Newsletter to include Yearly Costs

Has anyone ever had a newsletter (or some other announcement form) that informed the owners of the YEARLY costs for..... e.g. upkeep of the swimming pool............tree trimming............landscape costs.......garbage pick up.....etc? I think it would be good if people (the owners of condo units) knew that that costs are high. Any examples that were used by anyone?

Alex when we send copies of the annual budget to the H/O's instead of a line item i.e. pool $12,000 we include a short paragraph of what is involved i.e. The cost to open and close the pool, chemical costs etc. I also did an article for the newsletter explaining the monthly breakdown of everyone's assessments. What % went to Reserves and explained why we had to have them, what % went to the MC, utilities, maintenance etc. I got a lot of positive feed back from the H/O's who knew what they were paying but didn't understand all that was involved.

When the information is out there for all to see it makes it harder for the 2-3% who try to stir up trouble, just as a form of amusement. It's hard to say the BOD is misusing funds when it is there for everyone to see. We also pass out updated financials, everything the BOD gets except the names of delinquent H/O's to people who attend the monthly BOD meetings.

Alex:

You could publish the budget, which should go out every year with the invoices or each month or quarterly you could do a brief synopsis of the 1st qtr, 2nd qtr etc.

A sample Budget could be :

HOA Budget

Income:
2008 Dues 18,475.00
Developer Supplements -
Builder dues -
Total Income 18,475

Expenses:
Comm Functions 250
Licenses & Pmts 300
Lighting 14@500 7000
Termite Control 125
Pest Control 300
Mgt Admin Fees 500
Mgt Contract 1500
Legal Fees 500
Acct 2000
Landscape Contract 2000
Landscape Improvements 100
Landscape- Seasonal Plantings 600
Office Postage/Printing 500
Insurance 500
Electricity 1000
Wtr/Swr 500
Landscape Reserve 300
Misc. Reserve 500

Total Expenses 18,475.00

Net Income/Loss -

Your Qrtly numbers could look something like:

1/08-3/08:

Assessments $5,000.00
Late Fees 250.00
Blders Dues 250.00
Total Income:$5,500.00

Expenses:
Administrative
Insurance
Legal
Copies
Postage
Mgmt Fee
Accounting
Sub Total:

Landscaping Expense:

Annual Contract:
Pine needles/Mulch
Irrigation
Beautification Projects
Sub Total:

Well you get the picture, the board can decide to give as much information as you believe is necessary for your community.