The following summary is presented by Diane Tomasik, resident and Webmaster.

A special assessment to build the reserve funds for Islesworth once again did not receive enough votes to pass. During the special members meeting Aug. 9, the voting was 52 in favor of the assessment and 33 opposed.

To pass, the measure needed to receive two-thirds of the total votes cast. Ninety households voted either in person or by proxy, so 61 votes were required for the measure to pass. 

The special members meeting actually began on June 14 and was continued Aug. 9 as Islesworth residents called for more time to vote on the one-year special assessment.

At the June 14 members meeting, the proposal fell three votes short of passing, with 45 households voting "yes." At that time, 72 households cast ballots, so a total of 48 "yes" votes were required for passage.

About the assessment

The special assessment would have been in the amount of $141.71 to be paid in four quarterly installments of $36.92. It was designed to infuse the reserve funds with an additional $18,000 to be able to pay for future maintenance and improvement projects throughout the community.

The Islesworth Board had estimated the life expectancy and replacement costs of many major items in our community, including the walls, fences, and irrigation systems, as well as roadway maintenance and repair. The calculations showed that Islesworth has "massively insufficient reserves," Board President Dennis Rohan said.

Islesworth's governing documents have made it difficult to set quarterly fees at a level that would allow for greater savings to the reserve fund. That situation means that Islesworth will have to resort to special assessments to raise money to pay for necessary repairs and improvements as major items wear out -- fences, pumps, roads, etc. 

The board had presented this proposal to fit into residents' budgets -- about $12 a month for a year --  rather than come asking for a large lump sum.

About our finances

The financial statements of Islesworth are presented at each Board meeting. (The next one is Sept. 13.) They also are available by contacting property manager Jerry Zalben. Any resident interested in understanding the financial standing of the Homeowners Association should attend meetings and/or contact Mr. Zalben at (772) 288-0894; jjzalben@bellsouth.net.