The Board wants to answer some of the questions and emails we have received to clarify information before the meeting. The full Reserve Study can be found at haydenlakeshoa.org/reserve-study. Additional financial statements will be posted on haydenlakeshoa.org/2026BudgetQ&A.
What is a Reserve Study?
The Reserve Study is a forecast of maintenance the Association is responsible for. The present prices are compiled by a professional third party using local rates and industry standards. When any work needs to be completed, it will be the responsibility of the current Board or management company to get competitive quotes. Actual rates now or in the future may vary up or down, but this is a current benchmark.
Is there a complete financial breakdown showing how the additional funds will be allocated?
All additional funds are being used for the reserves. A breakdown of what the reserves cover can be found in the Reserve Report.
Documentation of rising costs or obligations that specifically justify this increase – this is well above inflation or any other “reasonable” increase.
Insurance for the Association is increasing at 10-25%, just as it is for individuals. We ask for a requote every year. Vendor agreements are in the 1.5-4% range, per historical averages. During the time of neighborhood development, and afterwards when homeowners took over the Board, an appropriate amount for reserves has never been saved. This is not about immediate rising costs.
What types of repairs will the reserves cover? What exactly will the money be used for? Where are we expecting to spend the increase when we do not know where the current reserve is being spent or anticipated to be spent?
The full scope of the reserve coverage broken down by line item is found in the Reserve Report. It is long-term spending over the next 30 years to ensure the community stays attractive and functional. As a summary, it covers the pool & pavilion, entrance signs and monuments, playgrounds, fountains and long-term lake maintenance, sidewalks, mailboxes, parking/paving at the pavilion, and some fencing.
The operating reduction should allow $24k to go to reserve.
It does. Had the operating costs not been budgeted to be reduced by $24,000, it would simply be $24k less going into reserves. Any additional savings that are not spent on operating budget will go to the reserves.
Are we shopping for the best prices or are we just staying stagnant because these are the vendors we are used to and comfortable with using? How often do we go out to bid for landscaping and or all vendors providing services to our community. How many bids are being received? Transparency in seeing all bid proposals. Cut every other week or less in the winter?
Over the last 4 years, we have rebid a vendor when we are looking for better service or the price increased such that we believe we are no longing getting a reasonable deal. At least 3 quotes are received and we involve the Vendor Qualifications Committee to help review the bids. We don’t necessarily choose the lowest bid. We want a vendor who can deliver the best product for a competitive rate. We don’t post the bids publicly on the website since we want the price to stay somewhat confidential from other companies bidding now or in the future. However, we are open to sharing these with individual residents who are interested. We last switched the pool and landscaping companies about 3 years ago and the lake maintenance this year. We currently mow 42 times per year, which is every other week Nov-Feb.
The doubled budget for irrigation repair seems extreme. Have we gotten other opinions/quotes?
We are actively looking into the option of separating irrigation repairs from the landscaping company. Part of a larger and very responsive company is additional overhead they have to cover. Going with a smaller company or individual could remove that. Part of the due diligence is ensuring that a smaller firm is able to handle our needs. We have 6 large controllers with a total of 312 zones, plus 5 battery-powered controllers with 16 zones for smaller spaces. Each zone is comprised of multiple rotors, sprays, or bubblers. The developer installed a 2-wire system for less expensive and easier installation. It is more expensive upkeep as each zones has an additional decoder that can fail and is not cheap to replace. Currently several irrigators are familiar with our systems and can work on it. We want to ensure a smaller company or individual is capable of doing a monthly inspection, and come back to make approved repairs within a reasonable time. It is a significant task.
Do we have a like community to compare to (i.e. number of homes and like landscaping/water features) to see if we are doing our best in getting the best quotes from our vendors/suppliers?
No. We are not opposed to this or working with any other Associations. We have asked the community manager if she knows of any similar communities. If anyone else would like to suggest a local Association of similar age, amenities, and size for us to compare to, please contact the Board.
Why do we need to increase a reserve fund, that as a whole we have not seen any improvements to warrant spending from the current reserve fund? No improvements or major expenses to our knowledge have been made, made minus the pool. Why does the Board feel we need to increase 10% for a reserve fund that show no sign of being spent and with a decrease in operating cost?
Correct, the only significant expenses from the reserve fund have been the pool and replacing the electronic lock on the pool gate. Building for the community started in 2014 and took place until 2019. All items were new during this time and are now starting to come into end of expected life or needing refurbishment. The anticipated lifespan of all items is detailed line by line in the Reserve Study. There is a forecast for each year of how much capital may need to be spent.
Can we simply raise it half this year and half next? Was there consideration to raise dues over multiple years vs all at one time?
With this raise, the reserves are still significantly underfunded by more than $30,000 yearly and that gap will only increase. 2025 is not forecasted to contribute the recommended amount either.
It goes up every year and we don’t even have a clubhouse. Don’t have anything but a pool and a few trashcans around the lakes.
Our most expensive amenities to maintain by far are also the greatest selling points and the things residents in 2024 said they enjoy most about living here – the green space, walking trails, and lakes. We have 45 acres of open green space and lakes, with more than 3 miles of sidewalks. The 5 lakes serve as rain runoff detention ponds and flood control. These spaces account for the majority of the annual operating budget. While we don’t have an indoor clubhouse, we do still have a pavilion building with a roof, brick/siding, restrooms, and more. All items with cost and timeframe for refurbishment/replacement are listed in the Reserve Study.
When I bought the home, I was promised by the sales agent that the rate would be capped.
The sales agents were trying to do just that, sell homes. Once they are finished with the project, the developer is no longer responsible for maintaining the community or subsidizing any budgeting shortfalls. The Board must make decisions to ensure the long-term financial health of the community and assets.
If these increases are only to keep money in reserve, it makes no sense to increase the dues. It’s not like you’ll gain a good reserve and dial back the $100 next year.
The money in the reserves is not just to keep. The Reserve Study forecasts collections and spending for 30 years with a cash flow analysis on page 22.
Looking at the budget summary, it appears we are 245k short on collecting annual assessments. Is this correct? 784k budgeted vs 489k posted.
All paid assessments are in the operating bank account. We accrue 1/12th of the assessments every month. Since this report is through August, this is simply (734,800/12)*8. As of August 31, our 2025 Assessment Receivables (unpaid dues) is $31,268. Approximately 4.26% of total assessments.
Aren’t there a ton of people that are overdue? Why not collect from them to create the reserves?
There are approximately 33 homeowners overdue in whole or in part for 2020-2025 assessments. The total outstanding assessments is $57,049. 2020=$235; 2021=$2,753; 2022=$1,870; 2023=$4,000; 2024=$16,923; 2025=$31,268. Most of these funds were allocated for operating expenses during the appropriate year and the shortfall along with overage collection expenses must come from the operating or reserve account. If all outstanding assessments and fees were paid immediately, it would go into the reserves.
If you can’t collect from those who don’t pay, what is stopping any of us from discontinuing to pay? What if we all refuse to pay the increase? There are no consequences for folks trashing the neighborhood and/or not paying dues and fines?
The attorneys are actively trying to collect from any homeowner behind on assessments. Approximately 3 months after dues are late, if a homeowner does not have a payment plan, we turn the account over to the attorney. Attorney fees can be more than $400 the very first month we turn a delinquent account over for collection. These fees are not set by the Board, but by the law firm. The Association must pay the attorney and that is the Legal Collections line on the budget. These additional fees are 100% the responsibility of the homeowner and are added to the total amount due to the Association. During the upcoming meeting, the Board will consider authorization for the attorney to proceed with 7 lawsuits. In extreme cases after years of not paying, an HOA can foreclose on a house to collect assessments and fees. It is easier on both parties and less expensive for a homeowner to agree on a payment plan before the attorney gets involved.
The cost of the HOA letters that go out including stamps and printing is a waste. Send an email.
The Board agrees. An email alone is currently not an option. This will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.
Does the Enclave have to pay this amount as well?
Yes, all residents are responsible for assessments. Enclave residents have the same access to all neighborhood amenities. Several of those including the playground, green space with a retention lake and sidewalks, and an entrance sign just for this section are right in the Enclave.
Half the time the fountain lights don’t work. Entry lights don’t work all of the time.
If there are any maintenance items, please advise the Board. The lake management company checks these every other week during their site visit. At other times, the Board may be able to resolve the issue sooner or at least ensure it is brought to the lake management’s attention to be looked at. The entry lights at the main entrance off Boudreaux have been reported to and are the responsibility of Centerpoint. If there are any other light or maintenance issues, please email the Board.
Are they still sending out letters for yards that aren’t maintained? If the price keeps going up, does it mean less and less yards and houses are going to stop looking like complete crap
Yes, we have been and will continue to do so. At the upcoming Board meeting executuve session, we were already planning to discuss sending two residents to the attorney for yard maintenance resolution after fining them for months has not resulted in improvement. The Board has heard clearly that individual yard maintenance is a priority for residents.
The HOA isn’t taking responsibility for our backyard fence which needs replacing. It backs up to Association property so it should be their responsibility.
Section VI.J of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for Hayden Lakes addresses this. “Owners shall be responsible for the maintenance, repair and/or replacement of all fences in existence at time of transfer from Builder to Owner.” We have asked the attorney about this. They advise us that it actually depends whose lot/land the fence is on. To figure that out, we must get a surveyor involved to determine where the current fences are placed in relation to the legally surveyed lot lines. This has turned out to be a more in depth and potentially expensive undertaking. We have contacted several surveyors for information and quotes on what would be involved. Most of them want a CAD file or will need to create one from the paper surveys. We are working with the original surveyor and the MUD to check if either has the appropriate file that could save us significant time and funds. Then we will get a surveyor out to determine legal fence ownership. For that reason, we are not taking full responsibility of the fences. Doing so is a huge financial obligation for all residents.
Page 16 of the reserve study details both aluminum and wooden fences. Both are forecast to replace 25% of the fences every 7 years, with only a 50% Association responsibility (assumes they are built directly on the lot line and cost will be shared with the homeowner). This Reserve study says that all of the fences will last 28 years. The build quality clearly does not reflect that for the wooden fences. Referencing the wooden fences at the time of the report, present cost for 50% responsibility of 25% of the fences was $101,820.16. Replacing all wooden fences at 100% Association responsibility would therefore be $814,561 [4*($101,820.16*2)]. Similarly for the aluminum fencing, a periodic cost of $19,734.88, would be a simultaneous Association only cost of $157,879. Combined this is a potential burden of $972,440 back in 2024 with an average 2.57% inflation yearly. If the Association is found to be 100% responsible, we will need to adjust the reserve savings by half of that ($486,220) for the other 50% responsibility. Splitting this out over 28 years would be an additional $17,365 per year.
We understand this is a lot of math. There are approximately 14,850’ of wooden fencing and 3,700’ of aluminum fencing that will need to be decided. The important thing to note is that this is a big decision and will affect future budgeting. If the fences are legally determined to be on Association property, the Board will accept full responsibility for maintenance as required. Please understand the potential financial obligation increases.
The fence is on Association property. We won’t replace ours. It can rot and fall down and we will put up what we want.
This is addressed in the same section as above, Vi.J. “Replacement fences shall be of a similar material and design as originally constructed.” The Architectural Guidelines further spell this out from the original Builder Guidelines. This section also gives guidance on self-help by the Board and financial obligations. Responsibility is to be determined soon, and both homeowners and the Association, should be prepared for responsibility.
For consistency, the HOA fences should be replaced by the HOA. You end up with fences of all different ages. Brick fences on the main areas look best.
The decision to switch to brick or other material fence would have to be the decision of the entire Association. After determining whose property they are built on, the Association can decide if a change of this caliper is feasible. Without having priced this out, we can not say how the cost would affect the budget. It is safe to say a significant amount of money would be needed to replace all wooden fences along Boudreaux and/or Hayden Lakes Dr simultaneously.
How much is currently in reserve? Where can we find financial statements?
The reserves currently have $237,585.05. Financial statements should be posted to the Sterling portal. We understand this is not always the case. While we have never received a complaint, we will work with management to continuously have relevant reports available.
Is there an account history for the reserve (inputs and outputs) that is publicly posted?
The Budget Comparison Budget to Actual report best identifies these transactions. The third column under Year Actual is the place to look for actual numbers. We will post these on haydenlakeshoa.org for the previous 3 years.
I am requesting that this issue be addressed publicly at the next HOA meeting, with detailed documentation provided to all homeowners in advance. Until the Board provides a full and transparent explanation, I do not consider this increase to be acceptable.
The Board posted the Reserve Study in January, which details how the exact amounts were compiled by a third party that specializes in this. Financial statements are also being posted on haydenlakeshoa.org.
Have the book been audited by an independent third party? A professional could identify waste and abuse.
The books are audited as part of the current management agreement. The Board can look into hiring a third party at an additional fee, if this is warranted. All financial documents are available to all members of the Association. If anyone would like to review something specific, please email us. We aim to be 100% transparent.
An independent accountant should audit the books and address waste and abuse. An independent accountant should create the budget.
Part of the management’s tasks are to help guide and oversee the budget. They are a dedicated HOA firm with experience. How much would you like to see spent from the budget for an independent, third-party account? If anyone would like to send us 3-5 recommendations of names to get quotes from, we will consider them.
I can’t attend the meetings.
The 7pm meeting time was set after a survey of the neighborhood a few years ago. If there is a better recommendation on when to hold the meetings besides weekday evenings, please email a proposal to the Board for consideration. We would like to hold the meetings when the majority of residents can attend. What would make it easier for residents to attend?
My issue with the year over year increases is that we are basing off a reserve study that makes it seem like we need tons of money to cover repairs if everything broke at once. For example, not all the sidewalks need to be replaced at the same time or not all the trees or not all the lake fountains. We will have years to save for these things.
The reserve study does not assume everything will break at once. It has remaining life listed from 1 to 30 years. Fencing is 25% every 7 years. Sidewalks are 10% every 10 years. Fountains are 50% every 5 years. These numbers are all from an independent firm who compiled the report. We have years to save for some of the items, but there are others that will need maintenance soon. We have already lost 5-10 years of saving opportunity where past residents would have contributed with the current and future residents to share in the expenses. Not saving will leave all future repairs to the current residents at that time. At some point we must start saving far more than the 9-18% of recommended that we have for the past several years.
I would much prefer they didn’t raise dues each year for the what if’s and instead did a special assessment if needed down the road.
As part of our financial plan, the current Board operates with the long-term Association needs in mind. The Cash Flow Analysis on page 22 of the reserve study gives an idea of the potential annual maintenance expenses in column 4. Without any savings, that could be special assessments of $147, $373, $559, $749 and $885 over the following 5 years. Significantly saving for reserves each year should even these numbers out and not call for a special assessment. We understand these items are not guaranteed to need refurbishment in the years indicated and could slide forward or back by a few years but eventually they will need maintenance.
How many years are we going to see an increase. If it’s going to be every single year, let us all know what the goal is so we can mentally prepare for $2,000 a year in dues because that’s the way it’s going with a Board that doesn’t try and save money or cut costs because they don’t want complaints from the neighborhood. Please tell us the long-term plan because this is NOT sustainable.
The long-term plan is to have a budget that supports the long-term needs of the Association. Understanding that we are still not saving the recommended amounts for the reserves set by an independent firm, we need to get to those levels. That may require one more significant increase. If we are $37,000 short in 2027, that’s another $56 yearly per household needed. Plus, normal 2.5-3% inflationary increase across the budget, could be $31. Together this would be about a 7% for 2027 if the 2026 budget works. We have tightened or eliminated many categories based on work the current Board members can do. The Board does as much maintenance ourselves as we can so it can be completed for the cost of parts only. This also depends on the future Boards. If they need to hire contractors for more small work and repairs, decide to go back to a monthly video surveillance company, or add/change services, the needs will be different. To prepare the neighborhood, one more year of 7-10% increase, dedicated mainly to reserves, followed by yearly 2-3% inflationary increases would be needed. If the future Boards don’t want to save or want to spend the money differently, that is up to the elected Board members at that time.
I guess you either have cheaper dues and complaints or high dues and less complaints?
We have received very few complaints directly to us. In the last several years, we have aimed to be more resident friendly. We have added SAYOR making the pool accessible before 10am all summer plus 8 months a year instead of 3. We set up emails to allow residents to contact us directly. In the last several months, this has allowed the Board to respond and fix broken playground hardware, spray wasp nests that have stung residents, and call out the landscapers to repairs broken irrigation items. All of these have been done within hours. Each of these would have otherwise had to wait until the following day or days, or even Monday over the weekends for management to return to the office and go through emails. We have published Architectural Guidelines to give residents an idea of what is acceptable instead of denying based on “community standards” or “precedent.” We have increased the Board from 3 to 5 members for greater input. While dues and complaints should not be directly related, it takes time and money to get anything accomplished. The Board has volunteered the hundreds or thousands of combined hours needed. However, we can not do everything and some items must be contracted out.
Are there any accountants on the board or auditing financials? I will volunteer to do that part if it meant we would see change, but I’m not wasting my time finding savings if the board doesn’t change anything anyway like what happened last time.
The financials are open. We can show how every dollar is spent. The Board makes decision based on the general good of the entire neighborhood, not the desires and needs of an individual. Residents all want different things and use different amenities. Any resident can run for the Board in the upcoming election this December/January and be a part of the elected team to set the path for the Association. We have solicited volunteers to be on committees but interest has been low the last two years. The landscaping committee no longer has any members besides the Board. There have been and still are many opportunities for any individuals who have a desire to get involved.
Financial Statements