By Sam Schwartzberg, Board President and Social Chair
Welcome to Fall
It was a brutally hot summer and Fall is very welcome. Temperatures have finally fallen below the 100-degree mark during the day. Even with this past summer being the hottest on record, Members of the Board and Landscape Committee worked closely with our landscaping company, SDL, and managed to save money on landscape water usage.
New Budget and Assessment Change
The Board has approved the 2024 budget. There will be an increase in our assessments of 5% for 2024. This is slightly over $5 per quarter or slightly less than $25 for the year. Here is what necessitates this increase:
The Reserve Study that was just finished spells out the projects to be completed and the financial requirements to perform these projects over the next several years. Our reserve fund is currently at 55% of being fully funded. As our community continues to age, there are many projects such as irrigation, tree replacements, maintenance of the washes, etc. that are required to maintain the beauty and functionality of the community.
Another factor for this increase is the way inflation has impacted many of the everyday costs associated with maintaining our community.
The new budget will be placed on the Trestle Management portal for your review soon.
Events
By the time you read this newsletter we will have had our third community gathering over the past year with Fall Festival 2023. These events are designed to bring the community together with an opportunity to meet your neighbors while enjoying contests, activities such as face painting, arts & crafts, and bouncy equipment for our children, with food available to enjoy a picnic type atmosphere.
Volunteers Welcome
I request again that if you have ideas and suggestions for the Tatum Highlands community, please get involved by volunteering for the social events, joining an HOA committee, or running for a Board seat. Below are committees available.
- Architectural (ARC) Committee (by election)
- Communications Committee
- Social Committee
- Landscape Committee
We will let you know when other committees are formed to continually improve our community.
Stay well everyone and have a wonderful Holiday Season!!
Sam
