August Update
While it seems that August was a blur, its important to be paying attention during this time of year when budgeting and dues increases are being debated. Nobody wants to reduce or eliminate events or amenities around our town; of that I am sure. Though it is important to keep in perspective the costs and profitability of such things, as well as the long-term impact of our financial decisions. As we move through September, keep a keen eye out for how your money is being spent and what you’re actually getting from it. With that said, here is my recap of my experiences in August on the CROA Board of Directors.
The community effort to recall Cindy Swisher, Celia McFadden, and David Anderson from their director positions and remove them from the board was announced at the beginning of the month. For more details visit www.CelebrationRecall.com
On July 28th, Mr. Wise (myself) sent an e-mail to the board recommending receiving daily updates from the Grand Manors appointed project manager. Ms. Swisher, Ms. McFadden, Mr. Grindl, Dr. Anderson, and Mr. Richards all opposed receiving daily updates. Ms. Swisher actively blocked my request. This communication can be found here. Again, on August 8th, Mr. Wise requested daily updates, and it was yet again stated by Ms. Swisher, Ms. McFadden, Dr. Anderson, and Mr. Grindl stating once a week updates were fine with them. Finally, on August 9th, Mr. Richards requested a vote on the subject of daily updates regarding the playground. Mr. Wise (myself), Mr. Hays, Mr. Richards all voted to request daily updates. Ms. Swisher agreed to do whatever others thought best. Ms. McFadden voted against daily updates, and Dr. Anderson and Mr. Grindl did not respond. Based on the majority, management has been daily updates regarding the playground to the board.
On August 5th Tim Swisher, spouse of Board President Cindy Swisher, shared the contents of a resident email that was sent only to the board of directors. It is unclear how he had access to this board-only e-mail, as no records request was made. When Ms. Swisher was questioned on this by Mr. Wise (myself) and Mr. Hays, she incorrectly accused Mr. Wise of sharing private resident emails (referring to a different resident e-mail from months prior). Mr. Wise critically disputed this false accusation; at which time it was revealed that Mr. Richards actually shared the e-mail Ms. Swisher was questioning. She then thanked and commended Mr. Richards for being “man enough to admit it was” him, claiming he had integrity in doing so.
At the August 9th Budget Workshop, Mr. Wise (myself) requested that Ms. Swisher and Dr. Anderson recuse themselves from conversation regarding the Celebration Chorus funding, based on the fact that they are both officers of this organization, and the corporate address is Ms. Swishers residence. They both refused and demanded to speak, while Mr. Wise, Mr. Hays, and Mr. Richards continued to object to their involvement in the discussion. They encouraged funding of their organization, with Dr. Anderson stating his organization should be funded more than the requested amount. It was agreed by all that legal counsel should be consulted on the subject. This was done shortly after the meeting, and it was made clear that multiple board members (including Ms. Swisher, Dr. Anderson, and Ms. McFadden) indeed had conflicts of interest that should be disclosed publicly.
On August 10th CROA agreed to hold a joint meeting with CCDD regarding discussions surrounding a Master Plan for the community.
In the August Budget Workshop, Mr. Wise (myself) made a recommendation to use part of a $433K balance of offset funds to help pay for some of the new labor we may need. After further discussion with the Finance Committee, Mr. Wise made a statement at the August Board Meeting to make sure to say that he no longer thinks this is a good idea. The reason being that while it solves the issue for this budget cycle, we would just be short these five additional salaries in 2024, and the increase would be disproportionate then. He retracted his recommendation, also stating the Finance Committee was unaware of these new positions when they presented the first budget to the board.
On August 18th Mr. Wise (myself) requested a special meeting to discuss the urgent situation surrounding the playgrounds. This meeting was opposed by Ms. Swisher, Ms. McFadden, Dr. Anderson and Mr. Grindl. The correspondence stating this can be found here. Because two directors called for the meeting, it was scheduled for August 22.
On August 22nd the Playground Resolution Meeting was held. There was much discussion about how things are currently and what needed to be done. Jared Wise (myself) questioned the assigned project manager, and Grand Manors staff Mr. Roger Edwards stated that the project manager that was hired was not an independent project manager as originally explained. He also stated that he has never worked with this project manager before and has no prior experience with her. It was directed by the board collectively that an independent project manager needs to be assigned. Mr. Wise volunteered to oversee the Playground Projects to completion from a board perspective. The outcome of the meeting is that Grand Manors will hire a project manager by Friday, August 25. The board will provide directives to Grand Manors by this same date. There will be a week for the new project manager to become adjusted, and then a first update for the community on Tuesday, September 5.
At the August Board Meeting, Mr. Richards was voted unanimously as the CROA Liaison to the Osceola County School District. Mr. Wise (myself) and Mr. Richards were also voted co-Liaisons to Mattamy. Mr. Wise was also appointed Liaison to the Playground Resolutions.
At the August Board Meeting, Ms. Swisher, Mr. Richards, Mr. Hays, and Mr. Wise (myself) voted to approve moving forward with the GoGov application for resident maintenance requests. Dr. Anderson and Mr. Grindl opposed the motion, with Ms. McFadden abstaining. Integration steps will take place immediately.
At the August Board Meeting, there was a unanimous vote by the board to establish a Master Plan Advisory Group. Applications will be accepted immediately, with candidates to be appointed at or prior to the September Board Meeting.
On August 31st, the Osceola County School District requested to cancel the field and baseball maintenance and use contract with CROA. This will take effect in the next 90 days, affect multiple partner programs, and reduce revenue by ~$5,000.