"State of the Isles" President's Letter - July 2018

​Dear Neighbor,
 
I hope you had a great Independence Day and have some exciting plans for the summer.  Here is a quick overview of things that are going on within Venetian Isles.

Management Company Update:
As communicated at the Annual Meeting as well as in the March “State of the Isles” letter, the V.I.H.A. Board has formed a committee to evaluate engaging a property management company to assist with day-to-day functions, instead of relying on volunteers.  This has become necessary given that fewer people are able to commit their time and longtime volunteers are no longer able to contribute as many hours as they have in the past. 

In April, we sent out a survey to V.I.H.A. members asking: “would you be in favor of retaining a management company and of mandatory dues for all V.I. residents.”   Of the 135 survey respondents, the overwhelming majority (78%) were in favor of this initiative.  The chart to the right shows a breakout of the responses:

We had scheduled a Town Hall meeting in May where property management companies could provide an overview of their services and answer residents’ questions.  However, we cancelled the meeting due to the need for additional due diligence. The committee has completed further due diligence, including conversations with legal counsel, which indicate that transitioning the “voluntary” membership in the V.I.H.A. to a “mandatory” membership, including the requirement to pay annual dues, is an initiative that would prove to be tremendously difficult to implement and might not be legally enforceable. 
 
That leaves the V.I.H.A. with the same problem: effectively enforcing Deed Restrictions and seeking to improve our community with a shrinking volunteer base.  The Board will continue to research a cost-effective way to have third-party property management services that would not be dependent on mandatory dues which we hope to be able to discuss at the October General Meeting.  If you have any suggestions, please let us know.  
 
Maintaining high standards dictated by the Deed Restrictions and continued community improvements have contributed to increasing real estate values in V.I. We recently added a graph to the www.ourvi.org homepage which tracks “Property Sales in Venetian Isles” that shows a positive trend. We plan to update and share this graph regularly. Our thanks to Thomas Flynn for compiling these statistics.
 
“Better Idea Time”
Subsequent to the release of the March “State of the Isles” and my mid-April update, there was quite a lot of “chatter” on the “Next Door” website about the concept of mandatory dues.  Let me make the following points to clarify some of the issues that were raised:

• The VI.H.A. Board debates issues through our official forums and not via social media. Board meetings are open to V.I.H.A. members.  Further, all changes to the Deed Restrictions are subject to approval of 66.67% of V.I. Property Owners.  We will not respond to or acknowledge unfounded, unsupported claims or criticisms made in social media. Posts by Board Members in social media, represent their personal opinions rather than official V.I.H.A. Board positions.

• The Board is not seeking to consolidate power within Venetian Isles through the engagement of a management company.  Quite the contrary, a third-party independent management company should eliminate any perceptions of individual bias in the enforcement of the Deed Restrictions.  

• As long as I am still President, the Board will operate with full transparency and will facilitate ongoing dialogue with residents on key issues particularly at the General Meeting and Annual Meeting.  Similarly, we have sought residents’ input on key issues through surveys sent out to current V.I.H.A. members for whom we have an email address. (If you are a dues payer and you are not signed up for emails and surveys, you can opt in on  http://www.ourvi.org/feedback-and-inquiries.html ).

• The V.I.H.A. Board’s primary goal is to make life better in V.I..  However, we are all volunteers and do not pretend to have “all the answers.”  We greatly welcome your feedback on how we can improve the functions of the V.I.H.A., better meet your expectations and communicate more effectively.  The contact information for all Board and Committee members is available on the VI website ( http://www.ourvi.org/board-members.html )  

Beautification Efforts
Work is almost complete on the Overlook Bridge entrance to VI.  Accent lights have been installed on the trees and additional landscaping will be finished by August 1.  
 
Police Reports
I get a report every week from our Community Police Officer which averages maybe one call a week.  There was one burglary of a vehicle in the past month, but the vehicle was left unlocked.  Please remember to remove items of value from your cars and keep them locked so we can continue with this positive trend.
 
Hurricane Season
Hurricane season is upon us so, especially for those new residents of VI, be prepared by having all the recommended supplies. There are numerous hurricane preparedness guides available online, including the City of St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay Times and local TV station websites.
 
Other Items

• The General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 11 at Lutheran Church of the Cross.  6:30 p.m. social followed by meeting at 7:00 p.m.

• Oktoberfest is Saturday. October 20 on Kansas Ave. South.  Details to follow. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Julie Scanlon at jscanlon2048@gmail.com

• The 2018 Directory of Homeowners has been distributed to property owners who have paid their 2018 dues.  Annual dues of $120.00 may be paid online at https://www-ourvi-org.checkout.weebly.com/#payment

• We are looking for advertisers to support the New Residents’ reception in September.  Please contact Virginia Brenman at vbrenman@ourvi.org for details on sponsorship opportunities.  

Please let me know of anything you think the V.I.H.A. Board should be aware of. 

Thank you.
 
Rich Scanlon
V.I.H.A. President
rscanlon@ourvi.org