News from the Board

During the last meeting of the HOA Board of Directors, the Board appointed the following positions:

• President:  Greg Rice
• Treasurer:  Scott Meeks
• Secretary:  Darrell Contreras

The Board has reviewed the budget and the cost of insurance and other expenses is increasing.  As a community, we need to evaluate our options for keeping pace with the increased expenses and other long-term preventative maintenance projects. No decision has been made at this time. The Board will provide updates as more information is obtained.

Front Gate:

We have received bids and evaluated the responses.  We are still awaiting additional information from a contractor before proceeding.  We are evaluating the following options:

1. Bar code sticker for entry
2. Restricted contractor access after hours and on weekends
3. Pedestrian gate
4. Better monitoring of access

Dredging Options:

We have explored options for dredging and, at this point, the cost is prohibitive.  We are not exploring additional options at this time.

The current Bylaws, DCCRs, and Rules need to be updated and revised.  The first stage of this project will kick-off in January.  Here is the plan:

1. BYLAWS:  The Bylaws document is the overarching governance document for the Community that address how the Community is run.  There are no individual rules included in the Bylaws.  The revised Bylaws have been drafted but need to be reviewed by the attorney to ensure they comply with all legislative changes.  Once the draft has been reviewed, we will distribute the proposed Bylaws and hold a community meeting via Zoom to review the Bylaws and proposed changes, receive feedback, and set a date for submission to the community for approval.
2. DCCRs:  The DCCRs are all of the restrictive covenants (rules) for the Community.  Currently, there are more than 120 rules in the DCCRs and the Rules document.  Many of the rules, standards and restrictions are restatements of city and county ordinances that are not necessary to individually articulate in the Community documents in favor of a general "compliance with local and county ordinances" provision.  As we begin the rewrite of the DCCRs, there are some structural sections that will be addressed first before diving into the revision of the specific rules, standards, and restrictions.  Once that structure is approved, adding the specific standards and restrictions can occur.
3. RULES:  The current Rules document is an Exhibit to the DCCRs that repeats some of the rules.  It is not necessary to have a rules document that is separate from the DCCRs.  For that reason, the plan is to have a complete DCCR document that includes all of the rules the Community elects to maintain.  Once completed, Laguna Bay will have Bylaws and DCCRs only.

The Board has communicated with SBB regarding enforcement of the rules.  Here are the key points for the Community to know:

1. The rules will be enforced.  The first step is notification but if the violation repeats or is not corrected, fines will be levied.  Everyone was informed about the rules and restrictions that are in place for this Community.  There may be some rules that are not 100% clear and there may be rules you want to change.  We are starting a process to revise and correct rules, but IGNORING OR NOT COMPLYING WITH A RULE IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE OPTION.  
2. No one will be surprised by a fine.  We are aware that in the past, SBB has sent letters to homeowners based on their periodic drive-by's in the Community that may not reflect true violations.  We have established a process whereby every complaint is escalated and reviewed by the Board BEFORE any communication is sent to a homeowner.  The Board is making an effort to eliminate violation letters that are not well-informed; as a Community we need to commit to following the rules to avoid having to issue letters.
3. Many of the rules, restrictions, and standards are clear in the existing DCCRs and Rules.   The Community will be expected to comply with those rules.  For rules that are not clear, questions can be submitted to the Board via the Board email address: Board@LagunaBayHOA.com.
4. All external, permanent projects require ARC approval in advance. Further, once a project has been approved by the ARC, the completed project must match the ARC submission.  Failure to match the ARC submission can result in the homeowner correcting or removing the project at the homeowner's expense. 

We have a complete directory of all residents with addresses, lot numbers, and a primary and secondary email.  We will use email addresses to communicate changes and updates to this website.  We will work with SBB to get the names, addresses, and lot numbers on the secured SBB website. No email addresses will be included.