Important Community Update: Service Adjustments and Financial Health
Dear Whispering Woods Community Members,
As your newly appointed treasurer, I wanted to share some important updates regarding our community services and financial health. Recent budget projections, considering the average spend of the past months, indicate that we will not have sufficient funds to end the year on a positive note. This is due to a combination of increased expenses and a shortfall in assessment payments.
To address this situation, we will be making a few temporary adjustments to our services. Specifically:
- Fly-Away Trash Pickup: This service will be reduced. We kindly ask all residents to help us keep our community clean by ensuring trash is securely disposed of and not left out to scatter.
- Private Security Patrols: As you may be aware, we hire off-duty Anne Arundel County Police Officers to provide private patrols in our community. While we understand the value of this service, we need to prioritize essential maintenance and safety needs. Therefore, for the remainder of this year, we will rely on the Anne Arundel County Police Officers who are assigned to patrol our area during their regular shifts instead of paying for the secondary officers to patrol during their off-shift hours.
These adjustments are necessary to ensure we have the funds to cover critical “must-have” maintenance, including addressing tree risks (falling trees and branches that could damage personal property) and long-overdue roadwork. We plan to reassess and potentially reinstate the reduced services during the next fiscal year, depending on our financial situation at that time.
Over the next couple of months, we will be reviewing current contracts and organizing RFPs (Requests for Proposals) for essential services such as road maintenance, landscaping, web services, and the community payment processor (Victory Management). We want to make sure we are getting the right service level at fair prices. We will also be seeking to comply with The Maryland Condominium Act and Maryland Homeowners Association Act, which require associations across the state to undertake a reserve study at least once every five years.
Additionally, we have identified a significant amount of outstanding delinquencies that were not properly communicated in the past. We acknowledge this oversight and are committed to rectifying it.
The current board and I are dedicated to bringing our community’s finances back to a healthy state, and we will keep you informed every step of the way.
If you would like to learn more or get involved in these efforts, please join us at the next board meeting on September 16th at the Broadneck Library at 6 PM.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to maintain and improve our community.