What Does The Channel Islands Waterfront Homeowners Association Actually Do?
The question was asked by a homeowner following our recent plea for everyone to pay their dues.
Volunteers from CIWHA Communications Team felt this was an important question!
Seawall Repairs
Landscaping
The CIWHA Landscape representatives meet with Public Works, Special Districts and the contractors on a regular basis to walk areas of Mandalay and review priorities, progress and projects. As our current Assessment funds need to be spent on Landscape (contractors, electric and water) plus seawall repairs and maintenance, this work is important to balance budgets while maintaining our landscaping to the best our budget can maintain.
Harbor Water Quality
The HOA volunteers on the Neighborhood Council Marine Advisory Committee (MAC) are the people that championed testing when the algae bloom became apparent following the closure of the once through cooling plant at Mandalay. This dedicated team of volunteers spend countless hours being trained and taking samples that are acceptable by the water board. This activity and dedication has saved the City hundreds of thousands of dollars and is required to push through the slow grinding requirements of the State towards future mitigation and funding for the future.
This team meets with City, County, State agencies, new owners of MGS power plant, Edison Canal, Farm Bureau, and other stakeholders. The HOA sends e-blasts when your letters and comments to those agencies are requested.
Dredging
Dredging is an important infrequent but very expensive project that our assessment funds must cover. The other developments North of the bridge account for this expense within other ongoing fees that go into reserves. With our very low assessment funds being spread over seawall repairs, landscaping and water quality we do not currently have a reserve fund for dredging.
Seawall Funding - Other Expenses
CIWHA representatives meet with the City to establish sane and reasonable shared funding to continue the Repair/Replace project of our Seawalls. This effort takes into consideration needs of our community, but also for the economic needs for projects not a part of that funding like Landscaping, Dredging and Water Quality.
City & County Meetings
Homeowners
CIWHA representatives respond to calls and emails from homeowners.
We try to provide answers, direction and resources as needed to keep life wonderful in our harbor.
Monthly Board Meetings
The CIWHA board of directors meets monthly – except in August. The agendas cover reports on all activities covered on this page. Residents and homeowners are welcome to attend!
The monthly meetings are generally held the 3rd Wednesday of the month – however it is best to contact a member of the board in advance of a meeting due to COVID and schedule changes to confirm location and date!
Why should I pay dues – what is it spent on?
The question was asked by a homeowner following our recent plea for everyone to pay their dues.
Volunteers from CIWHA felt this was also an important question!
Communications
Your dues fund the annual meeting when held in person, as well as the printing and mailing expenses, all of which have increased in cost tremendously. Currently much of the communication tools – like the website hosting, maintenance and management are donated by volunteers.
Consulting and Legal Fees
CIWHA maintains a fund for the potential need of Legal or other consulting fees to preserve the quality of life for our homeowners. There is no current litigation, however to ignore the potential would not be prudent.
CIWHA MEMBERSHIP & FINANCE
Your $50 a year dues are managed by the elected all volunteer Board. The Treasurer maintains the books. We pay an external bookkeeper for reporting and a CPA for taxes. There is a $75 transfer fee required upon sale of a property. The Board are all volunteers and the Association owns no property. We are required to carry error and commissions insurance on the board.All financial reports are presented monthly at board meetings and are available upon request.
Year end statements are published in the newsletter and presented at annual meetings.
About the CIWHA difference.
We realize this is an unusual and uncommon HOA. By comparison other HOAs in the Harbor have HOA dues, CFD and Mello-roos and ongoing dock fees resulting in much higher expenses. Those developments manage common property – we do not. Our homeowners own their docks – those homeowners do not. Until we know the numbers for bonding the seawall work we are not looking to raise dues or make any changes to our fees.