NEWS FOR RESIDENTS:
Property Tax update
At our owners meeting in March, we discussed the crazy increase in property taxes for our common area property, based on the 2024 property valuations, which increased dramatically with no explanation. The trustees filed an appeal to address the matter in front of the Lake County Board of Revision, and were able to get the valuations and taxes reduced at the hearing:
2024 Tax bill $622 2025 Tax bill (initial) $1597 2025 Tax bill (revised) $662
Thanks to Tom Clark for heading up this effort, which saved the HOA $935 this year, and will save us $935 in both 2026 and 2027.
We now have many owners (nearly 75%) included in our electronic platform for email invoices and event notifications. We will not overuse that, since nobody likes email messages flooding their inbox, but it is a valuable tool for our members. It can also be used to notify a lot of people quickly, if there is an emergent situation, like a missing child or pet, or criminal activity underway in our neighborhood.
The annual HOA OWNERS MEETING was held at Riverside HS on 26 March 2025. 49 properties were represented. Minutes of the meeting, 2025 Proposed Rules, and 2025 Budget are all posted on the resources page.
All residents are asked to complete and send in the "Update My Information" page (link below), so that we have current data for everyone. You can mail it to us at P.O. BOX 1321, Painesville, OH 44077 or scan & email to: [email protected]
"Click To Pay" is now live. It is ONLY available to owners that have sent in an information form, with their email address AND permission to receive future invoices by email. Copies of the form were mailed out with this year's dues invoice to all owners that have not yet signed up. Please note that if you do not have a printer, you can just send an email to [email protected], and answer the questions from the form, such as whether your property is owner-occupied, your email address and phone, and your desire to receive invoices by email. That's just as good as sending the form in.
LIENS:
The first round of lien filings is now complete. Kaman & Cusimano, LLC filed liens against four properties in the first round. All of the other first round lien targets paid their balances in full, saving themselves hundreds of dollars in legal fees. PDF copies of the four liens that are now recorded in the Lake County Recorder's office are available to view on our Resources page. Each of these property owners now owes approximately $1000, plus interest that will accrue until the debt is paid. The properties cannot be sold or refinanced without paying off the debt, which protects the HOA's position, guaranteeing full payment in the future. The attorney has explained that the HOA could proceed to the next step, if desired, which is to pursue the matter in small claims court, to enforce collection. This step will add another $500 or more to the debt, and potentially lead to wage garnishment or foreclosure action. Hopefully, that step will not become necessary.
The goal of the HOA in this matter has always been to encourage all owners to pay their fair share of our operating costs, by paying their annual dues in a timely fashion. Our dues for 2025 were $70, which is less than $6 per month. Our attorney was stunned, when he learned how much our dues are, and he said that he is not aware of another HOA in the entire state with lower dues. Yet, some owners have refused to pay that reasonable amount, assuming that the HOA would do nothing about it. Now, they know better, with a $400 debt ballooning to $1000 plus interest, and a lien against their property. All owners who pay their dues want their neighbors to do the same, and they expect the HOA to let those folks know that the free ride is over.
We are now commencing the lien process against the second round target properties, which are shown below. Those owners will receive a letter from the attorney shortly, which will increase their debt by $125. That will be followed by a lien filing, increasing the debt by an additional $300 or more. So, if you are on the target list, with an unpaid balance of $230, your debt will soon become $355, and then $655 or more. After the second round is complete, we will proceed to a third round, and so on, until everyone understands that the HOA is serious about addressing this problem. If you doubt this, then click the link below for the Resources page, and look at the liens for yourself. This is real. PLEASE take care of your responsibility NOW. If you cannot pay the debt in full now, contact the HOA to set up an acceptable payment plan. Any owner that is working in good faith to clear their debt is NOT a candidate for lien filing.
ROUND TWO TARGETS:
370 Appletree ($230, soon to be $355, and then $655)
1255 Dartmouth ($155, soon to be $280, and then $580)
1220 Garwood ($230, soon to be $355, and then $655)
289 Mountainside ($430, soon to be $555, and then $855)
1096 Rutgers ($230, soon to be $355, and then $655)
1100 Westfield ($230, soon to be $355, and then $655)
Please remember that bringing in a professional management group, to take over the functions that your HOA trustees volunteer their time to handle, will raise everyone's dues to the $300-400 range each year, at a minimum. Ask your friends in other developments what they pay in dues. Please help where you can.
Thanks to everyone that has offered kind words of encouragement for our trustees. We appreciate you!