The Preserve at Tara faces higher assessments

With large infrastructure expenses looming, Tara Preserve Community Development District supervisors said they might need to increase resident fees.

In its March newsletter, CDD Treasurer Mike Dyer warned residents that their fees will be going up in the next budget cycle, but only “slightly.”

To pay for projects and improvements the last five years, the CDD has used annual excess budget funds. However, those excess funds are running low and the community, at 17 years old, will need more resources to fix problems in the coming years, the newsletter said.

“The Tara CDD 1 is on sound financial ground,” Dyer said at the March 22 regular board meeting.

In the CDD’s first fiscal year 2016-2017 budget workshop in March, supervisors discussed raising fees by 13%.

If voted into effect, the annual increase would mean no more than $130 for estates, $101 for deluxe homes, $86 for villas and $28 for condos.

“We’re not paupers” Dyer said in the meeting. “We’re looking at things we have to do, and we can’t do them without increasing (the fees).”

Dave Loskota, a Tara Preserve resident, attended the meeting because rumors have been spreading in the neighborhood that dues would be “skyrocketing,” he said.

“This isn’t skyrocketing,” he said. “You (supervisors) are very well controlled, and I appreciate that.”

The CDD had to spend $78,000 this year on an upgrade to the pool equipment room, because failing equipment caused frequent floodings at the community center. The project, which will move the equipment outside and place it beneath a Vak Pak, is underway. The CDD hopes to convert the pool equipment room into additional community center space.

Another cost looming before the board will be the expense to either fill or fix Pond 46, a dysfunctional drainage pond off Tara Boulevard. Rick Schappacher, district engineer, investigated the costs of filling in the pond, which would be the most expensive but most effective option. He said the “worst case” cost would be about $45,000.

Jim Kaluk, field manager for Tara, also informed the board that the 16-year-old sprinkler system is failing. He’s replaced two timers on the system but the rest are old and not working properly.

“It’s going to cost us a lot of money to get it up to snuff,” he said. “Just doing regular maintenance is going to increase.”