A View from the Board
November 2019
The following is the latest in a series of monthly messages from the RVR Master Association Board, called “A View From The Board.” The messages summarize recent Board decisions and discussions, and are designed to bring RVR homeowners up to date on issues important to the community.


Dear RVR Homeowners,

One of the Board’s most important responsibilities each year is producing the Master Association’s annual budget. It’s the blueprint for how we manage our affairs throughout the year.

This month’s “View From the Board” will focus on the 2020 Master Association budget – the process of developing it, as well as some of the thinking that went into it.

Our budget process is meant to be transparent. It’s your money, and we want you to be comfortable that the RVRMA Board is being a responsible steward of the community’s finances.

Working with RVRMA management, we’ve been very busy in recent weeks, developing a draft 2020 budget that you’ll soon be able to review. The Oct. 23 Board meeting saw our first budget discussion as a group. Two weeks later, we carefully studied the proposed budget, line by line. Over more than three hours, we had thoughtful discussions about both the big picture, and granular detail.

The entire Board has been involved in this process, evaluating income and expenses – and assessing whether any policies, procedures or activities need to be adjusted as a result. Once we arrived at a proposed budget, we determined whether a monthly dues increase is needed.

Just as most of us do with our household budgets, the Board looked at how we spent the Master Association’s money last year, and how we intend to spend it next year.  We are now confident that this budget allows the Master Association to operate efficiently next year, and sets aside adequate funding for future needs.

Here are highlights of our proposed 2020 budget.

Operational Budget: This year, we propose a very small increase of $2 per month to the Operational budget; that’s less than one percent. I’d like to commend our management team – Sterling Page, Kendra Ford and James Maguire – for their efforts to streamline processes, often resulting in cost savings, or very minimal increases. This is not an easy task; costs in the Roaring Fork Valley for labor and materials are rising steeply. In particular, the labor market is extremely competitive, making it challenging to find contractors and employees at affordable rates.

Reserve Budget:
Dues for the Reserve budget will increase $4 per month. That’s a nine percent increase. This is primarily because our facilities and infrastructure are aging, and we anticipate significant maintenance and replacements in the next few years. 

Combined Operational and Reserve Budget: The total monthly dues increase will be $6, representing a two percent increase. This puts monthly RVRMA dues for 2020 at $298.

Those who live in sub-associations within RVR pay additional dues for various services. Those additional dues will be shown in the proposed budget you receive in the next few days.

Next Steps in Budget Process: The budget process is open and transparent. We are encouraging homeowners to get as involved as they want to be. Here are some important upcoming milestones in the budget process:

Nov. 15: You should receive a copy of the proposed 2020 budget, in your e-mail inbox.
Nov. 20: To learn more about the 2020 budget, homeowners can attend the monthly Board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20. It’s an opportunity to ask questions or provide input, before the Board votes to approve the new budget.
Dec. 2: Budget ballots will be available at the Ranch House, so property owners can pick them up and vote on the budget.
Dec. 6: Any ballots not picked up by Dec. 6 will be mailed to the remaining property owners. 
Dec. 18: A brief Annual Meeting will be held prior to the Board’s monthly meeting on Dec. 18. At this Annual Meeting, when results of the homeowners’ vote are announced, RVRMA members will have another opportunity for questions and comments.

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If you have any feedback on the budget process, please share it with General Manager Sterling Page (gm@rvrcommunity.com). He’ll pass your comments along to the Board, or respond to you directly.

Our next Board meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 5:30 pm in the Ranch House Board meeting room, where you can provide your input on the budget before the Board votes on it. Hope to see you there.



On behalf of your volunteer RVRMA Board,

Yvonne Perry
Board President









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