yr 1998 Yr 1999 Alc     ND      Comments
> 
> Common House enhance  4800    4800    3000    2000    2000    h
> D     Tables, tablecloths, etc        
> Common House supplies 0       600     480     650     650     h
> N     Cleaning supplies, paper goods, etc     
> Common House cleaning 0       0       0       2080    2600    h
> N     Weekly cleaning (we used to take turns cleaning CH, it's a long
> story how it ended up getting contracted out) 
> C/h repair/maintenance        900     600     600     500     450
> h     N       Appliances, paint, windows, misc annual wear & tear     
> Other Common enhance  0       0       2000    750     0       h
> D     West plaza, etc 
> Building maint        0       0       500     1000    2000    hf
> N     Non-C/H repairs/maint (stairwells, parking lot, minor paint,
> etc)  
> C/H & area utilities  3000    2700    3225    3000    3200    hp
> N     Gas, electric, sewer, telephone (incl parking lighting) 
> Total common Facilities       8700    8700    9805    9980    10900
> 
> Sprinkler     0       720     600     600     300     h       N
> Spring prep, repair/maint, fall shutdown      
> Tree/shrub maint/repl 0       0       600     750     750     h
> N     Replace dead trees & shrubs     
> Mowing/trimming       2400    5150    5500    6000    8000    h
> N     Common areas incl front yards, not incl back yards      
> Weeding       0       0       0       0       2000    h       N
> Common area weeding   
> Landscape equip maint 0       720     800     600     600     h
> N     Repair/repl hand tools, lawn mowers, trimmer    
> Landscape improvements        0       0       5000    1500    0
> h     D       New landscaping (trees, shrubs, etc)    
> Lawn Maint    0       450     1000    600     600     h       N
> Fertilizer, sod replacement   
> Total landscape       2400    7040    13500   10050   12250
> 
> Snow removal  1200    1920    2350    2500    2000    h       N
> Clearing ped way, parking lot (not incl perimeter or residence
> sidewalks     
> Equipment purchase    0       0       0       350     350     h
> N     Pressure washer, snow removal, lawn edger, etc  
> Equipment storage     0       0       0       600     0       h
> D     Garage rental for ladders, L/S equip, etc       
> Community garden      0       0       0       0       0       h
> D     Funded by garden users  
> Intergenerational     0       0       0       0       0       p
> D     Toys and events for kids of all ages    
> Membership    600     1260    300     400     700     h       N
> Marketing, Rmca, community annual event, open houses  
> Office supplies       0       600     720     500     600     h
> N     Copying, flip charts, stamps, etc community meetings    
> Workmans comp ins     900     600     1200    600     600     h
> N     Insurance to cover contract labor (in '97 includes fidelity
> bond, directors & officers (d&o) liability ins)       
> Reserve for contingencies     1200    1200    1000    0       0
> h     N               
> CPA tax return prep fee       0       0       1200    250     600
> h     N       Financial audit and/or tax prep assistance      
> Community fun events  0       600     300     0       0       p
> D     Holiday events  
> Southpark owners fee  0       0       1400    1500    1600    h
> N     Southpark assn annual assessment        
> Residential bldg & landscape water    900     3710    2400    4000
> 4500  p       N       Community homeowners water bill (1998 actual
> 5000) 
> Trash removal 1800    1620    2400    2400    2400    p       N
> Dumpsters and recycling       
> Insurance/residential bldgs   6000    6720    8400    9600    9000
> hs    N       Building structures and property, directors liability
> coverage      
> Income taxes  0       0       0       300     300             N
> Federal & state taxes 
> Long term reserves    0       0       9000    17400   17992   hpsfg
> N     For major maintenance/replacement fund  
> Grand total   23700   27250   53975   60430   63792
> 
> 
> 
> Notes:
> *     4th column: how expenses are divided: Household / Person / Sq
> ftg / Front ftg / Garage
> *     5th column: D=discretionary; N=non-discretionary
> *     The 99 core budget includes $2000 for discretionary items which
> will fund our first priority, CH tables.
> *     Each $1000 in annual expenditure equals approx. $2/month per
> homeowner, range of 99 fees $99-$149
> *     The final 99 budget represents a $7 average monthly increase per
> household over the 1998 budget.
> *     Hownowners assn insurance does not include 1) insurance on
> interior/contents of home; 2) homeowners sewer charges (billed
> individually)
> *     1995-1996 did not include long term reserves, it was 1997 before
> we got a long term reserves study performed - very important to get it
> done soon. 
> *     The first couple years we were not fully built, some expenses
> were still being covered by Wonderland
> 
> Division of fees are calculated per community consensus on 11/94 based
> on the following factors:
> *     (h) Equally divided per household
> *     (p) Equivalent adults in household (1=adult over 18; ½=kids
> 4-18; 0=kids 0-3)
> *     (s) Finished square footage
> *     (f) Frontal linear footage
> *     (g) Garage ownership
> 
> Individual HOA fee calculations have a table with the following
> columns:
> *     Bldg
> *     Addr
> *     Type home
> *     Owner
> *     annual HOA fee
> *     Front Footage
> *     Interior finished square footage (excl basement)
> *     Interior square footage in basement
> *     Finished square footage in basement
> *     Total finished square footage
> *     # Adults (over 18)
> *     # kids (4-18)
> *     Equavalent Adults
> *     Garages
> 
> Discretionary items get prioritized in polls by the community, The top
> priorities will be funded depending on how much discretionary funds
> are allocated by the community.  Types of discretionary items we
> polled the community on included: 
> *     Paving a pathway
> *     Dining tables and other CH improvements
> *     Design consulting for a CH exterior area
> *     Periodic community events
> *     CH basement enhancements
> *     Plantings in particular areas
> *     Dining room acoustics study
> *     Replace dining room table coverings
> *     Benches, node seating in particular areas
> *     Screen compost area
> *     Rock walls & retaining walls in particular areas
> *     Path and steps in particular areas
> *     Fencing/planting/screening garden area from pedestrian way
> *     Herb garden terracing in garden
> *     Gazebo / shelter node
> 
> Other income includes 
> *     Loans, donations from community members
> *     common meal charges
> *     softdrinks, leftovers
> *     laundry room
> *     grocery coupon sales
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: Deborah Behrens 
> Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 10:04 AM
> To:   'prodane [at] newparty.org'
> Subject:      RE: Monthly fees
> 
> I think our fees this year have ranged from $110 to $150, depending on
> the home (size, # residents, etc).  They're going up about $25 next
> year, as a result of our fall budget discussions and projects we wish
> to complete.  But we have 40 homes and close to 100 adults and
> children.  
> 
> Our residents complain that our fees are higher than a development
> near by, but that development has over 100 homes, and they don't have
> landscaping still to finish and common house interior finishes to deal
> with (they're not cohousing).  
> 
> The smaller your group, the higher your homeowners fees will be -
> economies of scale work against you when your scale is smaller.  And
> it depends on how much of the work still needs to be done, and how
> much your residents are willing to do to avoid paying for others to do
> it.  In a smaller community, if a few don't participate, there is a
> bigger impact than in a larger community.
> 
> I'll try to dig out the multi year budget comparison I did a while
> back and send it to you.
> 
> Debbie behrens, Highline crossing, Littleton, CO
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Progressive Dane [SMTP:prodane [at] newparty.org]
> Sent: Sunday, November 07, 1999 1:30 PM
> To:   Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:      Monthly fees
> 
> I've searched the archives extensively, but would still need help
> answering the following question:
> 
> What should our monthly fee be?
> 
> We've operated without a budget for two years (yikes!) as we turn this
> three duplex retrofit cohousing into a condo association (soon, very 
> soon). We've all paid what amounts to a monthly rent and paid
> mortgages
> out of that. The remainder has been used (perhaps not wisely?) for 
> exterior painting, needed insulation, shared utilities and many
> smaller
> ticket items. In practice, we've worked out the maintenance and 
> improvements distinctions and believe we've come up with most of the
> budget line items we'll need.
> 
> Our "monthly fee" has worked out to be around $150 per month. Based on
> my search of the archives, this is extremely high. But the posts I've
> found don't usually mention actual dollar amounts. Is anyone willing
> to
> share their actual monthly fees and unit numbers so I can see if we're
> adding our numbers correctly.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> JIM POWELL
> Fair Oaks Cohousing
> Madison, Wisconsin
> Ten adults, four kids, two cats, one dog, two hawks, a murder of
> crows,
> a possum, a beaver, several woodchucks, and a seldom seen skunk living
> in 6 two-bedroom flats in three duplexes with a large garden and
> common
> area (but no common house yet) next to a creek and city park.

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