VVA Annual Meeting Of Members – October 1, 2023

Oct 30, 2023 | Alerts, Board Minutes, Directors

Call to Order
President Doug Winter Lot 47, called the meeting to order, held in the gym at Winston High School, at 2:00pm.  Prayer was led by Jeremy Lillig.   Jeff Ferguson, Lake Manager, led the Pledge of Allegiance.   President, Doug Winter,  read the mission statement of Lake Viking.

Introduction of Board Members

Board President Doug Winter introduced Board Members present: Tony Gronniger, (1st Vice President), Allan Slavin (2nd Vice President), Tom Rice (Secretary), Terry Nibarger (Treasurer) and Jeremy Lillig (Asst. Treasurer).  Not present was George Eshnaur due to a previous commitment.  Rob Redman, VVA’s counsel was also introduced by Doug Winter.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the March 23, 2023 Annual meeting were approved.  Allan Slavin made the motion to approve the minutes and Terry Nibarger seconded the motion.  The board approved the March 2023 Annual Meeting minutes unanimously.

Orders of the Day

Orders of the day were discussed later in the meeting when discussion strayed from the agenda for the meeting.

President’s Report

Doug Winter stated that he has served two (2) years on the board.  He stated his goal was to change the perceived reputation of the board.
Doug Winter presented the accomplishments listed below which have been accomplished since March 2023 are:
• Condo Control now has 1500 users
• Online credit card and ACH payments are now available through Condo Control
• Service requests and other forms are available on Condo Control
• The office changed to a new accounting process which saved 30K
• The VVA office has taken over collection of outstanding accounts and has collected $50K
• The lake received a farm # for potential government funding
• Plans are in the process for septic upgrade for the clubhouse and the VVA office
• Improvements have been made to community areas
• VVA vehicles have been upgraded
• Gate Security System has been installed at the dump allowing members greater access
• 6.1 miles of chip and seal has been completed on the lake roads
• Rock and machinery support has been donated in amount exceeding $250K
• Asphalt patching has begun in the areas marked in yellow on the roads
• VVA dredge was sold to Dredge America for more that it was purchased for several years ago
• South end of the lake dredging was completed
• South end weir project added new weirs
• Beach improvements have been made
• Phase 1 of Campground 1 electrical upgrade was completed.  Phase 2 is projected for this fall
• New shelters and playground equipment was installed at the Clubhouse location
• Continuing education has been provided to the Fire Department members
• Building Committee approved 152 permits since the March 2023.  Four of these were for houses
• Safety/Fire Department has acquired a side by side for use in daily and emergency situations.  It has been used to respond to at least two (2) emergencies at the lake
• Two (2) EMT responders have been trained and equipped
• Fire Department roster has expanded to 16 members
Doug stated we will be electing two new board members today to fill the two open terms.
Doug also stated that the most important thing we will be considering in this meeting is approving the 2024 assessments in the Budget for the coming year.  The steps that  occur before the budget is presented to the general membership.  Management submits budget requests to the Finance Committee .  The Finance Committee meets three time to work on the budget.  Doug explained that the lake does not budget for a profit, but to cover the expenses to operate the lake for 365 days.  After the budget has passed the Finance Committee it is sent to the Board of Directors for approval.  After budget is approved by the Board of Directors, a Town Hall Meeting is held and is open to all members for questions.  The budget is published three times in the Lake Viking paper, Facebook, and online.    Financials for VVA are available for any members to review every 30 days.  Jeff Ferguson Lake Manager will be glad to answer budget questions.
Doug stated the lake is at a crossroad financially.  We cannot count on lot sales to supplement the operating budget as we have in the past.  A five year look back study has been done as the current budget proposal has been prepared.  Doug stated it is never easy to increase assessments but it is necessary to maintain the lake.
Doug thanked all the volunteers and committee members who donate their time.  He stated over 8,000 hours were donated to the lake per year.  Committees, lake volunteers and staff were recognized.  Doug then announced the Volunteers of the Year were Shawn and Paula Hepinstall.  They each received an award and a $500 gift card.
Doug then recognized the Donors of the Year,  Jerry and Kelly Hill.  They own a quarry in Jamesport, MO and have donated several hundred thousand dollars of rock to the lake for use in weirs and controlling water runoff.

Dredge Committee

1. Shawn Hepinstall, chairman of the dredge committee (who has been a resident of Lake Viking for 25 years)  thanked all the committee members for all their hours of work on the dredging committee.  Shawn stated that the Dredge Committee’s mission is to manage the silt which comes into the lake to ensure and maintain the health and quality of the lake.  Shawn stated we are a watershed lake and are fed by several streams.  Big South Creek started the lake and there are over 50 other smaller streams that feed into the lake.  When these creeks feed water into the lake,  silt is also brought in.  Shawn stated we are focusing on weirs to control the silt coming into the lake.  New weirs were added during the past months.  These include the following:
• Big South Creek  – During the recent heavy rains and flooding, this weir held with minor rock movement.  Maintenance will repair.
• Parkers Ditch (south of the silt ponds) –  This weir did not hold during the recent heavy rains and flooding.  It is being redesigned and will be rebuilt.  This watershed ditch handles 25% of our watershed acreage.  The banks are steep and the volume is high.  We believe the improved design will help capture more silt during normal events.
  • Silt Pond 4 – During the recent heavy rains and flooding, this weir held with minor rock movement.
• Shawn also indicated the lake has 25 sites where we have lot weirs.  Many of these are not readily visible, but they help contain silt coming into the lake.
• Beach Berms have also stopped erosion of sand.  More berms will be built in the coming year.
• Watershed Map – the Lake Viking “Watershed Map” was reviewed.  Fifty percent (50%) of our watershed acreage is in the south end of the lake.  Add Garney, 3 Tubes and Pirate and this equals 84% of our watershed acreage.  This is where the majority of our silt enters the lake and why so much time is spent there.
2. Dredge America Project
Shawn discussed the success of this project and outlined the plans for the coming year.  VVA has sold our old dredge and will rent a smaller dredge from Dredge America with a swing arm which is better suited to dredge small and narrow coves for the coming season.  VVA will hire an employee to run this dredge. Dredging is our strategy to keep the lake clean.  The easiest way to remove silt is by water thus the dredging.
Shawn stated dredging was done both behind and in front of the yacht club.  The 2023 project was completed at a cost of $490K.
3.  Dredge Policy Update
Reviewed and updated 2021 policy and will submit to the board.
4. 2024 Dredging
• Confirmed dredging areas for 2024 are NW side, 3 Tubes area and Garney
• Dredging Months will be April and May 2024
• Reserve 360 Dredge and lock in Dredge America Rental Agreement for these months
• Discussed pipe needed to move from cove to cove to dredge
• In the fall the team will work on prepping storage for silt removed during dredging.
5. Recognition of Individuals helping Dredge Project
Shawn recognized Jerry Hill for rock donations, Will Salmon for help with machinery used for digging, and Dan and Connie Weidmaier for allowing Dredge America access to power for the project.
6.  A member asked a question about the depth of water in the Yacht club which Shawn answered.

Finance Committee Report

Terry Nibarger, Treasurer, Lot 657 reported:
Terry began by thanking all the members of the Finance Committee for their hard work.  A special thanks to Paula Hepinstall as the chair of the Finance Committee.  Thanks to Paula for her part in changing accounting firms this year which saved the association $30K and for the leg work associated with scheduling our audit for next year.
The Finance Town Hall was held September 16, 2023 to discuss in detail questions regarding the budget.
Terry thanked all the volunteers and donors who have contributed so much to the Lake this past year.  He discussed how the Harbor is a game changer and will become a reality with little expense to the members.  He indicated we are getting the harbor at about 15% of what it would have cost us to install.
Terry reported on the basic operating expenses and the trends seen during the past year.
Increases include:
• Wages up 40%
• Dredge Operations  Up 392% (covered by special dredge assessment)
• Roads up 169%
• Trash up 115%
• Propane up 102%
• Maintenance up 71%
Decreases include:
• Electricity 72%
• Phones 71%
• Legal & Professional 40%
Terry reported overall expenses increased 168%, while income from dues, assessments, etc. have only increased 66% in the same time period. All of this increase was from operations which must be incurred to run the lake. This variance is not sustainable. Despite the increase, VVA came in under budget from 2017 – 2021, and was only slightly over budget in 2022.
In the past, VVA has sold Community Area lots for sizeable return to fund projects, but we are quickly nearing the end of this income option.
• Total sales income         $689,526.86
• Community Area sales  $560,458.00
Sale of Community Areas represent 81% of total sales income.  The last community area property we plan to sell is currently on the market.
In summary we have presented the facts, good and bad, and the membership now must decide how we proceed to provide for the future of the lake.  Today we ask you to approve the 2024 Budget as proposed.
Voting Instructions
Membership was instructed that for election of two board members,  paper ballots will be completed.  The ballots will be collected and will be counted by two individuals who are not associated with VVA.  The Bylaw changes and Budget voting will be done by show of card and will be counted by designated counters.

Introduction And Election Of New Board Members

President Doug Winter asked for nominations from the floor for additional candidates for the board. There were no nominations from the floor.  The three candidates running include Robert Walton, Tony Gronniger and Michelle Sullivan.  Each candidate was given five minutes to present their reasons for running for the Board of Directors to the membership. The candidates then took questions from membership for a few minutes.
The two newly elected board members were Robert Walton and Michelle Sullivan.
Bylaw Proposed Changes And Voting Results
Tom Rice presented the two changes that are being proposed.
• The Lake Manager shall present a projection of needed capital expenditures.  The committee shall meet no later than July 15 with a budget ready for approval no later than the September board meeting.   This change is being proposed since the Annual Meeting date has been changed from the first Sunday in March to the first Sunday in October.
The membership vote was 143 for and 1 against.  The change will be made to the bylaws.
• Add Fishing Committee as a permanent standing committee under Article VIII: COMMITTEES
Section 10.  Fishing Committee.  This Committee will consist of at least three (3) Active Members.  It shall be the responsibility of the Fishing Committee to submit recommendations for fishing improvements, activities,  regulations, and concerns to the Board of Directors.
The membership vote was 145 for and 1 against.  The committee will be added.

Proposed Budget Assessments For 2024 Voting Results

2024 Proposed2023 Budget
• Special Assessments $719.22 $597.32
• Special Lake Assessments $122.55 $114.45
• Dredge Personnel $22.20 $21.80
• Special Lake Accrual $32.70 $32.70
• Special Road Assessments $129.56 $37.06
• Capital Project Assessment $46.87 $46.87
• TOTAL Assessments for 1 lot including $75.00 dues  $1148.10
This is an increase of $122.90 for the year or $10.24 per month over the 2022 budget.
The membership vote was 70 for the 2024 proposed budget assessments and 72 against the 2024 assessments.  The Finance Committee and the Board will reconvene to discuss budget revisions.

Adjourn
Motion was made and accepted to adjourn the Annual meeting at 4:20 pm.   The Board met after meeting was adjourned to assign responsibilities to the new members.

Attendance

 A sign-in Attendance Sheet is on record at the Office for reference.  Let the record show that these minutes are a record of the business transacted at this meeting and are a sampling of the discussions.  Comments and discussions are not reflected in whole or as actual quotations in the minutes, nor do they reflect all comments by members.