He also provided answers to my questions regarding the "fine points" of the resolution in its present form. With his permission I have included the Q&A's here. It aligns with the descriptions I heard from other BoS members later in the week, and it concurs with the summary that our District Manager, Jim Perry, provided to me.
In short, these persons' summaries differed markedly from the description provided be earlier. Given these differences, I've withdrawn the petition and notified the signers. I suggest that each of us:
- read the information supplied on this blog,
- look for the draft meeting minutes from September to be published on the CDD website one week before the meeting. Those minutes may be amended at the next meeting, but at least you'll get a sense of the discussion that took place in September. I myself did not attend the discussion and I await this information, just as you do.
- Finally, come to the meeting and listen to the discussion. Weigh in with your comments before the meeting or during the meeting. See the sidebar for more information.
Ultimately, it's up to us to keep informed and to decide the issue for ourselves.
Here is the email conversation between Edd Mooney and myself (posted with his permission). My questions are numbered and the text is italicized. His comments appear in red text:
It is my understanding that:
1) Resolution 2014-13 will increase the number of annual FAMILY memberships by as much as 340. Which means for a family of 4 we can have almost 1400 more people utilizing the facilities.
1) Resolution 2014-13 will increase the number of annual FAMILY memberships by as much as 340. Which means for a family of 4 we can have almost 1400 more people utilizing the facilities.
District
staff recommended in the original resolution 340 “memberships” for
commercial landowners. The Board reduced the number by 50% at the
meeting so the total
number is now 170. Attached is a copy of the new resolution. This
number may increase or decrease at the public hearing. As of now, my
understanding, it is construed as 170 single memberships, not family
memberships.
2) These family memberships are controlled by the
business that pay CDD fees and can be changed from year to year at the
businesses sole discretion?
They
can be changed year to year but only to existing employees. We
currently have 21 individual memberships related to the commercial
properties.
3) Does this infringe in any way on the
management's treatment of persons in possession of this type of
membership of who violate any policies, in the same way that resident
members can be treated?
As members they are subject to the same rules as any other member.
4) Are these memberships assignable only by the business paying the CDD fees, not by the members themselves?
The current proposal would only allow assignment of memberships to the property owner or his/her employees, and NOT anyone else.
5) What happens to those memberships if a business no longer occupies CDD space or fails to remit required assessments?
The
assessments are paid thru the County Tax Collector, just like the other
property owners. We do not cancel memberships if they do not pay.
Commercial memberships
are only distributed annually and must be reinstated each year.
6) In case of a situation like #5, how will management track the affected memberships and take the appropriate action?
Currently
we track the commercial members the same way as we track the residents,
they are entered into the member tracker system.
7) Does management have a plan to implement these
memberships so they are properly issued and voided? Will there be a due
date/renewal date for membership lists?
They
will be entered into the system the same as residents with photographs
and personal details. Renewal dates will also be noted in the comments
box.
8) How do you plan to keep track of these memberships and ensure that only legitimately authorized persons get family passes?
They
will have to bring a letter from their employer nominating them for a
membership. They will then be entered into the system as described
above.
9) Do you see any management problems with this new system?
This is not a new system, we have been dealing with commercial properties since 2005/06. They are treated the same as residents.
10) Can you estimate the additional labor/materials costs for this change to our current system?
Minimal, not a change to the system just additional members.
11) When will the new system be implemented? We
have just completed a budget cycle. Is there any additional allocation
for implementation or maintenance, or do you think these costs will be
trivial?
Costs will be minimal, system in place.
12) How much are we currently spending to manage memberships for the current population?
It is currently a function of the front desk staff to manage our member tracker system. I do not have a definitive breakdown.
13) Do you know of any other CDDs that have implemented this type of membership?
The only other one locally is Crossings at Fleming Island. It is also currently under review by their Board.
It is worth noting that commercial properties pay approximately 16% of the recreational O&M.
