September Board Meeting (regular board meeting)
September 21, 6:30 pm
Dial-in: 1 213-336-0288
Passcode: 605467714#
There’s a lot to brief you on this month, and more to follow! The board & management company are actively working on the draft for the 2027 budget, with the goal to get that finalized in October and distributed to everyone by November 15, 2026.
Irrigation Restrictions
Irrigation season is drawing to a close but for those of you still watering your lawns, the odd/even restrictions remain in effect. Thanks to everyone who has helped to keep to the odd/even scheduling, since this was implemented we have had no alarms due to low volume or pressure at the well, so it has definitely alleviated the surge usage that happened most mornings earlier this summer.
Grounds Committee
Last month, we did form an ad hoc Grounds Committee, with the direction to take charge of the front entrance revitalization effort. Nicole Braska & Abby Hescott will be leading the committee! They will be working to obtain bids and coordinate the project with the contractor. As we look forward beyond 2027, the committee may have more involvement in additional refresh/revitalization efforts. If you are interested in helping the Grounds Committee, please do send an email to hoa@saddleridgerockford.com and we will put you in touch.
Lighting Assessment w/ Algoma Township
Algoma Township would like to invite the homeowners of the Saddle Ridge HOA to attend an informational meeting regarding the two Special Assessment Districts for streetlights within the Saddle Ridge development.
During the meeting, they will discuss what a special assessment is, how the streetlight districts are funded, the current fund balances, anticipated future costs, and the process moving forward. This will be an opportunity for residents to ask questions and better understand how these assessments operate.
Meeting Information:
Date: September 29, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Algoma Township Hall
Some additional background information on the lighting district & assessment:
- The assessment is levied annually on the winter tax bill. The next winter tax bill will next be sent out on December 1, 2026.
- In summer 2024 a notice was placed for a Public Hearing at the Township Board level for what is referred to as a “periodic redetermination” which is a mechanism under PA 188 Section 41.724 that allows the township to revisit and update the estimated cost of an improvement project as changes to the actual lighting costs.
- The township can redetermine the cost and adjust assessments accordingly rather than either absorbing a shortfall or over-collecting from property owners. This is what the August 2024 notice followed by the associated September 2024 public hearing was about.
- However, it only affected Special Assessment District 1, and it increased the assessment for those in that one district from $69.50 to $86.87 per parcel. The projection for the costs and the projection for the current assessment to not align going forward into 2027.
- In years proceeding our tenures on the Board, this issue with the light assessment was not addressed properly. We now wish to step in to address the cost properly to ensure the assessment is an accurate reflection of the actual costs of the lights, so that the Township’s general fund is not adversely affected and the bills for Saddle Ridge’s lights are paid in a proper manner.
HOA Dues
Beginning with 2027, the association dues will be due by January 1st. This is a change from how things have often been done in the past and we want to make sure everyone has sufficient advance notice of this change.
Historically, association dues were often not “late” until March, mainly because we often could not finalize the budget with Eastbrook until the annual meeting in December, or sometimes later into January. But, by January the accounts are mostly drawn down from the dues collected in the previous calendar year. This of course poses a cash-flow problems as the association may not have sufficient funds for current expenses.
In the past, Eastbrook would float the difference until budgets were final and dues were ultimately collected. We no longer have the luxury of using Eastbrook as a bank, so we can’t wait until March to receive dues.
However, we also intend to have budgets finalized by October, which should allow several months’ notice before next year’s dues will be owing.
General Reminders
- On-street parking is always prohibited!
- Lawn clippings & other yard waste should be bagged or composted appropriately and not left/blown into the roadways.
- With warmer weather, watch out for children walking, bicycling, etc. especially during the morning & afternoon school hours.
- No passing in main entrance except for the paved passing lane on the right side where school entrance is. No passing on LEFT.
- The construction entrance should not be used by residents or guests of residents, now that the road construction is finished.
- All exterior modifications including but not limited to decks & patios, pools, fencing, satellite dishes, driveway expansions, non-traditional landscaping, etc., should be going through the Architectural committee for review & approval. This process is intended to help ensure that such modifications are made in compliance with the existing bylaws and established guidelines. The forms & instructions to begin this process are available on the website: Architectural Change Requests.
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