Quick Recap

The HOA Board held its regular monthly open board meeting by Google Meet on July 25, 2026. This meeting had the largest community turnout so far under the monthly open meeting schedule, with owners joining alongside the Board.

The Board reviewed the 2026 budget through midyear, collections status, unbudgeted property taxes, the reserve study, and the landscaping vendor transition. Owners raised questions about the budget, the deficit, county services, delinquent accounts, and temporary parking signs. The Board approved moving $40,000 into a certificate of deposit and approved a one-month trial of a shared communication tool. The Board also confirmed plans for the annual Neighborhood Block Party on September 13 and continued outreach on electronic communication consent.

Public Posting Note

These minutes are a sanitized public summary of an open board meeting. Personal contact information, private family matters, individual owner names, property-specific enforcement and architectural review details, private board communication details, and confidential or sensitive discussion are omitted. No executive-session details were included in the source notes.

Meeting Details

  • Date and time: July 25, 2026 at 9:00 AM Pacific.
  • Location: Google Meet.
  • Notice: The meeting schedule and remote access details were mailed to homeowners by the Management Company and also shared through the community’s private social media group.
  • Attendance: Four of the Association’s five directors participated, along with community members, for roughly ten to eleven participants at various points. This was the largest attendance recorded for a monthly open board meeting to date.
  • Quorum: A quorum of the Board was present.
  • Session interruption: The meeting connection ended unintentionally partway through the agenda. Participants rejoined and the Board completed the remaining business in the resumed session.
  • Executive session: None recorded in the source notes.

Vote and Action Record

  • Certificate of deposit transfer, approved: A motion to transfer $40,000 from the operating checking account into a certificate of deposit was presented and discussed, and owner comments were received before the vote. All four directors participating in the meeting voted in favor, and the motion carried as an action of the Board. The Board approved transferring $40,000 into a certificate of deposit so that reserve and surplus cash earns interest rather than sitting in a non-interest-bearing checking account. The term length, either three months, six months, or one year, was left to be determined, with the intent to renew the certificate at each maturity.
  • Vote administration: Votes were collected by a show of hands from meeting participants. The count was interrupted when the meeting connection dropped partway through, and the motion was restated and confirmed after participants rejoined and the fourth director returned to the session.
  • Alternate $30,000 amount: A smaller $30,000 transfer had been raised as an alternative. Because the $40,000 motion carried, no separate vote on the alternate amount was taken.
  • Communication tool trial: The Board approved a one-month trial of a shared communication platform to reduce email volume and better organize communication among the Board, the Management Company, and the community. The motion carried on a show of hands by the directors present in the resumed session. The trial starts with a no-cost plan. Alternatives raised by attendees, including Microsoft Teams and a forum-style group, will also be evaluated.
  • Parking signage review: No vote was taken. The Board agreed to review the placement of temporary “no parking” signs against the governing documents and to research alternatives.

Next Steps

  • The HOA Board: Work with the Management Company to complete the approved $40,000 certificate of deposit transfer.
  • The HOA Board: Prepare charts and supporting materials showing account yields and future reserve allocation amounts, so owners can see how invested funds are expected to perform. These will be presented at an upcoming meeting.
  • The HOA Board: Research the cost and feasibility of painting curbs red as an alternative to yard signs, including at the top of the hill, and follow up on prior striping quotes.
  • The HOA Board: Review the placement of temporary parking signs against the governing documents and community sign restrictions.
  • The HOA Board: Set up and manage the approved one-month communication tool trial and evaluate the alternatives raised by attendees.
  • The HOA Board: Verify which parcels are HOA-owned using a county parcel map, and confirm with the Management Company why common-area property taxes were not included in the 2026 budget.
  • The HOA Board: Continue sending collection letters for significantly delinquent accounts.
  • The HOA Board: Continue working to recover costs for damage attributed to the former landscaping vendor.
  • The HOA Board: Follow up privately on the open architectural review matter involving structure placement and view impact.
  • Board members and volunteers: Distribute flyers door to door to promote the September 13 Neighborhood Block Party and increase awareness of open meetings.
  • The board secretary: Post the block party details and this meeting’s minutes on the HOA website.
  • The HOA Board: Bring electronic communication consent forms to the block party so owners can sign up for email or text notices in person.

Summary

2026 Budget Status at Midyear

The Board reviewed the 2026 budget line by line. Budgeted income for the year is approximately $144,000, and approximately $135,000 had been received, leaving the community roughly $9,000 short of budgeted income so far this year. Operating expenses are budgeted at approximately $113,000, with roughly $58,000 spent at midyear, which is close to the expected pace.

The Board reported that cash collected increased approximately 25% this year following the dues adjustment, while expenses increased approximately 34%, so expenses have outpaced income. The largest single driver was groundskeeping, which increased approximately 40%.

Budget Variances

The Board identified several lines running over budget:

  • Neighborhood communication: Mailing costs increased approximately 200%, from a budgeted $875 to approximately $1,800, because of the volume of mailed notices.
  • Insurance: Approximately $2,700, which is about $244 above budget.
  • Common area repairs: Approximately $2,433 against a $1,000 budget, driven in part by water leak repairs.
  • Property taxes: Approximately $3,151 in common-area property taxes that were not included in the 2026 budget.
  • Reserve contribution: The budget anticipates approximately $31,000 in annual reserve contribution, and the current reserve balance is substantially below that figure.

The Board will confirm with the Management Company which parcels the Association owns and why the property tax expense was not budgeted, and will work from a county parcel map to verify parcel numbers.

Collections

The Board discussed outstanding assessments. A small number of accounts are more than two years delinquent, and total pending collections are in the range of roughly $14,000 to $16,000. Remaining balances are mostly small or already under payment arrangements. The Board will continue sending collection letters on the significantly delinquent accounts. Individual owner account details are omitted from these public minutes.

Reserve Study and Long-Term Planning

The Board reviewed the reserve study, which models funding over a 30-year horizon. The fully funded model is approximately $22,000 per year above the currently budgeted reserve contribution. Spread across the community’s 144 units, that gap works out to roughly $153 per household per year, or about $12.75 per month. A working figure of $15 per month was used during the discussion, rounded up to leave margin for the cost increases and unbudgeted expenses the community has seen this year.

No dues increase was proposed or voted on at this meeting. Attendees were clear that raising dues is not the preferred path, and asked the Board to look first at additional income and at reducing expenses wherever possible. The Board’s stated approach matches that: invest available surplus, monitor results, and treat a dues adjustment as a last resort. Exact figures will be confirmed and presented with supporting charts before any such change is considered.

An owner asked about the long-term investment plan and whether owners should expect to vote on each allocation. The Board confirmed that the reserve contribution is budgeted annually and is expected to increase over the life of the study, that the reserve study is available to owners, and that the Board will publish clearer materials showing yields and allocation amounts. The Board’s stated approach is to invest available surplus first, monitor results over the next two to three months, and only then assess whether a dues adjustment is needed.

Certificate of Deposit Investment

The Board discussed moving surplus cash into a certificate of deposit so that it earns interest, noting that funds in the operating checking account earn nothing and lose value to inflation. The available options were short-term certificates with a return of approximately 3%.

The Board reviewed liquidity before setting the amount, accounting for outstanding bills, the recent unplanned water bill, and the operating funds needed for the remainder of the year. $40,000 was identified as the amount that could be invested while keeping sufficient operating cash available. Board members and attendees noted that a certificate of deposit is a low-risk, common vehicle for association funds, that the account remains owned by the Association, and that funds are locked only for the length of the term. The motion carried as recorded above.

An owner asked whether earning interest conflicts with the Association’s nonprofit status. The Board explained that the interest is not profit distributed to anyone. It is income used to offset Association expenses and to slow the erosion of reserve cash from inflation.

Landscaping Vendor and Damage Recovery

The Board summarized the landscaping vendor situation. A vendor change earlier in the year, made to reduce cost, resulted in maintenance deficiencies and property damage that cost the Association more than the intended savings. That vendor no longer provides service to the community, and the Association has returned to the prior vendor.

Identified deficiencies have been corrected. The Association did not obtain a lower rate from the returning vendor, but did obtain additional coverage at the same price, now including the hill and the pond. The Board is actively working to recover the costs of damage attributed to the former vendor. Owners asked whether homeowners would end up absorbing those costs, and the Board confirmed that recovery efforts are underway.

Community Self-Sufficiency and County Services

Responding to owner questions, the Board explained that Olympic Ridge was developed and approved as a self-sufficient community. As a condition of approval, the county does not maintain the community’s roads, sidewalks, streetlights, or related infrastructure, so the Association is responsible for those costs. The community cannot transfer that responsibility to the county, which is why the reserve study models 30 years of replacement costs.

An owner suggested that the Board look for expenses to cut rather than raise dues. The Board responded that utility, insurance, and service contracts have been reviewed, that costs are rising across those categories, and that the one significant cost-cutting attempt this year, the landscaping vendor change, increased costs rather than reducing them.

Access to Budget and Financial Records

An owner reported not receiving the mailed budget and asked whether the budget is published. The Board confirmed that the budget was mailed to all homeowners in December and that Association information is available on the HOA website. Owners who did not receive mailed materials should contact the Management Company to confirm they are on the correct mailing list.

Architectural Review and View Impact

An owner raised a concern about an approved structure and separate rooftop solar equipment affecting a view. The Board acknowledged the delay in following up, took responsibility for it, and committed to contacting the involved owners directly to look for a workable solution. The Board noted the structure was reviewed and approved through the architectural review process. Property-specific and owner-specific details are omitted from these public minutes, and the concerned owner may follow up at the August meeting if the matter is not resolved before then.

Parking Signs and Enforcement Alternatives

Owners raised concerns about the temporary “no parking” signs placed in yards. Points raised included that the signs are unattractive, that they carry a vendor name and therefore read as commercial signage, that community sign rules restrict such signs to community entrances and exits, and that owners should have been asked before signs were placed on or near their property.

The Board explained that the signs were obtained at no cost and were installed as a fast, temporary measure to keep fire lanes clear for emergency vehicles and snow plows, and noted that the Association can be cited for blocked fire lanes. The Board also noted that some corner side-yard areas that appear to be private lawn are actually common area. The Board agreed the concerns are reasonable, committed to reviewing sign placement against the governing documents, and agreed to research alternatives.

An attendee raised a related safety concern about vehicles parking at the top of the hill for the view, which creates blind spots on a steep grade and a hazard near a school bus stop, and suggested painting that curb as well. The Board agreed with the concern and will follow up on prior striping quotes to price red curb marking, including at the hilltop.

Communication Tools

The Board discussed the difficulty of tracking board business across long email chains with the Management Company and among directors. A one-month trial of a shared communication platform was proposed to centralize and organize those conversations by topic, and potentially to give community members a place to participate.

Attendees suggested alternatives, including Microsoft Teams, which may be available at low or no cost and integrates with tools many owners already have, and a forum-style group that is free, organizes discussion by topic, supports email notifications, and would be more discoverable than email threads. The Board approved starting with a no-cost trial and will evaluate the alternatives during it.

Community Outreach and In-Person Event

Attendees noted that many residents missed this meeting because notices did not reach them, that not everyone uses social media, and that mailed notices are easy to overlook. The Board and volunteers discussed door-to-door flyer distribution ahead of the next gathering, with several attendees volunteering to help.

The Board confirmed plans for the community’s annual in-person gathering, the Neighborhood Block Party, on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at the Olympic Ridge main park off Belfair Station. Residents can meet the Board, ask questions directly, and complete electronic communication consent forms in person. The Board previously noted that only eight of approximately 140 mailed consent forms were returned, and that Washington law requires owner authorization before the Association can communicate electronically. Increasing those authorizations is the most direct way to reduce mailing costs. Event details are posted on the HOA website and the community calendar.

Monthly open board meetings are separate from that event and continue on their regular schedule by Google Meet, on the last Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM Pacific. The next open board meeting is Saturday, August 29, 2026.