St. Martin's by the Bay

Announcements From the Chair

This afternoon we will review the 2024-25 Budget, highlight changes, and answer questions. Residents will be given 30 days to review/respond and so a vote to approve this budget will be taken on March 2, 2024…. Invoices for Annual Dues will be mailed that day with a due date on or before April 2, 2024. A special thank you to Jeff Stopford, who led the charge that we conduct a reserve study as mandated by MD Law 107. Jeff met with the reserve specialist and helped guide us through the process to make decisions that allowed us to meet legal expectations and conserve funds. I’d like to personally thank our Board of Directors for the countless hours of hard work that have been dedicated this past year in addressing the numerous emergencies related to our water/sewer systems. We have been up to our knees in mud locating the drain from the well, dealt with a septic leak and water main break, met with well and water specialists, drafted letters to and met with County officials, held emergency meetings at a moment’s notice (usually on holidays), and carefully and thoughtfully analyzed and debated our options to replace our aging water system. In a typical year we have 6 scheduled Board meetings, this past year we have met 14 times! Again, I thank and am grateful for this Board. I would also like to thank our residents who answered the call and voted overwhelmingly to follow our recommendation to convert to public water. Of the 54 households, 46 or 86% submitted a vote. Of those who voted, 45 or 98% voted to approve moving to County water. On January 15, 2024 we submitted a letter to the County with our official approval and are awaiting next steps. We are also continuing to seek additional funds through the State to help offset the USDA loan. We will keep you updated as we learn more about this project. Statement on Voting Requirements

• In accordance with 2022 MD HOA law: we will follow the practice of using in-person or electronic

ballots, a simple majority of those voting is required. However to raise dues beyond the consumer price index 60% of those voting is required.

• In the case of voting for county water we aimed for 60% of the entire community and achieved

83%

Minutes of the Annual Meeting 2/10/2024

Budget: Treasurer, Keith Miller reported:

• The increase in dues is not significant.
• Money for septic will go directly into the reserve, septic A and B will be combined and

paid for by the 34 residents who use them.

• Parking lots will be considered common property and paid by all residents.
• The $9000 in septic A and B is a one time charge for a previous repair in 2023.
• This restructuring of who pays (see next paragraph) was the better way to insure that the

total reserve amount will be the least costly to the HOA.

• There will be a switch to Quickbooks on-line hopefully by April 2, so that residents may

pay by credit card.

• On 1/18/24 the Board voted to approve a decision to reorganize Budget categories; Parking

Lots A and B will be combined and the cost will be covered by all 54 lots, Septic Fields A and B will be combined and the costs will be covered by the 34 households who use them. The single family homes with individual septic systems will not contribute to the cost of the community septic systems. Community Directory - permission by GoogleForm

• We propose to publish a directory of each household in the community. Each resident

will receive a printed copy. Any resident who prefers their info to remain private will only have their name and local address in the directory. A googleForm will be emailed and residents can simply complete the form and indicate which option they prefer,

Committee Reports

Executive:

• This is the last year of a 3 year term for 6 Board Members; terms will be up for Partridge,

Stopford, Miller, Costantino, Custead, and Davis. Janie Stopford has indicated that this will be her last term. We will be looking to fill her seat in the coming year. Any resident with an interest please let us know. County Water:

• On Monday January 8, 2024, residents voted to accept the County’s application for the

USDA to fund through grants and loan the installation of a water supply system to our community. 44 of 54 residents voted, with 43 approving the move to County water. With a 98% approval, a letter was sent to the County on January 15, 2024 confirming our commitment to the project. We are awaiting next steps. Architectural Review

• Reminder to residents about sending plans or notice for exterior improvements
• Warehouse repairs complete.
• Some residents have begun addressing issues with their units. Many exterior

issues remain. Please let us know if you need assistance locating contractors to perform repairs.

• Unit on St Martin Pkwy needs to remove weeds, Need a letter/Community

assistance? Boat Dock/yard

• Increase in annual dock fees is needed to cover rising costs of repairs and reserves.
• Repairs: Craig reports there is no problem with renting slips. Needed repairs are

being fabricated by Mark. New hoses will be in place. After April 10 slips will be offered to non-residents.

• There was some discussion about our current insurance policy (liability only) and

whether or not it is adequate.

• The Board voted (unanimously by the 6 members present) to raise the cost of the boat storage to $100/year.

Lawn Care

• Discussion about getting in writing exactly what will be mowed by Busy Bees. Betty

Young offered to get another bid for mowing, send that estimate to the HOA and a copy to Janie. Pat Morrison offered to assist with gardening in Garden A. Pool/Warehouse Roof Repair

• The warehouse roof does not need replacement for at least a few years. Craig has done

an excellent job cleaning and organizing the warehouse space which he rents from the

Hoa.

Septic Field and Trash

• The concerns over unnecessary driving on the field with the possibility of damaging the

drainage pipes and the illegal dumping will be addressed by writing about these issues and putting the pictures of the cars doing these illegal activities in our newsletter. Hopefully peer pressure and awareness will help. Comments: Information about community water will be blasted to the residents as it becomes available. Possibly our community will write a letter supporting limited development on Rt 589. Meeting Adjourned: 2:12pm Meetings for APRIL. JUNE. AUGUST , OCTOBER to be scheduled.