Notice of Special Board Meeting Mon Oct 28 @ 2pm

The following was posted by the MCA Board of Directors on the MCA building and in the MCA website.


NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF MEADOWS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article V, Section 1 of the Amended and Restated By-laws of the captioned Corporation, a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors of the captioned corporation will be held on the date and at the time and place designated hereunder:

TIME OF MEETING: 2:00 P.M.
DATE OF MEETING: Monday, October 28, 2024
PLACE OF MEETING: Meadows Community Lifestyle and Wellness Facility,
Flight – 3350 Longmeadow, Sarasota FL 34235
AGENDA OF MEETING: PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
PURPOSE OF MEETING
* Short Term Financial Request
OWNERS COMMENTS

Dated this 22nd day of October 2024

IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT ON THE AGENDA ITEMS YOU MUST SIGN UP PRIOR TO MEETING CALL TO ORDER. OWNER COMMENT IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON EXCLUSIVE OF RESPONSES BY THE BOARD.


[Above is the full and complete verbatim notice that was posted. Comments below are from us, not the MCA]

The MCA has been sending out near-daily updates on Milton related issues as well as normal MCA event announcements. That’s all great, but why not send this announcement out via Constant Contact? It is possible they may still send something out with a description of the “Short Term Financial Request”, but emailing reminders and information on Board Meetings hasn’t been their recent practice.

The purpose of the meeting is very cryptic, so unfortunately we are left to speculate.

Is the MCA MAKING a “Short Term Financial Request”? And if so, to who? They have lots of cash and lots of borrowing capacity so this seems unlikely.

The more likely possibility is that MCA has RECEIVED a “Short Term Financial Request”. It doesn’t take much thinking to speculate that TMCC has requested a loan from MCA. TMCC alluded to possible 2024 cash problems in March:

In the Treasurer’s Report in TMCC’s 2024 Annual Meeting, they stated:
“Notwithstanding the deficit at 12/31/23 and the small loss for the year, the Club has enough cash to begin 2024. Generally, the Club generates enough cash during the first and part of the second quarters of the year to cover the shortfalls in cash in the later months of the year. However, these shortfalls are generally offset by the program of members’ paying dues for the next succeeding year in the current year.
Cash management of expenses and payments is a paramount management tool which is conducted by the Club’s management and staff and reviewed by the Finance Committee monthly.
The Club has no ability to raise capital and no borrowing ability other than from capital leases and finance agreements, so any reduction in deficits has to be derived from its membership. The Club’s expenses are basically fixed in that the facilities have to be operated for the benefit of members and guests and available when the members decide to use the facilities. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the membership to increase its usage of the golf courses and dining facilities and spread the word to friends and acquaintances about membership herein. “

As MCA Homeowners don’t know what “Short Term Financial Request” means and we won’t know until after the meeting has begun, so if you think you might want to comment or question on the meeting purpose (whatever it is), MAKE SURE YOU SIGN UP TO SPEAK BEFORE THE MEETING STARTS.


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17 responses to “Notice of Special Board Meeting Mon Oct 28 @ 2pm”

  1. rmalmasco Avatar
    rmalmasco

    I will not be able to attend as we are going on vacation.

    Whatever the “short term request” is, please bring up the point that the “request” could easily have been included in the notice (unless there is a legal reason preventing it).

    Enough of this modus operandi of deciding things at meetings that no one can attend or we don’t have room for the numbers.

    In this day and age we can do better.

    Like

    1. lhaynesh2 Avatar
      lhaynesh2

      We have to take back control of our largest and most expensive financial asset. We have already gone into debt and pull money from our (MCA) reserves. The TMCC has too much influence and control over the MCA board which is shrouded with Smoke and Mirrors. The land and buildings are our assets not the TMCC’s. There is no one, except the MCA Board, who would even consider loaning them any amount of money, no matter how short the term. They have no attatchable assets. This on top of an extend number of years with no positive cash flow and inability to pay their commitments and debts. With out the help of the MCA board and the Renaissance Program (100% goes to the TMCC) they would be out of business.

      Like

  2. mitchw12 Avatar
    mitchw12

    confusing convoluted insufficient conduct.

    .how were these people so successful that if they conducted their education and professional career ot never would have happened .

    .sad that all people want is confidence that there will be a fair and responsible handling and return on the money ..

    Like

  3. Jeff Nicholas Avatar
    Jeff Nicholas

    Great opportunity to raise the issue of semi-private as a 2025 transition “gap-filler”. Also, if expenses are “fixed”, then the only option is to increase revenue: open The Meadows course to Renaissance members every day after 12 noon…won’t plug the entire hole but it’s something.

    The board must start running thus as a business: there is income and expenses…one or both must change if they / we are going to survive.

    Like

  4. Ernest Wilson Avatar
    Ernest Wilson

    Regarding the “Short Term Financial Request” I am not sure who they are going to be hitting up to cover some of their dubious deficits. Whenever we have a storm like the one or two we just had, the response time to clean up always amazes me. It seems like they all wait around to see who is going to make the first move, some of the roads are still quite unsafe to drive on, with trees down and debris on the roads and sidewalks. I see their maintenance people zooming around all day in their golf carts but nobody is picking up or cleaning. I personally spent 3-4 days cleaning up from a very large oak tree in my yard just now waiting for trash pick up, everything is in containers sitting by the side of the road. The golf course behind the Meadows shopping village is a disaster with downed trees and the asphalt path is coming apart. Now I want to see if The Meadows does their part in the clean up or are they just going to assess us all with some special clean up fee.

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  5. howey1946 Avatar
    howey1946

    Will the MCA ever figure it out that it’s the coverup, not the crime with their lack of transparency?

    I want TMCC to survive, I just know it needs a new business model

    w

    Like

  6. Jeff Nicholas Avatar
    Jeff Nicholas

    Additional thoughts: 1) raise the fee modestly (5-10%) for Renaissance to play the Meadows. 2) to reduce expense close the front 9 of the Highlands and make the back 9 and the Groves a rotating 27 hole option…rotate the 9 that is closed for maintenance so there is always 18 holes in playable shape. 3) take a page from successful University Park model and issue an assessment to the members of TMCC.

    Like

    1. rmalmasco Avatar
      rmalmasco

      The last President of the MCC, before the assumption of the debt etc., was I think Gordon Cummings(?)

      I clearly remember him saying the MCC could not justify 54 holes with the membership numbers – maybe 27 holes but probably 18.

      Here we are 7 or so years later with fewer golfing members and still 54 holes.

      It is time the “golfcentric” MCA board started looking for others uses for the underutilised fairways. They could be rented for use as stables, cattle grazing (much reduced taxes), even our own cemetery (lol).

      “Fiddling while Rome burns” never turns out well.

      Like

  7. edwardzawacki7 Avatar
    edwardzawacki7

    thanks for the explanation….

    What are some recourses that community residents have to influence, put on hold, or block any decision before there is a clear and legal proposal that is approved by the residents.

    Like

    1. Website Admin Avatar

      Only the By-laws (and possibly state laws) could tell us. The By-laws posted on the website are a “dog’s breakfast”. The Board promised last March that they were going to be consolidated soon, but they haven’t been posted.

      It would be interesting to hear from the Board where in our by-laws it states that they are allowed to loan funds to anyone in any circumstances.

      Like

      1. edwardzawacki7 Avatar
        edwardzawacki7

        I will ask that question ….thanks.

        Like

  8. Louise Thorkelson Avatar
    Louise Thorkelson

    Has anyone called the MCA to ask someone why it’s not sent out like the other daily reminders for all the senior activities?Sent from my iPhone

    Like

  9. lhaynesh2 Avatar
    lhaynesh2

    I like all the others would like a MCA definition of Short Term Loan. Will this be like the other times just a way to move cash until you find a way to cover it up. Why the secretive, expedited meeting. This is what the property owners call Smoke and Mirrors, lack of transparency. It appears that they possibly plan on encumbering our property further, to borrow more money for the wants and desires of TMCC. This like past loans we have made to Improve the TMCC’s desires and leased property that we own. Again to become our problem, as the MCA ,to make the payments on the loan. Raise our fees again. We have raised far beyond the inflation rate over the last few years. I thought the leased property we own was an long term investment. Then why does it not make us a profit. We might need to have a board meeting to discuss “how to make a short term profit with your long term investments”.

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  10. […] what we guessed “Short Term Financial Request” meant in our last post, but it is helpful to MCA Homeowners to have a better idea of what the meeting is about. We also […]

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  11. Martin Brenda Avatar
    Martin Brenda

    obviously the Club is in trouble

    should we consider making the private course public because it doesn’t appear the current members can sustain

    a shame that the owners here in the meadows have to assume the burden of this “ private “ club

    Like

    1. Website Admin Avatar

      TMCC has been a money loser for more than a decade. It is not viable as a private club even with no debt, no capital costs and $600,000 of subsidy. There is another option between private and public: Semi-private (club has memberships and public play).

      Like

  12. […] noted in our previous posts, the TMCC Treasurer anticipated that TMCC may have cashflow problems in 2024. In the TMCC […]

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