Postpone Meeting?

[Gwendolyn Hallsmith]

Hi all -

I just heard from the appraiser. He is not going to be able to answer my questions until he gets back from vacation next week. I think we need to delay the meeting until we have all that information.

I also think it makes sense to resolve the conflict we have with Oliver about electric infrastructure before we set the budget for 2022, since it will have an impact on the budget. 

I suppose if we postpone the main meeting, we could have our first conflict resolution session tonight and start to get that sorted out. I'll wait to hear from Oliver about that.

Best, Gwen

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__________________________________

Gwendolyn Hallsmith

gwe...@gmail.com

802-851-7697

[Tomas Vondra]

I can still meet tonight.

What is the impact on the budget?

 

Tomas

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[Michael Taub]

Have you looked at the proposed budget?  There are a few line items that are related to this.

What agenda items do you have?

Mike

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From: "Tomas Vondra" <tomas....@gmail.com>
To: "gwenhs" <gwe...@gmail.com>, "headwater" <head...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021 1:01:09 PM
Subject: RE: Postpone Meeting?

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[Gwendolyn Hallsmith]

Hi all - 

The reason I would like to postpone the meeting is that there are two agenda items: 1) the budget and condo fees for next year, and 2) the appraisal, and we do not have enough information to make decisions about either of them today. 

We will get more information from the appraiser next week, including the appraisal on the home site, the difference (if any) that having a septic system makes, rather than being on public sewer, and the difference being on the grid and off the grid makes, if any. 

Oliver and our household also have to resolve the conflict about the electric service to our home. This also involves electric service to the Earthship and the Hoop House, so the budget impact will be determined by the resolution of the conflict. I do not know now what the cost will be. That's why I think we need to postpone the meeting. 

Thanks, Gwen

[Tomas Vondra]

I did. It looks to me like it has not much to do with Headwaters, that’s why I’m asking.

I have some agenda items about book keeping.

 

Tomas

[Gwendolyn Hallsmith]

Hi again,

OK, well why don't you send along what the agenda items are and we can figure out if they are important enough at the moment to have a meeting about them, or if they can also wait until next week when we all have more information about the other items.

I think the Headwaters Homeowners Association will need a bookkeeper soon, so adding a budget item for one would be smart. They're not cheap. 

"Bookkeeping" in general is not enough information. What specifically do you want to do? Cynthia is the Treasurer, so does she know what they are? 

Thanks, Gwen

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[oliver welters]

Hi Gwen,

There is no conflict. I am just letting you know of my intentions to disconnect any lines from my house once you move out. I do not want any future complications with new homeowners and don't want to be a bill collector. And I need the electricity for my house and garage. This has nothing to do with anything other then the fact that I don't need nor want future complications. That is it. Best, Oliver 

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[Tomas Vondra]

The agenda item is book keeping. We will have to do it ourselves and I’d like to know who did our taxes so far (it was in the reports that we did pay someone) and I’d like to look into tax returns for last couple of years. I don’t think Cynthia can provide any of that info, since she was the Treasurer for only 3 months.

 

Tomas

[Matt & Christyn King]

Sure, postponing the meeting sounds like a good idea.   We need the actual appraisal values to start moving forward.      Did the appraiser at least have the appraisal ready for the empty lot?   I can’t imagine why/how that would take longer than figuring it out for a house.   

“Let what comes come, let what goes go... find out what remains.”

On Dec 28, 2021, at 12:01 PM, Gwendolyn Hallsmith <gwe...@gmail.com> wrote:



[Gwendolyn Hallsmith]

Thanks! Hall & Holden are our accountants. The tax returns will be made available to owners or owners-in-waiting, those who have a signed and legally binding offer on the table with a deposit held in escrow, along with signed confidentiality agreements, to purchase my shares in Headwaters. As I said in the last message when more information was requested, I have given you all the information I am going to provide in advance of a bona fide offer, except for the remaining information we're waiting to get from the appraiser.

So that should resolve those two items.

I think we need to start to discriminate between "regular" Headwaters business and the sale. Issues that concern the sale are separate, and the context for discussing any of that, beyond the appraisal, will be in the context of an offer. The budget, the condo fees, the conflict resolution process, all of that is the regular business of Headwaters and needs to go on regardless of what's happening on the sale. 

With that in mind, I think it's a good idea to start to have separate meetings for the two issues. We can schedule one meeting to discuss the appraisal when I get the rest of the information from the appraiser. I still do not have the home site value, but he said he'd get to it next week. The other meeting can be for Headwaters regular business - the budget for 2022, condo fees, and the conflict resolution process.

Obviously, when the sale is being discussed, it makes some sense for other people at Headwaters to have discussions when we're not there, although I think your meetings might be a lot more informed if I were there. But until we are no longer owners here, meetings to discuss Headwaters regular business need to be announced to everyone and us Boomers need the accommodation of Zoom access to the meeting, even if you young'uns want to meet in person. 

We will postpone tonight's meeting until the outstanding information is ready. Happy New Year!

LOVE TO YOU

[Tomas Vondra]

Hi Gwen,

 

I wasn’t asking as owner-in-waiting, I’m asking as a member of the Council and director of the corporation (this one is little ironic, because I had no idea until very recently).

 

Expenses were made and since we all as home owners and members of Council paid for them, I don’t see any reason not to disclose them.

I understand that some of those records require confidentiality (the tax returns) and I’ll honor that.

 

I can easily trace bills from me, but I’d like to know what we’ve gotten when we paid for:

professional services (over $7000 in last 3 years)

what’s included in taxes and fees ($3.624 in last 3 years)

Infrastructure, maintenance for 2019-2021 and road maintenance in 2020 adds up to $10.000

garden costs to $8.051 in 2020.

 

I’m confused about the numbers for the hoop house – what is the difference between the real cost and grant money we got for it?

 

I was paid (2019-2021) $1.392 – zero turn maintenance and purchase and install of exhaust fan in Earthship. ($842 for material and $550 for labor).

In your last report I still see the $564 for utilities which you said was a mistake (it’s internet and electricity bill for your house).

 

I was also paid for hookups for house site #3 $2.928 ( $2.073 in material and $855 in labor), that’s a separate item in the 2020 report for $5.207.

In 2020 there is item roads for $3.826

 

Those are questions I’d like to know answers too. I can see that other members of the Council might have different opinions. I’d like to have all this as an agenda item in the next meeting so everyone has a chance to voice them.

[Gwendolyn Hallsmith]

Hi Tomas - 

Thanks for the message. So if I understand you correctly, you want to know what money has been spent by people at Headwaters? And you think the tax returns will help you know more about that? 

The money that has been spent out of the condo fees has been reported in an annual financial report every year. These financial reports, which I have sent to all of you (and then additionally posted to the Google drive last week to make it easy for you to find), tell you how the condo fees have been spent. The tax returns, like the bank account information you asked for, will not help you understand that at all. 

The Hoop House grant, excluding the water system, was for $4,854.72. We received the money on July 2 this year. The costs that were allocated toward the Hoop House in 2020 were $5,170, but it also might be that some of the other garden costs - which included the extensive excavation we did in 2020 were part of it as well. The $5,170 represents the bill from Ledgewood of $4,570.00 plus the $600 I paid Jim Abbott for excavation. I also paid Oliver $1,125 for garden construction. Here are the relevant lines from that report:

Garden Costs		$7,206.22
Hoop House		$5,170.00
Chickens		$845.00
Infrastructure		$3,826.00

You will notice that these costs were not paid by the Homeowners exclusively - we had an enormous deficit in 2020 that I paid with further investment in the Headwaters Corporation. 

The money that has been spent with my investment in the Headwaters Corporation was laid out as best I could in the Headwaters History document I presented to all of you last summer. That money was 100% my money, not people at Headwaters. So it's also 100% my business until such time as there are other owners. Your titles do not, in fact, give you any right to those documents. As I explained at least once before, the only reason anyone but me, and now Cynthia, are in the corporate documents was a succession issue, not a position with any actual power. If I were to get hit by a truck tomorrow, it might help. Now Cynthia is the Treasurer, so that gives her check signing authority for the Headwaters Homeowners account. When I'm not here anymore, bills will need to be submitted to her. I'm happy to remove you from the documents if you like, but that costs money. 

Continuing to interrogate the past like this will not change anything, so I don't completely understand why you are doing it. The sale is primarily a real estate transaction. Headwaters owns the land and home site, I own Headwaters. The minimum amount I am currently willing to accept for those assets is the remainder on the mortgage, which is $83,456.07, per the amortization schedule I provided to you from my accountant. 

So how do people at Headwaters own the real estate? If you divide the mortgage six ways, that comes out to $13,909.34 each, with a significant portion of that being repaid when the home site sells. We'll know how much that portion would be when we get the appraisal on the home site next week. How each of you comes up with that money can vary - people could borrow it against the equity in their homes, they could get a relative to lend it to them, you all could band together and get a bank to loan you the money. One person at Headwaters could buy it, with the community's approval, and get paid back the same way I was getting paid back, through the condo fees. 

If you all decide not to do that, then I can sell it or give it to someone else. It's not complicated. Until that happens, I still own it, I'm still the administrator here and life goes on.

I have been getting inquiries on my house and the additional home site. I do not think it will be difficult. I heard that Marcus is interested in buying my house, along with several people who have visited already, should all of you choose not to do it. If you'd like me to get any of them started in the membership process so they would be the ones to buy it under the community option, let me know, otherwise I could sell it to them after you decide not to exercise your option.

Cheers, Gwen