Sudden Valley board approves capital allocations, equipment purchases and an election services contract

Sudden Valley’s Board of Directors approved multiple capital allocations, equipment purchases and a contract for election services during its Feb. 13 meeting, the association’s general manager and finance director said.

The board voted unanimously to approve a package of consent items including reserve-study work, an audit engagement and several capital requests that the finance committee had recommended. Directors then approved separate motions to reallocate funds for on-call engineering services, to reassign capital funds to complete purchase of a turf topdresser for the golf course and to authorize an outside vendor to administer the 2025 association election under a hybrid (paper-plus-electronic) model.

Board members said the approved capital requests were drawn from the association’s reserve plans and project list. Joel, the association’s finance director, summarized the 2024 financial statement before the vote, noting a year-end consolidated operating net income of about $305,870 and a collection rate of 97.9% for 2024. Joel also reported CERF and roads funds had paid November storm-related expenses and summarized outstanding project obligations.

On on-call engineering services the board approved allocating $43,264 from roads reserves; the motion also closed and reallocated an identified capital code balance (the finance packet shows a $3,347 residual added to the $43,264 allocation). The board designated the maintenance and facilities manager to administer the funds.

The golf-course maintenance team requested purchase of a new turf topdresser (vendor quote and model listed in the board packet). The board approved reallocating $18,144 from a 2025 cart-path/repair line to complete a purchase and approved a total allocation of $50,592 from the Surf (golf) capital fund to buy the topdresser; the motion passed unanimously.

Separately the board approved spending on a reserve-study update, the annual audit and the association’s tax-preparation engagement; the packet shows the three engagements together were estimated at about $51,005.

After reviewing options for running the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) election, the board approved “option 1” with the vendor presented in the packet (the vendor is referenced in the packet and in discussion as Unilect/Unilect Corporation). Under the approved approach every lot will receive a mailed AGM ballot packet as in prior years; the packet will include instructions and an electronic voting option for members who choose it. Staff and the vendor said electronic votes would be encrypted and integrated into the vendor’s tallying system; the vendor will report results and reconciliation in its post-election report.

Board members and staff said the hybrid approach is intended to preserve paper ballots for members who prefer them while starting a measured transition toward electronic participation; directors discussed the need for a careful communication plan and for an opt-in process if the association later reduces the mailed-ballot volume.

The motions recorded in the meeting packet and on the consent calendar were approved by vote of the board; where the minutes recorded “unanimous” the board indicated full support.

Votes at a glance

- Consent package (reserve study approval, audit engagement, tax-prep engagement, and capital requests A,B,C,D,F,H,I as listed in the packet): approved (unanimous). Packet referenced amounts and the finance committee recommendation.

- Capital allocation: On-call engineering services 2025 — allocation of $43,264 from roads reserves; capital code balance of $3,347 added and capital code 9924.2 closed to $0: approved (unanimous).

- Turf topdresser purchase — reallocate $18,144 from cart-path repair/phase-2 line and allocate $50,592 from Surf capital fund to purchase turf topdresser asset number 1045: approved (unanimous).

- Reserve-study/site visit (level 2) and related accounting engagements (audit and tax): approved (unanimous); packet estimated combined cost ≈ $51,005.

- Election services: approve vendor option 1 (hybrid paper + electronic voting managed by the vendor as described in the proposal): approved (unanimous).

What the board said and next steps

Finance director Joel told the board the association ended 2024 with positive operating results and that the capital requests were consistent with the reserve schedules. Michael (general manager) and staff said permit applications and design work are underway on several capital projects, including a bridge permit with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and bridge-replacement design activity listed in the packet.

Staff will execute contracts and move funds as authorized; in some cases the packet and motions directed staff to return to the board with project budget updates as bid and permit details arrive.

Ending

Board members said they expect to continue tracking project spending against reserves through the 2025 budgeting cycle and to post the vendor election terms and the final fee schedule in the meeting materials when they are available.