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How Much Will Reston Association Members Pay in 2012?
Assessments could rise $25 in 2012 and more in 2013 if board approves budget proposal.
How much will Reston Association members pay in 2012?
That is one of the items the Reston Association Board of Directors will be discussing at their meeting Thursday night. The current assessment is $540, and Reston Association CEO Milton Matthews is recommending a 4.6-percent increase to $565. That rate could rise to $590 in 2013.
The board will also consider adopting the 2012-2013 budget and a new strategic plan that will guide the community direction from 2013-2016.
Board members and starr directors met over the summer to work on the new strategic plan to replace the current one, which was implemented in 2007. The draft strategic plan includes five strategic area of focus: Change & Opportunity, Community Leadership & Engagement, Programs and Services, Sustainability and Community Viability, and Technology.
Following a discussion and vote on the Strategic Plan, the board will likely take action of the 2012-2013 Budget. Since March, the staff and board have been working on the budget, providing multiple opportunities for community suggestions, comment and ideas. The Board held two public hearings in October. The draft budget can be viewed here.
In his budget submittal letter, Matthews highlighted the following:
* Recommended Assessment Rate for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 - $565
* Assessment Cap (Maximum Dollar Amount) for FY 2012 - $600
* Recommended Assessment Rate for FY 2013 - $590
* Assessment Cap (Maximum Dollar Amount) for FY 2013 - $627
* Budgeted Operating Fund Revenues for FY 2012 - $14,290,305
* Projected Operating Fund Expenses & Expenditures for FY 2012 - $14,543,320
* Budgeted Operating Fund Revenues for FY 2013 - $14,827,690
* Projected Operating Fund Expenses & Expenditures for FY 2013 - $14,588,840
Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.
Jonathan Erickson
11:29 am on Thursday, November 17, 2011
nuts!
El
12:43 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
This is infuriating!
a
1:21 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
time to move out of reston! they are ripping us all off! only gives greif when asking a question and not allowing simple upgrades to and OLD OLD OLD designs!!!!
Tom Butts
1:41 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Ah yes, can we attribute part of this to the plans to build that indoor tennis court that only a minority of Reston citizens will use? If not, then I stand corrected. If so, then this shows a blatant lack of priorities.
Karen Goff
2:33 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tom - the tennis proposal is not the issue. That has not yet been decided by the board whether even to go to a referendum. If it passes a referendum, then it would go to a ballot. So the tennis facility is many steps away from being a reality (or costing anyone any money).
John Farrell
4:16 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tom
Like you, I am opposed to RA funding the in-door tennis facility. But it is not in the budget nor is the expense for a referendum to authorize it.
At the same time, the pools must be renovated and maintained. And the outdoor tennis courts will cost $1.7 milliion dollars to resurface and maintain over the next 10 years.
The medians must have the grass cut. We only get some of the cost from VDOT.
RA is going to have to do major renovations on the lakes in the near future. Intake structures will have to be replaced and outlet structures repaired. These are 6 figure expenditures.
A great deal of maintenence has been deferred or ignored by prior RA Boards.
$25 extra isn't easy but it is also the price of 2 large pizzas.
If you don't want to pay it, tell us all where in the RA budget you want to cut.
Just make sure the expenditure is in the RA budget.
Tom Butts
9:03 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Fair enough, I'm not opposed to maintenance costs. But I am opposed to building any new facilities that surveys have shown will only be used by a minority of residents.
BTW, I wish this b-board had an option so we could "reply" to replies. Right now I'm "replying" to my own post.
Brian McDonald
1:45 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Every year our fees go up to cater to the wants of special interest groups. The Soapstone project is going to create problems for parents dropping off their kids at school. All this so the bicyclists have more room and rights than the people driving in cars. Don't they have enough room as it is. Furthermore, every year Reston Association raises its fees. I wish I could make as much on my investments!!! Stop spending my money son frivelously Reston Association.
Karen Goff
2:34 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
RA did nothing to do with the bike lanes. That was paid for by VDOT/tax money.
Jonathan Erickson
2:55 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
I wonder what bicycle tax paid for the bike lanes? I thought Vdot was gasoline tax funded. Your not going to tell me they took gas tax money and built bicycle lanes insteads of bridges and streets?
Jonathan Erickson
3:07 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hmmmmm bike paths in Lovettesville paid for with Loudoun gas tax money! Even with these kinds of expendatures the Vdot has a 1 billion dollar surplus! Lower the g d taxes
Kim Kolb
3:26 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
This is a fallout of the new governing document fiasco of several years ago. The cap on fees was lifted and there's no limit to how high they can go.
Jonathan Erickson
5:23 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thanks Mr. Farrell. Could you tell me how many swimming pools are open to the public in Reston. What do they charge to use said pools? What does it cost to operate the pool 1 by 1?
John Farrell
5:30 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
All of that information is on the RA website. The pools are open to all RA members (not the general public) who have paid their dues. Their guests pay an additional charge.
Jonathan Erickson
6:38 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Mr. Farrell it's vague trying to use the budget. my numbers come out at $250,000 per pool minimum with about $20,000 being collected to offset the costs of the pool. That's $225,000 that's paid for with tax funds per pool? equate to a 80% loss to run the pool. Can you clarify this for me?
DWilson
7:02 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
I am opposed to an increase in the Reston Association budget. Condo fees increase, gas prices increase, grocery prices increase and I had to take a 5% cut in pay. How do you expect to keep people in Reston if this continues. I love it here and it seems as if sooner than later I will be having to look elsewhere to live because I will no longer be able to afford it.
Jonathan Erickson
7:35 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Sorry for your troubles Mr. Wilson. I can help with the housing if interested. Maybe a 5 % decrease in the Reston budget would make sense to people. Supervisors and Board members wanted these jobs and it would be nice to see some cuts. Unemployment is 9 % that are reporting until it gets to 4 and 1/2 % cuts in the budget should be made and it should also be a by-law. Instead of looking for more money how about a 15 % cut across the board. I for one can live without tennis courts, maybe I'll go play at the high schools. If I want to go swimming with my family I'll join a fitness center. Bicycle lanes are being paid for with gasoline tax dollars? How about using the monies for what they were intended. Class size for students is 1 teacher for 18 students yet the school board wants to spend $500.00 per student to get them technology tablets and laptops at our expense. The average cost per student is $11.00 a hour yahooo!!!! Thanks Susan Ackerman!!
Private Person
8:24 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
RA had everything to do with the bike lanes --- which were paid for by taxes, of course -- but the RA is wildly exceeding its authority by endorsing the bike lanes. The RA is a property owners' association that struggles to maintain its own common elements and it has neither the authority nor the competence to be directing VDOT what to do.
Were the RA to focus on that which it is limited to do, and pay reasonable salaries for its self-titled "CEO (whose compensation package is north of $250,000) RA assessments would be much lower and the RA properties would be far better maintained and useful.
Karen Goff
8:30 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
New story just posted about approved budget and dues: http://patch.com/A-nN4v
Private Person
8:47 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
They are "assessments," not "dues." The RA is not a country club and the assessments are neither optional nor should they be styled or reported that way.
Karen Goff
8:51 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Noted. The story says assessments. Dues was just my word here.
Mike Collins
11:20 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
As an RA Board member, I can't respond to every comment above, but let me try a few. 1) The cap on assessments still exists. For 2012, it is $600 - $35 more than the actual rate we set last night. 2) The pools budget is $1.6 million for 15 pools. Entry fees, lessons, rentals, etc. bring in $800K. About $40 of each assessment subsidizes the pools. Last year we sold 23,000 pool passes at $15 per person. Breaking even on passes, would raise that price to $50 assuming no loss of customers. 3) For 2012, RA will pay about 5.8 million in salaries and $1.7 million in benefits - half the budget. We do compensation surveys every few years (including next year) to make sure we are consistent with the market. We are required by law to publicize some individual salaries (last year's is here: http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/). Others remain private, but the overall "Salary Grade Structure" is in the budget docs available to all. Most of our 80 full time employees make modest salaries. The senior people who earn in the low six figures work very, very hard. They were all there until midnight when we adjourned last night and that happens often. 4) The gigantic pdf of the budget on the RA website is admittedly not very user friendly. Digitizing it would be nice, but that costs money too. Any volunteers?
Mike Collins
Board of Directors
Reston Association
mike4ra@gmail.com
mobile: 571-969-4903
Private Person
7:02 pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
Why did the RA spend nearly $600,000 on IT support and nearly $400,000 in legal fees?
And nearly $6750 *** PER STAFF *** ($540,000 / 80) member for health care?
$177,000 to VDOT? What would RA buy from VDOT? Bike lanes? Road diets?
These are 2009 compensation numbers, folks:
$223,563 to Milton Matthews
$165,153 to David Hopkins
$501,923 to Thomas Burgess (and he performed no services for the
organization in 2009!!)
And please check page 27: They work 40 hours a week as reported to the IRS
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990s/990search/990.php?ein=546060435&yr=200912&rt=990O&t9=A
El
11:28 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Senior people make low 100,00's salaries? I work very very hard also, but I make low 30's. What a stupid, condescending remark!
Richard Holmquist
11:53 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Perhaps we should cut down all these wasteful trees in Reston and sell the land to developers. I'm sure they'll pay a mint for the surplus property. Then bust open the tennis courts and lease them out for parking with shuttles to the new Metro. Close the pools because they're a waste of money, and you should probably close the multiple community centers too. Only the liberal snoots ever go to the performances at the theater in the Hunters' Woods center. The bike paths and sidewalks are a waste. Who walks anyway? Come on, folks, think hard. We can come up with ways for RA to be giving US money, not the other way around. Oil drilling, anyone?
Jonathan Erickson
8:37 am on Saturday, November 19, 2011
People People People and Mr. Collins it's my 2 pizza's. We've had to cut back because of the increase for gas, food, power... It seems the onus is on the board to make cuts instead of increasing fees. It's the boards job not ours to make changes, do so by cutting expenditures. Ask me if I object to these salaries? I DO!!! If you can't do the job get out of the way and let's see if there is a qualified person who can preform these job duties better.