Budget Proxy and By-Laws Amendment to Reduce Board Size

First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back all the snowbirds. As I told one of our returning couples last week, it puts a smile on my face to see our snowbirds back in International Village because it’s a sure harbinger of cooler weather and my favorite time of year in Florida.

As mentioned at our recent Board of Directors meeting, you should be receiving your budget proxy in the mail in the next several days. Voting YES to waive reserves means no maintenance fee increase. Voting No or failing to vote means a 50 percent maintenance fee increase. So you must vote YES if you would prefer to keep maintenance fees the same.

In addition to voting on waiving reserves, you are also being asked to vote on a proposed amendment to our association By-Laws to reduce the size of the Board of Directors from seven members to five members beginning in February 2018. Although this By-Laws amendment proposal was another board member’s idea, I am supporting it for various reasons:

First, it’s always a struggle to find good, honest candidates to run for the board who don’t have their own selfish interests at heart. That task has grown even harder as the percentage of non-resident owner-investors has risen over the years, since so many live either outside the county, out of state or even overseas. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the state legislature this year decided to impose term limits on condo board members, which will further shrink the pool of eligible candidates over time.  Finally, I believe having a smaller board will improve board cohesion and reduce the tendency to split into rival factions as has happened in the past.

So I recommend voting “YES” both on waiving reserves and reducing the size of the Board of Directors. Just be sure to sign your proxy and mail it back or drop it off at the association office as soon as possible. You may also scan it and email it in. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

John Labriola

International Village President