Simon Kenton Farm
Board Of Directors
Meeting Minutes
The Board met on August 29, 2024, at 5:00 PM, 878 Brendle Trace, Deerfield Village.
I. Directors in Attendance: Kent Sherry (Dowden Park); Robert Rutan (Deerfield Village North; Tom Prendergast (Deerfield Village)
II. Others in Attendance: Richard Rabe (Treasurer)
III. Call to Order: President Robert Rutan called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM.
IV. Approve minutes of last Board meeting, July 18, 2024: With there being no changes or additions. Robert Rutan made a motion to accept the minutes as published. Seconded by Tom Prendergast. All in favor.
V. Financial Report (Richard Rabe): The treasurer reported a balance of $16K in the association's checking account and $3,000 in the reserve account. Trustees were given a spreadsheet showing how inflation had impacted the budget and the need for increased revenue to fund reserves and sustain current levels of maintenance. Kent Sherry pointed out how the changing climate had made power washing sections of the fence an annual event versus a five-year cycle per the current Repair and Replacement Schedule for Long Term Assets. He also noted the continued need to mow much later into the year. A trend that began about five years ago.
The treasurer said that he had obtained cost to overlay or totally replace the asphalt walk and dredge the Nature Preserve Pond at the entrance to Deerfield North (based on today's numbers) as part of his review of our current Repair and Replacement Schedule (RRS). The cost far exceeded the cost projected in the two-year-old RRS. One or more items that might have been done every five or ten years we are now having to do on a yearly basis.
Based on the importance of having sufficient reserves available, as well as following Ohio Law, the treasurer presented the Board with a proposed budget for 2025 that reflected a 3.2% increase to the annual assessment. The Directors unanimously agreed, with a vote to be taken at the next Board to be scheduled for some time during the month of September. The added amount would increase the annual assessment by $8 to a total of $241.00 for 2025. Total budget for 2025 is $44,103.00.
For the record, Kent Sherry provided the following information: To contain cost and provide guidance to member association's working on their annual budget, the Board passed a motion on October 11, 2023, to use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the basis for annual increases to cover the cost for maintenance and reserves. The motion did not prevent the Board from assessing a lesser or greater amount should the need occur.
Tom Predergast made a motion to accept the treasurer's report. Seconded by Robert Rutan with all in favor.
