Heritage Harbour CDD makes assessment changes

HERITAGE HARBOUR — Supervisors of the Heritage Harbour South Community Development District tentatively are pursuing a new methodology for assessing residents within their borders for the operation of the community’s water management system.

The district also may assume more responsibilities currently handled by the community’s homeowner’s association in fiscal year 2012.

The change in assessment methodology comes as a result of recommendations from the board’s engineering consultant, Morris-Riley Development Management.

Under the proposal, assessments first will be allocated based on common areas that should be levied equally among all property owners within the district and then for benefits and land uses based on geographic location.

Of the district’s total 980.8 acres, about 552.5 fall into the common areas category, resulting in 56% of the total costs for the district’s storm water management be divided equally among property owners, the report states.

Based on geographic-specific benefits, Morris is proposing an additional 1% of the total annual assessment be divided equally among homeowners in Lighthouse Cove and another 6% among property owners within Stoneybrook.

The remaining 37% of the total annual assessments would be divided among all properties based on an equivalent residential unit factor for each unit type. Fifty-five- to 85-foot single-family lots all will see decreases ranging from about $60 to $225 annually, as will Stone Harbour Condos, Twin Villas and club homes, which will see decreases of about $5 to $55.

Forty-foot single-family homes and Lighthouse condos both will see increases, as will the golf course, which would assume an increase of about $24,300.

Morris-Riley also presented about the maintenance status of the CDD’s assets and included recommendations for new expenses to maintain those assets.

As part of the 2012 budget, supervisors are considering assuming several responsibilities from the Heritage Harbour Master Association, including monthly street sweeping, annual pressure washing, street signage and other as-needed repairs and street lighting.

Residents at the meeting urged supervisors to “proceed with caution” in assuming HOA handled responsibilities, both to make sure residents are OK with the change and to make sure things the HOA is handling well are not lost in the transition.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

IN OTHER BUSINESS
• Supervisors effectively paid down $128,000 on the principal for certain bonds held by the district, paving the way for Lighthouse Cove residents to see a corresponding 6% reduction in assessments.

Board members voted to accept the Engineer’s Certificate of Completion of the Series 2003 bonds and adopted a resolution to amend the 2011 Fiscal Year budget to transfer funds from two accounts to the prepayment account of the Series 2003A Bonds Debt Service Fund.

Immediately after the vote, Supervisor Lee Bettes called for a five-minute break and presented board members and residents at the meeting with a celebratory cake inscribed with “$128,000.”

“This really was a big deal and a big success,” Bettes said, noting the decision will reduce assessments for Lighthouse Cove homeowners by about $25. “You’ve got to celebrate the victories.”

• Supervisors approved for their attorney Kenza vanAssenderp to coordinate a meeting with representatives from Aquaterra, Heritage Harbour’s developer-controlled irrigation utility, and the CDD about an ongoing dispute over the company’s use of the CDD’s irrigation water distribution system, among other issues.
VanAssenderp said he is prepared to mitigate, if necessary, but believes the meeting will resolve the dispute and keep it out of court.

“Let’s sit down and get to the bottom of this,” vanAssenderp said. “There are still misconceptions going around. Let’s get this thing resolved.”

The board has been trying to develop an irrigation water agreement with Aquaterra since February 2010.

• Community Manager Jim Ward informed supervisors he had a request from a resident to include the installation of speed bumps in Lighthouse Cove as part of the 2012 Fiscal Year budget.