Ready for another $1.4 million special assessment?

Just in case you thought this past year’s $1.3 million special assessment (and 18.5 percent maintenance increase) wasn't enough, the International Village Board of Directors has a nice Grinch-style surprise for you tomorrow, just in time for Christmas and just weeks before the next Board election: a $1.4 million “Part 2” special assessment (under the vaguely worded agenda item of "Project Re-organization").

Although I warned you about this in a recent blog post, I’m still in shock at the sheer brazenness of it, coming so close to the election and just one day before a budget meeting designed to raise your maintenance fees by 7.4 percent. Obviously, this Board is in a big hurry to PICK your pockets before you hopefully KICK them out of office. But by then, if they get their way, you’ll be in the poorhouse and your foreclosed unit will be available for them to snatch up for a song and flip for megabucks (as our vulture-like immediate past Board president from Quebec was so adept at).

To add insult to injury, the $1.4 million special assessment package we’ll be considering on Monday (Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse) includes $75,000 for a camera surveillance project despite a recent ruling by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation that forced Board President Marvin Tow’s $150,000 camera scheme to be put on hold. I guess we’re supposed to be grateful that the revised plan calls for only 88 cameras instead of the 286 originally proposed, but it still happens to be illegal.

Other projects on the special assessment list:

• $150,000 for balcony repairs
• $390,000 for building renovations (for those buildings that weren't renovated)
• $300,000 to replace the Nottingham roof
• $200,000 for painting the exteriors of the buildings (which don't appear to need it)
• $80,000 for roadway resealing
• $160,000 for an electronic key building access system (to go along with the maximum-security scheme I discussed in my last blog post).

The entire plan, if approved, will require a special assessment of approximately $1,500 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,000 for a two-bedroom unit. But the Board would have to meet again to structure the special assessment in terms of the number of payments based on whether bank financing can be obtained. 

Our association attorney is still “investigating” whether we “really need” to give the mailed 14-day notice of intent to special assess required under Florida law before an assessment is actually imposed, since the previous Board in September 2012 already approved both Parts 1 and 2 of the special assessment but postponed Part 2 the following week.

There's no question in my mind that such a notice is required, not only because the first notice is now well over a year old and many owners have come and gone since then, but because the plan itself changed. The last four projects listed above weren't even included in the original list approved last year. So if the Board approves the revised list on Monday, I expect the notice of intent to special assess will have to be included in the Board of Directors election ballot package that will be mailed to all unit owners around the end of this month. That will give this Board just enough time to impose the new special assessment before its term expires on Jan. 27, 2014. So now you understand the rush.

It’s the height of arrogance for this Board to take such consequential action just before its term runs out. It amounts to attempting to tie the hands of the next Board before it even takes office. Common sense dictates that this special assessment proposal should be an issue for the campaign as owners make up their minds whom to vote for based on their position on this question. That’s what elections are for. So in the spirit of democracy, I plan to make a motion to table (postpone) this preposterously timed item until after the Jan. 27 election. If you agree with me, please let the Board know by emailing them HERE, and be sure to come to this Monday night’s meeting (and Tuesday night's budget meeting as well). It's time to stand up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!