November 2023 Towne South Monthly Meeting Minutes
TOWNE SOUTH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES – Open Meeting – November 21, 2023
Present: Ryan Storie, Jackie Tebbe, Greg Hertlein, Hugh McWilliams, Mary Ann McWilliams, plus lot owners Lucille Hines, Don Cannon, Becky Pritchard, and via Zoom – Ginger Whetstone, Katie Mizera, Aaron and Anna Lang. Absent: Mackenzie Hennekes.
In Chair Mackenzie’s absence, Vice Chair Ryan Storie opened the meeting at 7:01 pm. He thanked all for coming and asked the board to introduce themselves. As a courtesy to those attending via Zoom, Ryan asked all to please take turns speaking.
1. Approval of Minutes from October 17, 2023 – The Board has approved these minutes as presented and have been posted on our website.
2. Financial Update – Jackie presented the P&L Statements for October and for YTD and noted that these have been posted on our website. As expected, with income practically non-existent at this time of year, we spent more than we brought in. Our income for October was only $150.10 and expenses came to $1,968.38, leaving us with a negative net profit of $1,818.28. However, when we look at YTD our income is $48,325.91 and expenses are $30,657.09, leaving us a positive net profit of $17,668.82. Overall, we are ahead of the previous several years at this point in our budget. It was questioned at the last meeting about how much we have taken in on Trustee Verification Fees. Jackie stated it’s $1,875 this year. From January 1, 2023, to November 21, 2023, we have a total in checking and our money market accounts of $34,816.74. This net profit has a lot to do with the Board’s conscientious budgeting. A lot of changes helped our bottom line.
a. Assessment Invoices will be sent out January 2, 2024. We will again be offering various options to pay – PayPal, Venmo and Checks.
3. Update on Amendment – We are pleased to report that we have received over the required number of votes needed to pass the amendment to Article VII. Lester Stuckmeyer has prepared the document needed to file with St. Louis County and Jackie has signed it and had it notarized. Hugh took the document to Lester last Friday for him to record.
4. Board Positions for 2024 – Thinking ahead the Board would like to propose expanding the number of positions on the Board from five to seven to give us a few more people to share the workload. Of course, this must go out to a vote first. Ryan stated that there may be one or two positions open for February 2024’s election of Board members. If you are interested, please reach out to someone on the Board for further information. Becky asked if the terms are one or two years. They are two-year rotating terms.
5. Ameren/Lighting Update – Greg reported that the light is out at the intersection of Towne South and Towne Center. Ameren has come out to look at the problem and it needs to be completely rewired from the pole to the transformer. They have put this on the work schedule and indicated that they would check on the condition of others while they are repairing this one.
6. Liens and Releases – Mary Ann noted that there have been none filed this past month and she doesn’t anticipate any through the end of the year.
7. Requests for Approval – The Board approved one new fence request since our last meeting.
8. Landscaping
a. Mowing – Greg noted that Shelton will do the last mow of our common ground on Friday, November 24. Becky asked about the piles of branches along Towne South. Greg has gotten his trailer back and will be cleaning all those up this weekend. Ryan offered to help.
b. Trees – we are looking into a couple of dead trees. We have become aware that some of the trees we thought were on our property are actually on the homeowner’s property. We will be looking into locations of reported trees more carefully in the future.
c. Creeks – No issues have been reported recently. Greg noted that an area along Towne Centre that backs up to a creek is eroding. MSD has been out to look at it and they are supposed to take care of this issue.
9. Complaints – It was noted that several minor issues have been received and resolved since our last meeting.
New Business – The date of our Towne South Homeowners Association annual meeting is set for Saturday, February 17, 2024, start time to be either 1:00 or 2:00. Mary Ann will check on what time last year’s meeting started. Ryan asked if anyone has a suggestion for a guest speaker to let us know. Jackie will check on the availability of the church’s meeting room.
Old Business – Applying for non-profit 501(c) status. Mary Ann has not had time to work on this yet. It was also noted that we need to continue to focus on getting homeowners to participate in various committees like a Welcome Committee and a Beautification Committee.
Reminder – there is no December meeting.
Open for Floor Discussion – Ginger wanted to thank the Board for doing a great job. She is looking forward to another great year. She wished all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Ryan asked if there was anything else to be brought before this Board. There being none, the Towne South Homeowners Association Monthly Open Meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm. The next meeting is Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 7:00pm at Prince of Peace UCC.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Ann McWilliams
Administrative Assistant