In two consecutive years, the Road Committee advanced proposals to increase annual assessments to provide additional funding for road maintenance and improvements and in both cases the proposals have been defeated. In the most recent attempt (2006-07), nearly half of the eligible votes were not even cast despite repeated attempts on the part of the Committee to elicit outstanding votes through the web site, newsletters, mailings and personal phone calls to owners.
Clearly, there is not even a majority of votes -- much less the 65 percent necessary -- in support of an assessment increase now or in the foreseeable future. Significant blocks of votes held by non-resident owners of large, undeveloped parcels may very well be a factor. Whether this will change as the community becomes more developed remains to be seen.
The initial five miles of paved road is now more than 10 years old. Subsequent maintenance and repairs held it together fairly well though about its first six or seven years. Then came the double whammy of the torrential rains of the winter of 2004-05 and the beginning of a sharp escalation in asphalt prices. Our roads began to deteriorate in more places and faster and the rising prices made it impossible for our assessment dollars to keep up.
Today, our $200 per benefit unit annual assessments provide revenues of approximately $54,000. After insurance, weed abatement, accounting, gate operations and other administrative costs, there is a little over $40,000 available for road maintenance. Not only is this negligible in light of the amount necessary to bring our roads back to a reasonable standard, it places the Committee in the position of negotiating small jobs at higher prices.
The reality is that our roads are likely to get worse before they get better.
