Open Elections and Greater Transparency on the Way

We solicited your help last November to focus on a number of issues which were important to Residents but controlled by the Developer. These issues were outlined in subsequent Newsletters and solutions were offered. Below are the goals initially identified and the progress to date. We are confident that through active Resident discussions, such issues in the Governance process can be improved and SCTX can be an even better place to live.

·Goal -- Change the nominating/election process now in place to an open election for Resident Board member’s similar to other Home Owner Associations and Municipalities. [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]

·Progress to date- At the SCTX Community Association Board Workshop January 12, 2006, selecting Resident Board member candidates by the Nominating Committee was changed to an open election process supervised by the Elections Committee. Any Resident that has lived in SCTX for one year or more and is in good standing can run for the Resident Board position. If a candidate does not receive fifty percent of the vote, a run off will be scheduled to establish a majority vote. We compliment the Board for opening up the election process. We remain hopeful that additional Resident Board members will be added to the current Developer controlled Board in the near future.

·Goal--Foster Transparent discussions and actions in our Governance process. [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]

·Progress to date- At the Community Association Board Workshop January 12, 2006 the Board approved an Open and Transparent governance process that will be announced at the January 26th CA Board Meeting, and future Neighborhood Newsletters as well as the Sun Rays. We compliment the Board in its action to provide an opportunity for Residents to review decisions concerning fund management, expenses and general procedures before they are approved. We are hopeful that full and complete Transparency will become a “guiding principle” in the SCTX governance process.

·Goal – Lease one or both Restaurants to Entrepreneur[s] that have successful track record in operating profitable, well run food and beverage establishments. [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]


·Progress to date- - A Request For Proposal has been sent to several Food & Beverage Management Companies, including the company that has the fine buffet at Southwestern University. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of Residents and CA staff members. These RFP’s appear to be for management contracts rather than leasing. However, a management contract could be satisfactory if costs savings, including fees, eliminate HOA fees from being used to support restaurant operations. Our position is that the restaurants need to be self supporting.

·Goal -- Contract with a known and established Golf Management Firm to manage and operate our courses. Many of the well known municipal and country golf club courses in central Texas are already doing this and have been pleased with the results [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]

·Progress to date - A committee has been assigned to develop a Request For Proposal that will be sent to several Golf Course Management Companies. We are hopeful the goal is to select a capable firm which can match revenue to operational cost to avoid increased assessments and eliminate HOA fees being needed to support golf operations. Our position is that golf operations need to be self supporting.

Issues That Remain Open and Need to be Addressed


·Goal-- Contract a Community Association Management Firm with experience and reputation to manage our day to day business. [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]

·Progress to date--Open issue that needs to be addressed later--Clearly, Management of the CA, along with its fiduciary responsibility, should be aligned with resident interests to avoid conflict of interest issues.

·Goal--Change the trigger point from 95% to 75% for Resident control. This would give Residents time to review the expense side of the budget and make necessary adjustments. [November Vol. 1 11-05-05 Newsletter]

·Progress to date— Not much; Developer has stated that they have only done this in California –where it is required under state law. This is a fundamental issue of Governance. Residents now provide in excess of 90% of the day to day operating funds. It stands to reason that residents should have full participation in the decision process. We have suggested a temporary solution to increase the number of resident Board members to three.

Perhaps we need a Sun City Tea Party on Berry Creek Lake.

This issue has arisen only because of the delayed transition caused by the expanded DW2500. Lacking any progress on the resident control issues, expansion of 2500 homes needs to be carefully evaluated and considered. Will amenities for the new area be completed and open in phase with new home building? If amenities are not delivered in-line with demand, will new residents over-burden the current facilities? The issues involving amenities in DW2500 are essentially –what and when! Since the Property and Grounds Committee has been delegated the task of examining this issue, perhaps we could solicit the Committee to provide a robust progress report at the January Board meeting.

The City Council on Jan 10th started the approval process for rezoning a portion of the "Northern Lands". Such approval is contingent upon completion of a revised Development Agreement being negotiated with Del Webb for the additional 2,500 homes [DW2500] Hopefully, we will have greater clarity about Amenities, Traffic access, and Building plans as the date approaches for City Council consideration of the expanded project and modified agreement.


So that is the update promised in the last Newsletter Vol. VI January 09, 2006. All newsletters can be viewed on scinform.blogspot.com

When we think about where we were in November and where we are today, our thought is how your emails, phone calls, and letters to the Developer and CA management are what made it happen. Thank you.

You have emailed us that our work is not done and have suggested the above goals and issues (Issues That Remain Open and Need to be Addressed ) you wanted us to work on. You have also asked what you can do, from donating money to protesting. We will continue to ask the Developer to come to an agreement on your suggestions, which are beneficial to both Residents and the Developer, a win/win situation.

The next Community Association Board meeting is scheduled Thursday January 26th at 9:00am in the Activity Center. The Board will discuss many of the above issues and vote on the changes in our nominating process. We would appreciate your attending this meeting to show your support. The developer needs to know you care.
To inform all residents, we need you to continually expand our email data base, please forward this email to your friends and neighbors so they can sign on. jackstro@verizon.net. Not one day goes by when we don’t add a new contact.

Sun City Residents Make Sun City Great