The General Improvement District (GID) is a fund the city collects for common area maintenance and improvements. This includes but is not limited to all common area landscaping, monument maintenance, common fence maintenance, irrigation, tree trimming, community water bill, and electrical costs associated with signage and street lamps.
The current GID tax rate is approximately 0.05% of your property value per year. On your tax statement is is outlined as 3.99% of your total property taxes (1.45%), which monetarily equates to approximately $120-$140 per household. The GID fund account has an available balance of $170,000.
Your GID rep is a volunteer appointed by the Centennial City Council. This person acts much like a project manager in that he/she coordinates with city city in regards to budgeting, invoicing and scheduling contractors as needed for our common areas. This process entails obtaining bids for maintenance, approving and scheduling subcontractors, and organizing payment distribution. Subcontractors include landscaping companies, Xcel Energy, Willows Water, South Suburban, and others
The GID Fund has an annual expense budget that typically distributes between $50K-$55K and from our 321 residences, approximately $40K is deposited into the fund each year. This fund has been in place with the same mill levy rate since 1987. Due to inflation, the cost of labor, goods and services have increased dramatically. Because of this, preventative maintenance is requested from the 63 homeowners that span the common area fences (approx. 6000 lf).
Our existing fence is original to the neighborhood. As you may have noticed, there are many sections falling down and in need of maintenance. While we have done our best to address each section in terms of priority, it has begun to feel as though we are throwing good money after bad, so-to-speak. Original to the neighborhood means a 40 year old fence....which is amazing. But it also means that there are fence posts and pickets that are literally rotting out.
The common fence brings the neighborhood together and lets our community feel cohesive - not only to the immediate community, but to prospective buyers. The HOA is working hard to retain home values, and the GID fund is supporting the HOA vision. Instead of the patch-work fence repairs, we are asking homeowners who live along the common fence area to maintain their fences as we work to find a long-term solution that is beneficial not only for that homeowner, but for the neighborhood as a whole.
We, as a board, and John, as a representative for our GID fund as well as being a valued board member, have spent countless hours deliberating how to best go about achieving our goals - not only for the fence project, but for what is in the best interest of the neighborhood and our HOA members. Currently, it is looking like we should replace the entire fence with a TREX fence, which will last longer than the cedar posts and pine pickets.
"Trex Fencing has become the world's largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking products. We are committed to pushing boundaries in outdoor engineering, seamlessly blending innovation with environmental responsibility and creating products that marry stunning form with powerful function. Building on the success of our decking line, we expanded into other compatible products, including composite fencing panels. These panels provide a unique and innovative application of materials that have already proven their value...they are easy to maintain, durable, and aesthetically pleasing."
Unfortunately, there is not enough money in the GID account to cover the replacement of our common-area fencing (whether we use TREX or not). Our best option appears to be taking out a loan and utilizing a special assessment fee for all homes within the Cherry Park neighborhood. Details are to-be-determined based on the price of the fence. We have collected three bids on a replacement fence and we are eager to share the information with you - our homeowners. Please join us for our next HOA meeting where John will present our bids and have financing options to present. Nothing has been decided as of yet, but we really would hate to lose the common-area fence altogether. If we cannot find a solution, that will happen, and housing values will likely decline.
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