Park Mediterrania - utilites association dues increases letter

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Hi, you are at my web page with information on the following subject:

Unbelievable: Alex Taylor's Board of Directors 5/28/04 letter claiming some of the reasons for the association dues increases are due to the increase in all of the utility costs.

The Park Mediterrania Newsletter dated May 10, 2002 prepared by Alex Taylor details many things that were done back then to decrease cost including: "Your Board has removed three defective streams. This saves on water, electricity and stream maintenance." The most recently removed stream might have not been included as one of those 3 defective streams and of the four remaining three more are defective with no running water. Even with an increase in the unit cost of water and electricity shouldn't that have been offset by removal of still another stream and three other streams with no flowing water?

For years now I have been taking my car to the same self-service car wash on Washington Ave. near Stater Bros. You would think if the cost of water had increased so much as their letter dated 5/28/04 claims, at a car wash, car washes use lots of water, their price would have also gone up, but it hasn't.

As to the cost of the natural gas, the minutes for Alex Taylor's Board of Directors Meeting on 10/9/03 state: "Pool Heater - The Board directed Euclid to have Cal-Swim turn off the pool heater." So why does the letter dated 5/28/04 claim there has been an increase in the cost of gas when the major use of it, the pool heater, has been shut off? And at the last regularly scheduled meeting in May a homeowner suggested we purchase a cover for the spa to retain the heat then our gas bill would go down, but Alex Taylor, who claims he only votes when there is a tie, did not ask the voting members of Alex Taylor's Board of Directors for their opinion, he said no to the idea.

Their letter dated 5/28/04 states in part: "Edison has had a major increase in the cost of electricity as well." Edison? Wrong, Board of Directors packets includes Check Reconciliation Lists showing City of Colton, not Edison, being paid for electricity. My City of Colton electric bill for 8/08/01 to 9/10/01 shows the first 250 kwh @ .09128 and the 548 kwh over that @ .13394. The total of other charges was $2.47. The latest one was for 4/19/04 to 5/18/04 and shows the first 250 kwh @ .09128, no change, and the 577 kwh over that @ .14525, a slight increase. The total of other charges minus 2% early payment discount was $5.66, an increase due to the recent addition of the Colton Utility User Tax of 4% on residences.

So after examining the above facts I find it really hard to believe that an increase in the unit cost of utilities is a major factor in the 20% increase, $53 a month, in the association dues. Remember - utilities are just a portion of the many expenses shown on the budget so to justify such a big jump in the association dues their letter dated 5/28/04 should have detailed major increases in other expenses too, but it did not. The $266 per month per unit times 142 units was $37,772 and now it is increased to $319 per month per unit times 142 units for a new grand total of $45,298, an increase of $7,526 per month. That Board of Directors letter dated 5/28/04 stating "Some of the reasons for the increase are due to the increase in all of the utility costs … " on close examination does not give any justification for an increase in association dues.

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