2018 minutes request info and board meeting details

Dear members,

If you are interested in reading through the 2018 SBWA meeting minutes.....please feel free to email me. I have all of these in pdf format. Please send your email to spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com.

Our last board meeting before the annual meeting will be on January 9th at the library at 6:00 PM. If you plan on attending, please let me know in advance.  The library requires the number of people expected.

Thank you,
Michele D
SBWA Secretary

Annual Meeting, Board Seat Nominations and Absentee Ballot

Hello SBWA members,

We are approaching the time of year for our Annual Meeting.
Please look for correspondence in the VERY near future regarding a few things.

You will be receiving a letter asking for nominations as there will be Board Seats open.
You will also be receiving an invitation to the Annual Meeting,
which has been scheduled for January 20th, 2019. Please note this is a Sunday.
Our meetings have normally been on Saturday. You will also be receiving a absentee ballot
that will detail out who has accepted nominations and who you can vote for in case you
are unable to make it to the Annual Meeting. Please remember that in order to vote as
our By-Laws stipulate, you must be a member in good standing. So make sure your account
is current.

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting!
This is a great time to meet new members and catch up with friends you may not see regularly.

Also, be thinking about bringing a goodie to share. We like to have a potluck before the meeting.
Details for that will be on the Annual Meeting invitation. That will go out December 20th, 2018.

Best Regards,

SBWA Board of Directors

October Quarterly Meeting

Hello Members,

Our next quarterly meeting is coming up. It will be held at the Library on October 17th, 2018 at 6:00 pm.  If you would like to attend please email the board at spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com and let us know. The library needs this information in advance. Thanks so much.

SBWA Board

SBWA Document Viewing

Dear SBWA Membership,

The board has reserved the Spirit Lake Community Center on August 25, 2018 from 10am-3pm. We have a few members who have been requesting very detailed documentation and access to records. We would like to extend the invitation to all SBWA members who desire access to the corporate records.

If you would like to make copies please bring your own device as one will not be provided.


Thank you for supporting your SBWA Board of Directors.

Open Letter From SBWA VP

An open letter to the Concerned Members of the SBWA,

This is a quick letter to update you on the current status of all of the items that have been
heavily discussed over the past few months. As you probably read in previous correspondence,
I have joined the SBWA as VP with the resignation of Katie. I admit that I was reluctant to
accept the position but I do feel I have life experience and a skill set that can be beneficial in
facing current issues. I look forward to getting things more organized and bringing the SBWA up
to date on the business items which you have mentioned, and further to those you have not but
for which I see a genuine need.

Regarding the matters of information/record requests I appreciate your zeal and thank you for
sharing in my passion for organization. We are actively pursuing this matter but I do request that
you have patience regarding the timelines involved. I believe you will appreciate that, in an effort
to make sure things are done correctly, we are in active communications with counsel. We are
acting in good faith to organize records, understand legal requirements, and comply with
informational requests as necessary. The board is a volunteer organization and has not
historically been run in such a manner as you and I so desire moving forward. The SBWA
began as a small community organization and has grown into what we have today -- that kind of
growth always comes with some growing pains but in the end we are better for it.

I must tell you that it is my intention as a member of the SBWA board to continue under a policy
of protecting our members privacy when it comes to sensitive information. I do not, for example,
believe that any given member should be able to see another members’ water usage history nor
payments, delinquencies, or other such sensitive information (legal requirements
notwithstanding). When recalling discussions held at previous meetings, I believe (and I think
you agree) that this is the general opinion of the membership. We are a community that values
our privacy and autonomy, and I intend to respect those ideals.

That said, I agree that there is a need for third party oversight and double-checking of accounts.
On this matter I must say that I am disappointed in both sides of the perceived conflict. A lack of
communication, willingness to have discussions, and move forward in a congenial manner has
resulted in a lot of unnecessary wheel spinning. The current status of business regarding an
audit is an organizational mess. I intend to rectify this in good faith and to the best of my ability.

In speaking with the board, they fully intend to conduct an audit of the books. I propose that the
committee provide a listing of three qualified firms and a recommendation for selection at
earliest convenience so that an audit firm can be chosen and mutually agreed upon by
interested parties. The sooner we can have an audit conducted, the sooner we can present the
membership with a “true and fair” view of the financial position of the SBWA. An audit should be
conducted by a qualified firm and should be conducted soon. The amount of time and resources
available to gather necessary information is limited, especially so given our voluntary nature,
and I believe we should focus that effort on providing necessary information as defined by these
experts. If, in the end, the professional reports created by said firms are insufficient for
alleviating concerns of accuracy and transparency, we can then take further action but I believe
that focusing efforts on supporting the requests of these professionals is the most prudent path
forward.

Regarding the matter of a membership vote on removing bylaw audit requirements, I implore all
sides to cordially continue the business forward. The intention of such measures are to align the
organization with the will of its membership, which the vote shall reflect. The rules of order
governing organization are a tool to expedite and organize business, not a weapon. Forgive my
saying so, but this membership is not made up of individuals who are intimately familiar with
rules of order nor proper parliamentary procedure and, as such, mistakes will be made and
grace will be required to prevent a standstill. I hope that communication can be improved and
our meetings can be more productive in the future. When, not if, I make a mistake I hope that
you would bring it to my attention immediately so that I may correct it in good faith.

We are neighbors and this is a community. A community in which I very much enjoy living.
Emotions have run high regarding some of these issues but in the end all that any of us want is
to make this a better place to live. I humbly accept the opportunity to serve and I thank you in
advance for your encouragement during my period on the board.

SBWA Interim Vice President and Chairman of the Board,
Corey Thuen

Quarterly Meeting Info

Our next quarterly meeting is scheduled for July 17th. The meeting will be held at the Library in Spirit Lake. It will be at 6:00 pm. If you plan on attending please email the Secretary at spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com or please call the Secretary because the library needs to know how many people to expect.

Thank You,
Michele

Document pick up

Happy weekend SBWA,
We will be doing a mailing on Monday. The mailing includes your new water certificates and a copy of the bylaws. If you would like to pick yours up before Monday.... we can save a little money on the mailing. Feel free to email the secretary for the pick up location......Unless you want to use your member list to get the address. Maybe I will see ya?!

M. Dow.
Secretary.

Special meeting minutes

The minutes are finished from the special member meeting  to vote on the audit. If you would like a copy of these minutes please email the board at spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com

Thanks!

moving quarterly meeting to July

Hello SBWA community,
The next quarterly meeting will be postponed until July, when we can end our true quarter. A June meeting ends the quarter early and therefore the information presented at the meeting doesn’t represent the true quarter. Plus two of the board members are currently out of town. The board is agreeing on a new date and location for the meeting and once that is decided the blog will be update.
Thanks for your understanding.
Happy summer!

Quarterly Meeting location changed

The next quarterly meeting will not be held at Michele Dow's house. Please email the board if you are interested in the location. Thank you.
 spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com

Special Audit Vote Meeting

A letter will be mailed out to SBWA members as a follow up to the Special Audit Vote Meeting. Please look for that to be mailed out in the next few days.

Drinking Water Report 2017

Above is our Spirit Bend Water Association Drinking Water Report for 2017           

If you would like to request a physical copy please contact the board at spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com

Member List

As per the Idaho Statue listed below the current Member List in available to all members by request. We don't have a place to post the list in our community, so please contact the Secretary Michele Dow at  spiritbendcommunity@gmail.com to receive a copy. 

Thank you for your interest in advance. 

The list includes Member Name, Mailing address and Physical address and number of votes as per this Statute. Phone number and email addresses will not be provided.  Section 9-348 of Idaho code protects that information. 

What can be provided upon request is the Name and Phone number of the listed Agent and listed Board Members with the Secretary of State as listed in Section 9-348(4) 

TITLE 30

CORPORATIONS

CHAPTER 30

IDAHO NONPROFIT CORPORATION ACT

PART 5

MEMBER MEETINGS

30-30-509.  MEMBERS’ LIST FOR MEETING. (1) After fixing a record date for a notice of a meeting, a corporation shall prepare an alphabetical list of the names of all its members who are entitled to notice of the meeting. The list must show the address and number of votes each member is entitled to vote at the meeting. The corporation shall prepare on a current basis through the time of the membership meeting a list of members, if any, who are entitled to vote at the meeting but not entitled to notice of the meeting. This list shall be prepared on the same basis and be part of the list of members.

(2)  The list of members must be available for inspection by any member for the purpose of communication with other members concerning the meeting, beginning two (2) business days after notice is given of the meeting for which the list was prepared and continuing through the meeting, at the corporation’s principal office or at a reasonable place identified in the meeting notice in the city where the meeting will be held. A member or a member’s agent or attorney is entitled on written demand to inspect and, subject to the limitations of sections 30-30-1102(3) and 30-30-1104, Idaho Code, to copy the list, at a reasonable time and at the member’s expense, during the period it is available for inspection.

(3)  The corporation shall make the list of members available at the meeting, and any member or a member’s agent or attorney is entitled to inspect the list at any time during the meeting or any adjournment.

(4)  If the corporation refuses to allow a member or a member’s agent or attorney to inspect the list of members before or at the meeting or copy the list as permitted by subsection (2) of this section, the district court of the county where a corporation’s principal office is located, or if none in this state, Ada county, on application of the member, may summarily order the inspection or copying at the corporation’s expense and may postpone the meeting for which the list was prepared until the inspection or copying is complete and may order the corporation to pay the member’s costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred to obtain the order.

(5)  Unless a written demand to inspect and copy a membership list has been made under subsection (2) of this section prior to the membership meeting and a corporation improperly refuses to comply with the demand, refusal or failure to comply with this section does not affect the validity of action taken at the meeting.

(6)  The articles or bylaws of a religious corporation may limit or abolish the rights of a member under this section to inspect and copy any corporate record.

History:

[30-30-509, added 2015, ch. 243, sec. 78, p. 981.]

Greetings Neighbors,

It’s spring and that means the potholes have woken from their hibernation and begun aggressive breeding. Also, a more lengthy newsletter to keep us all on the same page. If there is anyone out there that wants to add their section of roads to the group working on Spirit Bend, Marsili, and Snickers, we can certainly talk that over. The following update pertains to the neighbors that have chosen to work together. It will go out via the mail and email routes as normal this week.

The current roads organization, as chosen by our neighbors, is very loose. The organization is basically a coffee can where neighbors can donate cash and when a neighbor performs maintenance on the road (whether plowing, gravel purchase, etc) they can take money from the can to cover some expenses. We’re running on the honor system. There is an outline for an annual budget so we don’t overspend on things like gravel, so check in before making an order.

In order to have a more scheduled and consistent road condition, an increase in organization would be required. Your voices have been pretty clear that this is not desired. The obvious tradeoff, then, is that we are relying on neighbors to conduct road maintenance in their spare time using their own funds supplemented by the coffee can.

As the point of contact for the coffee can, I cannot demand that a neighbor perform work on the road nor can I demand someone pay. I can merely collect donations from the neighbors who choose to do so and distribute those donations to the hard-working time-generous neighbors who do the maintenance. If you’ve done work or ordered supplies and would appreciate funds to cover, let me know.

If anyone would like to change their communication preferences, please let me know. I’m happy to send monthly reminders via email(preferred to save $) or mail. For those that choose to donate annually or biannually, I’ll send out a quarterly reminder instead of monthly. If you’d like to stop receiving reminders, that’s fine as well. Just let me know.

Bruce submitted a ledger with the plowing times and equipment used throughout this winter. His neighbor rate for truck, tractor, and grader plowing through the entire winter came to $615. He’s removing his $300 annual contribution amount from that so I’ll distribute $315 to him this month. I’ll be reimbursing myself for envelopes, stamps, community center and the PO Box rental totaling $115.12. Those expenses cover the last 6 months. There is about $2500 remaining to cover spring grading costs and gravel for as much of the roads as possible. Bruce plans to do so when the weather, road conditions, and his schedule line up.

Thank you to everyone who contributes with time, equipment, and/or funds. It is much appreciated.


Thanks,

Aimee Thuen 

Bruce Alexander

Annual Meeting

It is time again to come to our Annual Meeting!
Hope to see you there.
January 20th, 2018
See your water bill for the flyer and more information