A special meeting of the Weatherstone Homeowners Association was held at the Blue Springs South Mid-Continent Public Library on Saturday, September 16, 2023. There were 24 homeowners in attendance including the HOA board. President Andrew Birkinsha called the meeting to order at 10:35 and briefly went over the agenda for the meeting.  He began by highlighting recent improvements to the neighborhood.  A team of volunteers repainted the posts at the entrances and throughout the neighborhood, washed the light covers, installed new LED lights, pressure washed the pillars, and weeded the four gardens.  Andrew commended Marco Seabra who has volunteered over 20 hours of his time to set up and develop our new HOA website (Weatherstone64015.com) on which residents can pay annual dues, check out events, see the budget for this year, and read 40 years of scanned HOA newsletters and other documents. Residents can contact the board by using the new HOA email address ([email protected]) or the Google Voice Number (816-427-1294) where homeowners can leave voice messages which go directly to all board members. Brian Johnson reported that our website cost just $30.91 this year, a big savings over past years.  Andrew stated our new lawn care company Diamond D is already cutting costs and saving money over the previous company. He also reported that Evergy conducted an onsite visit to insure energy efficiency at the entrances at 11th Court and 12th Street.

Renee VanZandt asked if we are still paying to have the empty parcel of land at 12th Street and Porter Drive mowed.  Andrew said we are not. Weatherstone Manor’s HOA has paid to have lawn care provided there in the past and they will continue to pay for lawn service there. Brian Johnson explained that according to Jackson County records, the land belongs to the City of Blue Springs.

Kathy Powers-Maxon briefly discussed the garage sale the HOA held in August after the storage unit occupied by the HOA was vacated in July in order to save $840 during the year.  Many of the items in the unit were sold to help reduce some of the debt the HOA had incurred before the present board took over in June.  The HOA made $347.50 from sales and donated the rest of the items to DAV, CSL, and ReStart. The HOA kept the entrance decorations (which are being stored by Mike and Casey Peters who have agreed to head up a decorating team when the time comes) as well as the documents from previous years (which Brian Johnson has been scanning and adding to the HOA website).

Jay Keal said he has been working with a new contractor to get the irrigation system along Duncan Road up and running.  He said all four zones are now working but there is still work to be done.  We need a new rain sensor and zones 3 and 4 need to be made to run independently of each other. These repairs will have to wait till next year due to our very tight budget this year.

Andrew reported the HOA has incurred over $45,000 in expenses from 2018 till 2023 for which the new board has no receipts or explanation.  He said we’ve asked the previous board members for information and explanation, but we have not yet received any information. Andrew stated that we as an HOA need that information for our records, since if the IRS were to conduct an audit, the lack of receipts would be problematic.  We’re still hoping to obtain information. Over $30,000 of the expenses were for Venmo payments. Renee VanZandt asked if we can change our bylaws to ban Venmo payments by the HOA board.  Andrew’s response was that we are planning to do a rewrite of our bylaws and we will check on that when we do the rewrite. The current board does not use Venmo. Brian said there should always be receipts and a paper trail for all income and expenditures.  Andrew said there are checks and balances in place for handling the HOA finances, but that it does not appear those rules were followed.  He also stated that the current board is dedicated to full transparency and that we intend to post bank statements to the HOA website so that members can easily see how their money is being spent.  He explained that if anyone would like to see bank statements, or the list of expenditures for which the HOA is seeking receipts or explanations, or has any other concerns, they should reach out to the board.  Valerie Fortel asked if the HOA’s books are audited yearly by a committee.  The HOA has found no records of any previous in-depth audits. Valerie suggested a committee composed of residents not serving on the board be appointed to review the books.

Brian Johnson reported on the HOA’s financial situation.  He stated that our fiscal year runs from January 1 to December 31, that it has been that way for years according to our accountant, and that we as an HOA file our taxes on that basis.  He said that the current board has spent $6,933.46 on debts incurred by the previous board. Due to these expenses, the HOA is on a very tight budget this year with plans to get us in the black by next year.  He also reported that over $1,468 in past dues has come in since June.

Kathy Powers-Maxon spoke about the need to replant some of the boxwood plants next spring and to update the entrances with a new design and some new plants and flowers.  She invited anyone interested in design, planting or weeding to join or just help out with the Aesthetics Garden Club. We welcome all the help we can get.

Andrew thanked the board for their hard work since June.

Jim Ginnings began the Q and A session by asking if the HOA has any enforcement power to compel neighbors to improve their property when they are in disrepair and neglected. He is concerned about the value of his home.  Andrew said the HOA board will check into what can be done about such properties. Jim also asked about the possibility of prohibiting homes from becoming rental properties. Andrew said the HOA will study that issue before next June.

Michele Dougherty asked about replacing our current mailboxes with locking mailboxes. That issue has come up before but was voted down.  Andrew stated the HOA will check into locking mailboxes to consider later this year.

A resident expressed concern about a camper parked in a front yard on 11th Court. Larry McMullen said it appears to be a temporary situation and hopefully the camper will be moved soon.

Renee VanZandt asked if the swimming pool and clubhouse proposal are dead.  Andrew replied that it is a dead issue and is no longer on the table. The Real Estate Transfer Fees and the Code of Conduct imposed by the previous board are also no longer in effect.

Cathy Tede reported a neighbor’s concern about the number of trash companies which drive through the neighborhood deteriorating the roads over time. A discussion followed about the possibility of looking for a company that might offer a better rate if a certain percentage of owners sign up with that company. Andrew said the board will check into obtaining better rates for trash service, but will not mandate a single trash service.

Larry McMullen asked which website is our official source of information about the HOA.  Andrew replied it’s the Weatherstone website, Weatherstone64015.com. Larry also asked whether the Facebook group could be restricted to Weatherstone residents only and whether contractor advertising posts could be removed. Andrew stated that the HOA will clean up the Facebook site so that unwanted people can’t post.

Renee VanZandt said she likes the library as a meeting place. Others agreed.

Brian Johnson brought up the idea of possibly changing our bylaws to have 3-year terms of office with staggered elections of positions so that all the board would not be completely changed all at once.  Andrew said the board would consider that before the next annual meeting.

Jim Ginnings asked about the proper place for contractor recommendations.  Andrew said that the Weatherstone Facebook Friends group would be a good place to post those rather than on our HOA website.

The meeting ended at 11:50.

Click the following links for supporting documents.

Slides to Presentation

PDF of Meeting Minutes

HOA BANK RECORDS:

HOA Request: Transaction Receipts