11/9/2020

Morningside HOA Board Meeting
11/9/2020
Meeting Minutes

Ben Whipple Called the meeting to order at 6:35.

In attendance:  Ben Whipple, Matt Huff, Jimmy Newland, Jeff Miller, Andrew Johnson, Phillip Blume, Benny Nixon joined in progress.

Approval of Minutes:  Ben noted that the 10/21/20 submitted minutes listed 6:51 as the adjournment time instead of the actual 7:51 p.m.  With that correction, Andrew motioned for approval, Matt seconded, and they were approved unanimously.

Reports & Discussion on Action Items

1. Sidewalks – Matt reported that Oconee County is responsible for sidewalk repair, not Morningside HOA.  Andrew noted that the government may not come out to do repairs unless there were several that were needed.
2. Front Entrance Maintenance: 
   1. Matt reported that he received the contract from College Pro.  It was not itemized, but it listed what was included:  26 visits a year, mow grass, edge, blow off, prune bushes as needed (at least 2-3 times a year), weed control in common area.  This is an annual contract – last signed by Scout in August.

1. The board decided to finish out the contract with College Pro and then get competitive quotes closer to August.

1. 1. Over and above, College Pro has been doing a separate quote of 850 bales of pine straw at $6.50 per bale spread.  It is unclear if that has been happening once or twice a year.

1. There was also interest in getting competitive quotes for pine straw – regardless of the maintenance contract.

1. Houseman Competitive Quote – tabled until closer to August.
2. Insurance – Benny reported that he had received three insurance quotes from Nationwide, Chubb, and State Farm.  Since one was substantially higher than the other two, he is going back through and reviewing to ensure all are quoted on the same basis.  This policy will also include directors’ insurance.
3. Legal Representation – Benny said that Mike McLeary, with Fortson Bentley, has agreed to help us.  Mike helps the Meridian HOA.  Benny has asked Mike about doing the Dues Holiday – waiting on a response.
4. Accounting Software – Matt still needs to review this.
5. Website – Jeff reported that he had been optimizing the site to make it quicker and got an email issue fixed.  He said he will be adding pictures from Phillip and then will start working on new stuff.  Ben said we need to encourage residents to log in and update their profile, set email, etc.  Jimmy suggested the board needed to become familiar with it so we could help others.
6. ACC Items:
   1. Andrew reported that he replaced an existing member on the ACC who could no longer serve on the committee.
   2. Ben mentioned the need to engage a company for detention pond upkeep.  Andrew suggested it would need it 4 times a year.  Andrew will ask College Pro to quote, as well as soliciting other quotes.
   3. Andrew updated the board on progress on filling in privacy gaps with trees and shrubbery along Hodges Mill RD.  While he doesn’t have an exact $ figure, his contact thought it would require 55 cypress trees and about 20 shrubs.  This remains an ongoing project.
   4. At the request of a resident, Ben talked to Bubba about whether the silk fence at the front detention pond was still needed.  Bubba is checking at will get back to Ben.
7. Community Welcome Letter – The welcome letter has been distributed.  Ben thanked Jeff and Andrew for printing the letter and Jeff’s kids for distributing it.

Ongoing Discussion and New Business

The question of the HOA Initiation fee was raised by a real estate agent of a resident selling their house.  The agent thought it was/should be non-applicable for resells – particularly since Morningside has no amenities.  After research of the bylaws and consultation with Corie Dimitroff (Scout Construction), there is no distinction between new sales and resells.  The board agreed, at least for now, to continue the current process of collecting the $500 HOA initiation fee from new homeowners.

Matt suggested distributing budget information to the community when dues statements are sent out.

The issue was raised about staggered board terms.  While the current board was technically elected for one year – the consensus was that two-year terms made the most sense, with a September 1 renewal.  That would allow for staggered terms so that there was continuity and carryover each year.  This topic will be added as a future action item.

Planning/Discussion for Community Meeting

Discussion ensued as to the logistics for the meeting and the assignment of responsibilities.  The board also laid out what we wanted to communicate to the community in terms of progress and activity.  The board agreed we needed to stress the importance of the website and collecting emails for ease and effectiveness for future communication.

The board agreed that we need to solicit input from the community on how to draw down the budget surplus and on interest for a neighborhood directory.  We also want to solicit volunteers, especially for a social committee.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jimmy Newland