For our Snowbirds;
A Proposed amendment to Association Declaration requirement that CHOA pay alarm monitoring cost was mailed to each home by postal mail. We wanted to make sure that you receive the information, so we are posting the documents here.
As you may recall we have been working on this requirement for the past several months. Per information sent out in previous comunication the wording that will be removed from the CC&Rs page 48 Article XII Section 12 is only the portion that addresses Association requirement to pay the cost of security monitoring. All security systems that are currently in residents homes will remain.
Attached please find the Proposed Amendment and the ballot. We are asking all homes to complete the ballot and return by mail or email as stated on the ballot. If you have trouble printing, let us know and forms can be sent by email.
[gview file=”https://choaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/41Y9807-Ballot.docx”]
[gview file=”https://choaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/41Z8402-Letter-to-owners-re-Amendment-to-Declaration.docx”]
It is important to hear from the loyal opposition . . . me, for one. We live in a townhome and have felt more secure knowing that our wall-mates are being monitored. Not requiring monitoring seems dangerous to me for all of us who share walls. If I were a snowbird and enjoying time away, I would be wondering whether a fire might get going in my wall-mate’s home and mine getting completely engulfed before any alarm sounded. I will want my home monitored. The Board makes it sound like savings, but for me it will be a lot more expensive to get my own monitoring. And how do I talk my wall-mates into paying a lot more for our mutual safety? Good luck with that. This motion seems “penny wise and pound foolish” to me! I recommend a “NO” vote.
The purpose of the ballot is to eliminate the requirement that CHOA pay for cost of monitoring the security system.
The monitoring of the security system and the security system itself, is not being eliminated.
Right now CHOA is paying for 228 homes at a cost of $35719.20 annually, when our findings over the last several months have found that only about 74 homes are actually being monitored.
No matter what the outcome of this vote , I for sure want to be assured that members one and all have fire insurance if they are connected to other homes. I will be ill tempered if my house burns because my neighbor wasn’t insured for fire damage. It should be a requirement that we all report our fire insurance coverage! I mean all of us! Jan Crawford
I defintely understand your concern, I am not sure how we could regulate that requirement, fire insurance I believe is requried for most insurance plans. Any house that sells I know must also have a fire/smoke alarm. We can strongly encourage fire alarms
I’m confused. Isn’t fire insurance that covers the structure of all homes already included under the State Farm insurance that is purchased by the Association and billed to each homeowner annually?
Yes Fire Insurance is included in the HOA Insurance, it is also important to have fire insurance in your personal home insurance. I was responding to a concern from one our residents.
Jan,
Are you sure of those numbers quoted on Jan. 1st? So, only 74 out of 228 homes are being monitored? This is not what I have heard from the Wilsonville Lock & Security owner. The number is much larger (190) and that is what he charges.
These numbers should be as accurate as possible with the $35,719.20 being paid out. How is this possible when it is approximately $13.00/month. $13.00/mo times 12 months times the total number of homes (228) does not come close to this large sum. So, none of these numbers are adding up?
This alarm system within our homes still works as an alarm system with fire and smoke. It just does not have a monitoring system that calls the fire department.
Also, when you remove the alarm system monitoring from CHOA’s accounts, then our Fire insurance will go up from not being monitored? Right? Anyone talk to State Farm about this?
Now I have questions about the Treasurer and the monies spent. I also want to question why the Wilsonville Security people have not been notified about the residents that are in the house being monitored. As people sell their residence and move and change names on residences, are they notified of the change. The company says they do not get updates.
Many of your Questions have been answer in the last several month of investigation by the board and communicated with CHOA residents, using electronic and paper communication tools.
As stated in previous communication:
The numbers are correct, as an HOA we do pay $35,719.20. If you divide that by 12 months you arrive at the monthly figure, $2976.60. You are correct about the per household figure is not exact. If you divide $2976.90 by 228 residences, you come up with 13.055. The board rounded this number to $13.00.
Because Wilsonville Lock and Security could not or would not give the board an exact accounting of who they were monitoring, we did a survey of residents, as Wilsonville Security actually suggested we do. We surveyed the 228 homes in CHOA to obtain a number of how many actual customers Wilsonville Lock and Security were “monitoring” the figure we received was 74. Wilsonville Lock and Security as a business is gaining monthly income, your HOA board is volunteer, who do you choose to trust?
Yes we did check with State Farm and our insurance will not go up. They could not speak to what other insurance companies’ rules were but with State Farm no change would happen.
In your 3rd paragraph you state: This alarm system within our homes still works as an alarm system with fire and smoke. It just does not have a monitoring system that calls the fire department. Is there a question here?? Again State Farm states that no change in Insurance will occur.
Now to your last paragraph. I take strong exception to your criticism, on behalf of our Treasurer, or for that matter, on any of our board members. Our board members are one of the best boards I have ever worked with. They consistently look at what is best for all of CHOA, even when it may not benefit them individually. Remember this is an entirely volunteer process. I invite you to come to any of our board meetings, and voice any concern face to face. You will be taken seriously and responded to respectfully