Category Archives: Membership Meetings

New Board Elected During Annual Meeting

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A new board was elected for the 2016/2017 term at the Annual Membership Meeting held on October 5 at the new City Hall building.  By unanimous consent, members returned Shana Nalls to her post as President, Brad Peters as Vice President, Rhonda Smith as Treasurer, and Casey Berley as Secretary.  All three members of the ARC, David Hoye, Ken Daulong, and David Fuller, where Ken Daulong received the most votes, which, by rule, makes him the Chair.

While the agenda had no other ballot items, members received updates about street repairs in the neighborhood, the HOA’s ongoing fight with the state & county assessor’s office regarding the disproportionately high property values.

Councilman Robert Steinhagen, who lives in Quail Creek, shared updates about the City Council’s adoption of city’s tax rate, which did not change from last year, and about the adoption of the city’s property tax cap option for seniors, where the property tax will be capped at the current rate that a property owner over 65 applies with the county assessor’s office (both the school district and the county taxes are capped too).

Homeowners Approve $825 Special Assessment for Street Repairs

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Homeowners voted overwhelmingly (93%) in favor of a Special Assessment to finish the major repairs to the streets at the front entrance and make preventative maintenance to the streets throughout the neighborhood.  The $825 Special Assessment is in addition to the Regular Annual Assessment, which the Board voted Tuesday to keep at the current rate of $319 (the Board may, without a vote of the homeowners, raise the annual regular assessment 10%).

Quail Creek Neighborhood’s annual assessment is among the lowest in Rockwall County, which makes it necessary to propose special assements from time to time, especially when it comes to street repair and maintenance.

Another development with a very low regular annual assessment is Kentwood (south of QC along 1139), which has just 17 homes, but is facing more than $116,000 to repair their street, which is in serious state of disrepair!  Our ability to split repair costs among 69 owners is a true advantage over other developments.

The $825 Special Assessment, voted and approved by homeowners during the October 6 Annual Meeting, will be billed in January.  Homeowners are encouraged to pay the full amount, rather than pay in three annual installments, which was proposed for homeowners who may be on a fixed income or where it may cause undue financial strain.  The Board will make repairs as funds come available, which is why it is so important for as many homeowners as possible to pay the full amount in January.

“No Soliciting” Sign WILL NOT Prohibit School Fundraising from Neighborhood Children

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At Tuesday’s Annual Meeting, homeowners overwhelmingly approved authorizing the Board to post a “No Soliciting” sign at the front entrance to Quail Creek.  This will not inhibit school kids and the fire department from going door to door to raise funds for their worthy causes, however, but is intended to dissuade door-to-door solicitors from outside companies and organizations.

Homeowners should understand that a sign is legally unenforceable as there are no laws regulating door to door solicitation, which means that even with a posted sign it is not a criminal offense for people to solicit door to door.  This means that the Sheriff will not come out to our neighborhood and arrest, fine, or even throw out a door-to-door solicitor because of our neighborhood sign.

A neighborhood “No Solicitation” sign, then, gives homeowners leverage to inform a solicitor of the neighborhood sign as reinforcement of the desire of our community to be free from this kind of solicitation.  It actually works better than a law because sales people will be less likely to continue after a number of homeowners make this point to them.

Annual Meeting Summary

Posted on by Posted in Board Related, Governance, Membership Meetings, Neighborhood Park, News & Notable, Street Damage/Repair, Voting & Elections

This year’s Annual Meeting was one of the highest attended since the completion of Phase II, where 70% of the Membership was represented, either in person or by proxy.  A new Board was voted in and many motions were considered.

  • The Board Officers for the 2015/2016 term are
    • Shana Nalls, President
    • Casey Berley, Vice President
    • Rhonda Smith, Treasurer
    • Brad Peters, Secretary
    • Architectural Review Committee
      • David Hoye, Chairman
      • David Fuller
      • Ken Daulong
  • The treasurer’s report is posted below under Budget 2015/2016.
  • President’s Report
    • Bob Steinhagen, outgoing president, spoke about the many accomplishments of the Board, which include:
        1. Improved communications with homeowners including a new website, the newsletters, and email correspondence for important matters.
        2. Amending the governing documents of the HOA, which include the CC&Rs & Bylaws to bring the Association into compliance with new state standards, through a Ballot initiative that the Board created & developed, as well as many new policies, most of which were state mandated.
        3. Improvements to the neighborhood streets, which include the opportunity for homeowners to consider a Special Assessment for preventative maintenance and major repairs to the front entrance of the development.
        4. The decision to place a mailbox at the front entrance of the neighborhood for HOA related matters, which included a detailed explanation of the option between a decorative metal mailbox, which, while it would not conform to neighborhood standards, would be more cost effective verses a brick mailbox, where homeowners voted, via a poll posted on the HOA website, for the brick mailbox.
    • Mr. Steinhagen also thanked the current board, Vice President, Brad Peters, Treasurer, Shana Nalls, Secretary, Glenna Brown, and the ARC, Ken Daulong, David Fuller, & David Hoye, for their tireless support to help reinvigorate homeowners confidence in the Board through their tireless and dedicated efforts.
  • A Motion to post a “No Soliciting” sign at the front entrance to the neighborhood passed, with the understanding that neighborhood school children may still go door to door to raise funds for their schools.
  •  Motion to remove the two stop signs on Pheasant Hill failed by just four votes.
  • A Motion to sell the lot that currently is the park in the community and use the proceeds to repair the road near the entrance of Quail Creek failed overwhelmingly, with just six votes in favor of the motion.
  • A Motion to rename Mockingbird Hill Lane to Clint Packer Way was withdrawn.
  • A Motion for the Association to, on January 1, 2016, levy a Special Assessment of $825.00 for neighborhood street repairs and preventative maintenance, which shall either be due in full on the 31st of the same month or may be paid in up to three annual installments of not less than $275.00, where each installment comes due on the 31st of January of the installment year passed overwhelmingly (93%), with just three votes against the motion.