Board of Directors Officers 2016

Ken Stafford—–-Pres 19

David Casarsa——VP 19 Elections, Bylaws, Web

Guenter Recknagel, Treasurer————–—18

Bill Carlock————–17 Asst. Treas., City Liaison

Joanne Carlock——–17 Secretary, Recreation

Mary Jo Pierson——-17 Welcome

Bill Iiams———–——19 Maintenance Director

DECEMBER—EDITION 2016 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 12

CONTENTS

President’s Remarks V.P. Article

Recreation Update Money Talks Booster Page

December Calendar

THE NEXT CLARION WILL BE

OUR JANUARY ISSUE

Our Board meetings are very interesting!

Come and check it out.

2nd Monday of every month at 7pm.

Jockey Club ——-”a community helping to build a city”

Jockey Club of North Port Property Owners’ Association, Inc. A Covenant Protected Community

TO ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017.

MANY THANKS TO OUR BOARD, OFFICE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. YOUR

SUPPORT THROUGHOUT 2016 FULFILLED A GREAT YEAR AT THE

JOCKEY CLUB.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

V.P.’S REMARKSV.P.’S REMARKS David Casarsa, Vice PresidentDavid Casarsa, Vice President

December marks the one year anniversary of our cancelling our contract with a property management organization (PMO) and becoming self-sufficient in operations, finances and administration. If you have read previous issues of the Clarion and visited the Clubhouse you are aware of the improvements that have been made and continue to be made in the Jockey Club. Rather than highlight past events, I wish to provide my personal opinions regarding lessons that we, the Board have learned, in dealing with and transitioning from the support of a PMO. It is hoped that future Boards take these lessons into consideration should the argument for the need for a PMO arise in the future.

I will deal with three factors, the contract, responsibility and decision taking.

First, the contract. Most PMOs charge a fee per the numbers of households in a HOA. This amounts to a few to several dollars a month per home. Multiply that number by 611 and you get the base fee that the Jockey Club would pay. Many believe that this amount includes office employee wages, legal fees and administration fees. It does not. PMO contracts contain fee schedules for additional charges such as letters, correspondence, legal referrals and employee wages. These schedules are not embedded in fine print nor are they hidden in any manner. The lesson here is to read and understand the contract thoroughly and to conduct cost comparisons based on how business is done with and without a PMO. This will give you a more accurate estimate of monthly and annual costs.

Second, responsibility. A PMO takes on a great deal of administrative work but the responsibility and accountability remains with the Board. It remains necessary for the Board to be completely engaged with the PMO and avoid delegating responsibilities that grant too much initiative to the PMO. For example, the Board must avoid delegating Collections and ECC violations to a PMO. This creates animosity and an adversarial relationship with the membership and costs a lot of money (approximately $15-$25 per letter depending on type). It is the Board who must deal with the animosity, adversity and cost increase and explain same to the membership.

Continued on Pg.3

Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner already? A big welcome back to our neighbors from the north. I hope you all had a safe trip back. We look forward to seeing you and catching up.

It is with a mixture of emotions that I notify you of the resignation of Board member Fred McMahon. I would like to thank him for his dedication, hard work, and effort as the former President who led the transition to self-governance for our community. He will be greatly missed and I wish him good luck in his future endeavors.

I would encourage each and every one of you to consider what you can do to help. Whether that is volunteering an hour a month, assistance delivering the Clarion, or running for the board, anything you could do would be greatly appreciated.

If I can be of any assistance to the members of this community, please contact me by leaving a message with the office staff and I will return your call and make myself available to help if I can.

Kenny Stafford, President

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Continued from pg.2

Third, decision taking. The Board is still in charge and must take all decisions. With a PMO, it is often difficult to get necessary information in a timely manner as a base for decision taking. A PMO, having a financial interest in the Club, may be less supportive of analysis or options that would reduce its income. Additionally, decision taking regarding maintenance and other projects must remain with the Board. It is the Board who should seek estimates from contractors and not the PMO. Some PMO have a list of their contractors whose services may not come at the best price. In the end, the Board (and you) pays. It goes without saying, that any policy decision is a Board responsibility. The PMO can make recommendations, but should not be tasked to do option analysis. The PMO is a company whose ultimate interest is profit which may not necessarily coincide with the interests and needs of the Club.

In conclusion, I have briefly discussed three issues future Boards must consider should the argument for a PMO be resurrected. In each of the factors discussed, there is the underlying factor of cost. Given its current financial status and annual membership dues, it will not be possible for the Jockey Club to hire a PMO without raising HOA dues to cover, as a minimum, the monthly base management fee. This would amount to a minimum increase of $40.00 per month. Sound familiar?

The Board has the authority under its Bylaws to contract a PMO on its own. However, an increase in HOA dues would require a majority vote from the membership. A future Board must take the vote to hire a PMO to the membership as it will, without question, necessitate an increase in membership dues. In this manner, the Board gets buy-in from the membership thus reducing conflict and animosity between the Board, the PMO and the membership. Such a significant change in how the Jockey Club does business must have the support of its members. A vote by the members is the only way to do so.

JOCKEY CLUB POA ASSESSMENT FOR 2017 CAN BE PAID SOONER THAN LATER. PLEASE BRING IN OR MAIL YOUR YEARLY ASSESSMENT OF $240.00 TO THE JOCKEY CLUBHOUSE OFFICE. STATEMENTS WILL BE MAILED OUT SOON, AND ARE DUE BY MARCH 1, 2017. THANK YOU!

Having a family function? Planning a class reunion? What about a 50th Wedding Anniversary? Our Club house is the ideal place to rent for most functions. Call the office at 941-426-3800 to ask about our reasonable rates

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NEXT REC MEETING WILL BE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH AT 6PM

THE LADIES’ LUNCHEON WILL RESUME IN DECEMBER, EVERY OTHER TUESDAY,

BEGINNING ON THE 6TH AND AGAIN ON THE 20TH AT NOON.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THEN!

Money Talks By Guenter Recknagel

The Board of Directors have had their say in regard to the coming year’s JC budget, and all is well. Hope, in the meantime, you had some comment (s) and suggestion (s)* for us despite the busy days we are all experiencing before the holidays.

Thank you for the support throughout the year and wishing you and your family all the best for the coming year.

*Hint: You can find a copy of the 2017 Budget in the Clubhouse office or on the internet at jockeyclubnorthport.com

SECRETARY’S NOTES: Joanne Carlock, Secretary

We need your help! Volunteers are desperately needed to deliver The

Clarion newsletter each month. Each volunteer need only deliver their

block. Many hands help get the job done faster. Please call the Jockey

Club office at 941.426.3800, for more information.

Reminder: The Christmas Party is on Friday December 2nd at 5:30pm.

Tickets are available only to homeowners in good standing. Seating is

limited so don’t delay in getting your tickets. Entertainment will be

provided by the Orphans Choir of the Ukraine. We ask that each

homeowner bring in a non-perishable food item for the group.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

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This page contains the names of people who have contributed $10 a year to help with the expenses of the newsletter. We thank you for your generosity. To add your name as a BOOSTER, bring $10 to the office and the name as you want it to appear. The date following each name is when the BOOSTER needs to be paid to stay in the newsletter without interruption. Please make your check payable to the Jockey Club and bring it to the Office by the 15th of the month of your renewal, if at all possible. Do not hesitate to contact us if correc-tions need to be made.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! JILL LUKE 02/2017 KENT MUDGETT 05/2018 GLORIA PECKLER 11/2017 PEGGY ROSENZWEIG 11/2017 LOIS TUCKER 04/2017 KATHLEEN GORMAN MARSHALL 07/2017 BLAYNE PRASSEL 09/2017

The CLARION NEWSLETTER is an official publication of the Jockey Club, edited by the Board Officers for the benefit of all our members. We encourage news and feature articles, but we reserve the right to edit, rewrite, or reject any of the submissions. The views expressed in the Clarion Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Board of Directors of the Jockey Club. Please mail your contributions to the Jockey Club or drop it off at the Clubhouse.

A Production of the

JOCKEY CLUB POA

3050 Pan American Blvd. North Port, FL 34287

PH: 941-426-3800 FAX: 941-423-6239

WEBSITE: www.jockeyclubnorthport .com

EMAIL: jockeyclubnorthport @gmail.com

STAFF:

Jen Iiams Margie Budd Penny Stafford

EDITOR OF THE CLARION:

Margie Budd

ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

Jen Iiams and Penny Stafford

PUBLISHER:

COMMUNITY MEDIA

BOOSTER PAGE The Clarion

FYI: Besides permits from the City of North Port, permits are also needed by the

Jockey Club office for any improvements to your property. Buildings, fences, sheds, structures, roofs, driveways, etc. Please refer to Article VI, Section A. of

the Declarations of Covenants and Restrictions. See Page 6.

BUY—BANK—DINE—SHOP NORTH PORT This newsletter is paid for by the advertisers you see throughout. We encourage the residents of the Jockey Club to show your apprecia-tion by supporting these businesses. If you would like to advertise in our newsletter, please call 941-375-3699 COMMUNITY MEDIA publishers.

NEED A RIDE? S.C.A.T. (Sarasota County Area Transit) is another mode of transportation. Many routes are available around North Port, to Venice, Englewood, Sarasota, Lido, Siesta, and Long Boat Keys. Please use the contact information below to get a bus schedule.

Contact Phone Numbers: Email: Scatcustomerservice@scgov.net 941-861-5000 Website: scatscgov.net TTY: 7-1-1 or 1-800-955-8771

There is no SCAT bus or Trolley service on the holidays.

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 JOCKEY

CLUB POA CHRISTMAS DINNER 5:30PM

3

4 CHURCH

SERVICES 10AM-2PM

5 6 LADIES’

LUNCHEON @ 12:00

7 LADIES

PAINT 10AM

8 9 10

11 CHURCH

SERVICES 10AM-2PM

12 JOCKEY

CLUB BOARD MEETING 7PM

13 14 LADIES

PAINT 10AM 15 16 17 K OF C

NIGHT AT THE RACES 7-9PM

18CHURCH

SERVICES 10AM-2PM

19 K OF C

MEETING 6PM

20 LADIES’

LUNCHEON @ 12:00

21 LADIES

PAINT 10AM 22 23 24 CLOSED

Christmas Eve Hanukkah Begins Sundown

CLOSED 26 27 28 LADIES

PAINT 10AM 29

30 31 CLOSED

NEW YEAR’S EVE AND NEW YEARS DAY

December 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM

FLORIDA

WITH LOVE

SWIM EXERCISE CLASS MEETS MONDAY thru FRIDAY EVERY WEEK FROM 10-10:30AM

Page 7

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