STOPPING VAN SERVICE

I LIVE IN FLORIDA THAT HAS A VAN SERVICE THAT THE BUILDER USED AS A INCENTIVE TO BUY HOMES. IT IS A 55 PLUS COMMUNITY. THE COMM. IS NOW 26 YAERS OLD AND THE BOARD HAS VOTED TO STOP THE VAN SERVICE, AND SELL THE VAN. NUMBER 1, 3 ,PEOPLE USE IT 2 TIMES A WEEK, MAYBE. DUE TO THE COST OF INSURANCE GAS ETC. IT JUST DOES NOT PAY. YES, I AM A BOARD MEMBER, WHO IS FOR THIS. NOW THE WHOLE PLACE IS GOING TO HANG US!!! THE VAN IS NOT IN THE DOCUMENTS. JUST WAS HERE WHEN THEY MOVED IN. NOW, WHERE DO WE AS THE BOARD STAND? CAN WE DO THIS WITH OUT A VOTE FROM THE PEOPLE? I FEAR NEXT WEEKS HOA MEETING! THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE IF ANY LIGHT CAN BE SHED ON THIS, OR IF THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. [email protected]

It doesn't sound like the service needs to be maintained if it doesn't show up in your docs....Be sure it isn't shown ANYWHERE, as if it is considered a community asset, you may need the vote of the membership, not just the board.

It may be worth it to put it to a vote of the entire membership. I doubt it will pass anyway since you state it is used by so few and so infrequently.

Good luck.

I FORGOT TO MENTION WE HAVE INSURANCE FOR A LIMITED AMOUNT AND THEN WE AS THE HOME OWENERS CAN GET SUED. ALL 216 HOMES BECAUSE THE HOA OWNS THE VAN. SO ALL THE RESIDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VAN. TO CARRY ALOT OF INSURANCE IS VERY COSTLY!

Hi Laverne:

Two things to present to the membership:
1) Take the budgeted cost and divide by the number of units/members to give them a sense of how much they are each paying.
2) Take the budgeted cost and divide by the anticipated number of rides per year to give them a sense of how much each ride costs.

You may want to check on a local taxi service to see how much a ride would cost, as well; or if there is a local bus service that covers the typical ride, and how much that costs. It may be cheaper to provide each member with a certain number of taxi vouchers for a certain amount of money (say, 8 vouchers/month at $5 or whatever the typical current ride would cost) with the vouchers specified with an expiration date. Then, owners could use the service as needed, and the HOA would simply pay the cost of the vouchers turned in by the taxi company. This may be a whole lot cheaper than providing the van. Think outside the box for other possible alternatives (do those who ride the van have any friends who could give them a ride?).

J. Patrick Moore, CMCA