The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lago Vista Property Owners’ Association was held at the Activity Center, 2601 American Drive in the Bluebonnet Room on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 7:30 pm. Board members present were President David Freeman, Vice President Ginger Halsted, Treasurer Richard Gibson, Secretary Dave Shafford and Director Gary Gates. Also present was General Manager Terry Martin. The Directors present are authorized Directors constituting a quorum for transacting business.

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by President David Freeman. We had 4 members in attendance.

Member Comments

Mr. Freeman opened the Member Comments portion of meeting. Don Zschoche of Rimrock Drive, requested clarification of the City’s recommended zoning in Emerald Park. He wanted to know what if the approved P-1A zoning (rather than the P-1B as requested) would have an impact on what the POA is trying to do for their members. Mr. Freeman indicated that the biggest difference would be that P-1A zoning eliminates the possibility of putting in a marina. Mr. Martin answered in the affirmative, that the City has extremely limited what can be done within the P-1A zoning and has far more than we need in the P-1B zoning. However, there is existing zoning designation available in between the two. He added that the City Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) seemed to be most concerned with the POA putting a mobile home on the property in front of someone else’s home. As for resident input, there were only two neighborhood residents who attended the meeting with questions about the plans, and one who simply doesn’t want anything done in the area. After answering the two residents’ questions, Mr. Martin felt confident that their concerns were alleviated and they were not opposed to the plans. In spite of this, the P&Z apparently does not want to allow the POA to make decisions about their own future. They do not want to make a decision to allow us to put large pavilions there, and the marina is a key issue. We have over 100 people on our waiting list to get a boat slip, yet we are going to give up that property for possible marina use? I believe that is a setback. In the meantime, the City is working with us to form a Planned Development District (PDD). This would essentially create a tailored park. This would have to be customized for each park. Until we get through this process, we are not going to know whether the City is an ally or is simply going to create barriers for the POA. Only time will tell. The City Council seemed to be committed to helping us get what we want to get. Freeman: After the meeting, I was in contact with Richard Wolf, Chairman of the P&Z Commission. We discussed not just Emerald, but things in general and asked to set up a joint working committee. We will keep you posted on that effort.

Gibson: The marina is a revenue stream, not huge, but still a revenue stream. Being denied the ability to place a marina there or elsewhere will hurt the POA financially. Zschoche: We know for a fact that last summer’s flood disrupted marina use. Martin: We might be more likely to put a marina off Heather because that is deeper water quicker. You have to have 75’ of navigable water down to 641. After it gets to 641, it’s pretty much a free for all. But to 641, you have to demonstrate to LCRA that you have 75’ of navigable water. So, it may be necessary to put a marina off Heather, which is the park across from the Emerald ramp. Freeman: There are no hard feelings between the POA and the City; we don’t want anyone to feel that is the case. We are going to continue working the process and expect to get this committee set up. If we work with them, we’ll work our way through things.

With no further member comments, this portion of the meeting was closed.

ITEMS TO DISCUSS

Approve Minutes (Shafford)

Secretary Shafford presented the Minutes from May 2008 Regular Meeting for review.

Motion to approve was made by Mr. Gates and seconded by Ms. Halsted. All in favor; minutes approved as presented.

Treasurer’s Report (Gibson)

Treasurer Gibson presented the May 2008 financials and Treasurer’s Report (see attached). Mr. Gibson then reviewed the finances and summarized 2008 income to date. The audit is essentially done and is in legal review. The year-end cash projection is $716K, which is the highest ever accomplished. There is a marina loan balance of $583K and we just paid off the loan for K-Oaks. Mr. Gibson concluded that we continue to be in a sound financial position now and through the end of the year. He advised the BOD to consider obtaining an additional $100K CD rather than leaving the money in a cash account. This would gain some minor interest. This suggestion will be discussed further after reviewing with staff for input. Mr. Martin then gave an update on the status of our Capital Projects. He stated that most of the projects are coming in under budget with the exception of the Knox boxes. The two biggest expenses are renovation of Bar-K Rec Center and developing Emerald Park, both of which are still in the preliminary stages. One thing the members will begin to see are gates being installed at Cody Park, the Campground, and Emerald Park. Completion is expected by the end of the summer. Motion to approve the May 2008 Financials was made by Mr. Gates and seconded by Mr. Shafford. All in favor; financials were approved as presented.

General Managers Report (Martin)

Spring Newsletter: The Spring Newsletter was posted on the web and response has been positive. We mailed less than 200 hard copies to those who requested it, compared to our normal mailing of 7000 copies to each member household. Traffic on our website doubled during this time, with approximately 5000 hits in April and 11000 hits in May. Based on these results, we are still deciding whether to send the entire Fall Newsletter in hard copy (which includes the election ballot), or posting the newsletter on the web and mailing the ballots only.

Emerald Park Zoning: We do not have a resolution with the City although we are hopeful and working in that direction. It was clear in the Member Survey that members want park improvements. Following a suggestion by Mr. Martin, Mr. Gates made a motion to include LVPOA’s presentation to City Council in the minutes of our meeting. This will allow our members to review what was requested by the POA, even though the zoning wasn’t approved by the City. Mr. Shafford seconded. All in favor, motion approved. Mr. Gibson asked for an update on the City Council suggested PDD (Planed Development District), which is in process. City officials are responsible for writing the PDD (with our input) and indicated it could be ready in a week. Although that timeline seems optimistic, the process has been started. Bill Angelo stated the PDD would become the “cookie cutter” for all of our parks. Mr. Gibson also asked if additional bids had been received for excavation. Mr. Martin responded that they are having some difficulty obtaining bids.

Bar-K Progress: Based on some of the options being considered for Bar-K Rec Center, it’s possible the zoning would be insufficient. Once the PDD for Emerald has been approved, we can then begin to move forward with Bar-K Rec Center.

Memorial Day Park Count: We recently purchased an electronic traffic counter which was placed at Bar-K Park. The estimated gate usage over the Memorial Day weekend showed over 1600 cars accessing Bar-K (just one of our ten parks). Although we cannot monitor usage in all of our parks, it’s safe to say that number of vehicles represents at least 3500-4000 people. With that amount of park users, there was only one incident which involved two individuals from Austin who were arrested for possession of an illegal substance in Cody Park. Thanks to the Lago Vista Police who consistently help the rangers patrol our parks.

Publishing Names for Non-Payment of Past Dues: As we discussed in previous meetings, the concept of publishing names for non-payment has been suspended at this time pending resolution with our attorneys. However, we had already mailed letters to the majority of our members who owe over $500 in annual assessments. These letters have resulted in one payment in full ($1200) and 2-3 members who have optioned to utilize our payment plan. We are now engaged in conversation with several more members who have been delinquent. In summary, the warning was fruitful and more than paid for the cost of mailing. Based on a Collections Law class recently attended by staff members Ms. Mendez and Ms. Mauer, we will suspend the aforementioned plan and pursue newly discovered ways of collecting on past-due accounts. Mr. Gibson noted that uncollected accounts total $1,100,000. Mr. Martin then advised that number used to grow by about $300K per year and started at approximately $1,500,000 when the collections efforts were seriously addressed. The yearly deficit has been controlled and we are still working to decrease the overall amount, although it will never be zero. Mr. Freeman added that we have learned that you have to work these accounts as early as possible for the best return. The majority of the delinquent accounts trace back to 15 years or more. Mr. Martin then noted that, for the first time in POA history, we have set up a process and are collecting excess funds from properties sold at the Travis County Tax Sales. Mr. Shafford reiterated that the message in all of this is that it is no longer acceptable to ignore your POA dues. It appears that, for many years, there were no consequences of not paying. That is no longer true and that perception will eventually fade based on more focused efforts by staff.

Survey Results: The BOD has a Long Range Planning Report which included some very good survey results. Mr. Gates made a motion to publish the survey results and summary on the website and was seconded by Ms. Halsted. All approved, motion carried.

4^th of July: The POA is looking forward to having a float in the parade again this year.

ITEMS TO BE VOTED ON (Freeman)

1. Austin Junior Forum Teddy Bear Motorcycle Program (Scrabble Scramble): The BOD has received a request from the Austin Junior Forum, a non-profit group, to host a motorcycle rally fundraiser on Saturday, July 12^th. They would like to set up a card table in the parking lot outside the Bar-K Rec center and hand out scrabble game pieces to participating riders. They expect a total of 150-300 motorcycles to arrive between the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and be interspersed throughout the day. This is also an opportunity for local charities, such as the Lions Club, to provide snacks and refreshments to the riders. The Police Department is aware of the event and recommended that the Junior Forum contact the POA for their stopover request. Mr. Gates made a motion to approve the request and ask local charities if they wish to provide refreshments. Mr. Martin added that a letter could be sent to all the registered POA groups who use our facilities for community service. The motion was seconded by Ms. Halsted. All approved, motion carried.

2. Providing Resident Guest Passes from Memorial Day through Labor Day: A suggestion was made by a member to provide guest passes for a longer period than has previously been permitted. After reviewing with staff, it was determined that resident members could be provided with guest passes to use, at their discretion, during the busy summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day. This is being offered to resident members only since the member is responsible for the conduct of their guests and should be available to contact locally. A motion to approve was made by Mr. Gibson and seconded by Ms. Halsted. All approved, motion carried.

OTHER BUSINESS

No other business was presented.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The next meeting will be Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bluebonnet Room of the Activity Center.

ADJOURNMENT

The motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Gibson and seconded by Mr. Shafford. All in favor and the meeting was adjourned.

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Dave Shafford, Secretary
Lago Vista Property Owners’ Association, Inc.