YEARLY DUES INCREASE

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The AFHA Board would like to apologize for not providing a written explanation about the increase in the annual fee along with your recent invoice. The best way to explain it is that costs to maintain our common areas and aging amenities have increased.

What are these common areas and amenities? The Association is responsible for maintaining the extensive irrigation systems in the medians on Andover Forest Drive, Helmsdale Place, and in the smaller medians in many of the cul de sacs. In addition, we maintain an irrigation system on Man O War and we are reviewing bids to replace the system the Transportation Cabinet removed during the construction of Todds Road. This section was installed many years ago in the right-of-way by the developers contractor and therefore removed when the Todds Road work took place. The Association maintains the plants in all boulevard and cul de sac medians, decorative structures, the fence bordering Todds Road and Man O War, and the decorative street lights and signs. The Association has administrative costs, such as business and directors and officers liability insurance, office expenses for mailings, website, outside management, and tax return preparation fees.

We could go on, but we think you get the idea of the expenses necessary to maintain our community. Since 2009, the Association has been spending its surplus funds from previous budgets of $92,466, leaving a cash balance at the end of the 2011 fiscal year of only $32,429. The Association is projecting a surplus of $39,623 at the end of the 2012 fiscal year. But this surplus, and the current operating budget, will be used quickly for our normal maintenance as well as for special projects, such as continuing landscaping enhancements to the Todds Road entrance, replacing dead and dying trees and plantings inside and around the perimeter of our community, and a possible landmark structure at the Todds Road and Man O War intersection.

We would like to close with a reminder that the last time the fee was increased was in 2005, so the present Board feels that they and their predecessors have done a good job managing the budgets for the past six years to keep the fees in check. We hope that this explanation addresses your concerns. We look forward to addressing any additional concerns and discussing our plans for investing your fees in our community more fully during the Annual Meeting.