Yes, a resident survey about the changes to The Villager newspaper is coming! It has been five  months since The Villages changed the Villager newspaper to two print copies per month plus launching the Online Villager that is accessible to Villagers every week. The Club Board wants to give you an update and to share with you our next steps. 

The Club Board  has created an Ad Hoc News Committee comprised of residents,staff, and Board members with the purpose of  improving the member communication experience through The Villager Online, The Villager in print and the FastNews.  

We’ve received lots of feedback and many of your excellent ideas have already been implemented. The committee has made additional suggestions to staff that will be explored this month. 

In January, you’re invited to a Villager presentation that will introduce the Ad Hoc Committee members as well as walk you through the many Villager enhancements, including FastNews, that have taken place since July 1. This will be another opportunity for the Communications team to assist you in working with our new online communications. The presentation will be followed by a survey aimed to further improve these platforms. 

Why are we waiting until January?  January will mark six months since The Villager changes were initiated. The committee believes this length of time provides the current formats an adequate trial period. For those who are unable to attend the presentation, the survey will be published in The Villager and in hard copy in Building A so that all are welcomed to give feedback.

In the meantime, members can continue to send suggestions to the Committee via Julia Meadows with our sincerest thanks.

—Diana Hallock, Chair, Club Board News Ad Hoc Committee

The Villages Golf and Country Club Board of Directors is seeking interested candidates for appointment to key advisory committees.  This is a great opportunity to contribute your time and talents for the betterment of the community.  There are openings for both voting and also associate members.

Stay active and involved by submitting your application to serve on one of the following Club advisory committees.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE

Advises the Board on matters related to the exercise of architectural control over the Club properties.   

COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Advises the Board regarding each of the community’s internal communication media.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

Develops and implements those parts of the The Villages Emergency Operations/Response Planassigned to the Committee, as defined in The Plan.

FITNESS CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Provides recommendations to the Board regarding matters pertaining to the Fitness Center.

SWIMMING POOLS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Provides recommendations to the Board on matters regarding swimming pools including the entire fenced pool area.

RULES COMMITTEE

Provides advice to the Board on rule-related matters.

Apply now!  Candidates are asked to apply by Monday, December 2, 2024.  Applications and committee charters can be obtained from The Villages Member Portal (https://member.thevillagesgcc.com/static/club-committee-application/) or from Board Services in Building A. For more information contact Julia Meadows at (408) 223-4634 or jmeadows@the-villages.com.

Your Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) and the Villages Golf and Country Club Management announce a new chapter in the growth of EPC. Effective January 2025, EPC will be led by the General Manager’s (GM) office and remain under the umbrella of the Club Board’s purview.

After a thorough assessment of EPC’s Charter by EPC Directors, the Club Board, and the GM’s office, leadership concluded that the breadth of responsibility is better accomplished under the GM. The GM has the resources to maintain and grow a program uniquely suited for our Villages’ needs.

EPC will continue with the same goal of establishing a resilient, effective response framework that prioritizes the well-being of The Villages community of over 4000 in the event of an emergency.

An EPC transition team, Diane and Kyle Finley, Fran Schumaker, Ray Blinde and Daniel Grim, will work in coordination with the GM’s office and Public Safety to give shape to the new Villages Emergency Response Program, which incorporates city, state and federal resources. Diane Finley will remain on the transition team through March 2025.

The current Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) volunteer Chairs—Mike Ramer, Ed Munoz and Diane Finley—will be stepping down from their EPC leadership positions but remain active volunteers. Please help us thank Mike Ramer, Diane Finley, Ed Munoz and Bob Dolci for their dedication, leadership and commitment to EPC.

EPC will continue to function exactly as it has until the new program is in place. We look forward to announcing our new EPC Village Coordinator in 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Public Safety via emailing the team at publicsafety@the-villages.com or drop by Building C.

Howie Blumstein submitted the following  question to the Club Board in October 30:

A document (~40 pages), Approve Proposed FY 2024/2025 Operating Budget, Capital Replacement Funding Plan, Capital Improvement Fund and Schedule of Fees and Charges, was presented to the Board by staff and approved by the Club Board of Directors at the the Board’s April 30, 2024, monthly meeting.

 Until recently, this document was on the Member Portal and identified as the approved FY24/25 budget. Why was this document recently removed from the Member Portal and replaced by the following FY24/25 Operating Budget recap?

Club Board answer:

This revised budget statement is designed to provide clear and comprehensive transparency by presenting all expenses in a single, easy-to-read document. Historically, the budget format did not extend to the detail of showing Net Profit/(Loss). It only showed Major Revenues and Major Expenses. However, with the realignment of major budget categories this year such as the Intercompany Transfers, we’ve chosen to include Total Dues, Total Revenues, and Total Expenses, a shift from previous years, which primarily highlighted Major Expenses.

For Fiscal Year 24/25, the approved Operating Dues reflect a 12.74% increase, totaling $10,529,776. This number has not changed.  

The Recap on Fiscal Year 24/25 Operating and Capital Budget is available on the Members Portal under Governance/Club/Financials

Association

• The Villages Association Board of Directors Monthly Board hybrid meeting is Tuesday, December 10 at 9:30 a.m. in Foothill Center and on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 917 8108 3392; Passcode: 223468; Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Club

• The Villages Golf & Country Club Board of Directors Regular Meeting is Tuesday, December 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Foothill Center and on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 961 5036 4740; Passcode: 260616; Dial: 1-669-900-6833

Homeowners‘

• The Villages Homeowners’ Corporation Board of Directors FY 24/25 Quarterly Business Meeting Schedule is as follows: 

Thursday, December 19 at 9 a.m. in Montgomery Center.

Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Club Board Goals & Objectives – An Update

Strategic Plan-2025-2029

On November 13, the three Boards will attend an all-day session, facilitated by the McMahon Group, to complete a draft of a new Strategic Plan. Our hope is to create a five-year plan of action that addresses current societal and economic conditions and commits to actions to meet the needs of current and future Club members. The entire Board contributes to these efforts. The Liaisons are the Executive Committee: Andy Altman, Judy Owen, Richard Zahner.

Capital Program

The goal is to establish a comprehensive five-year Capital Program based on the Strategic Plan aimed at identifying, developing, and securing funds for Club capital projects essential to maintaining and enhancing The Villages’ infrastructure and amenities. Working with Ryan Bell and Clay Curtin, our goal is to complete a needs assessment and estimate costs to be included in the next Budget. The Board Liaisons are Michelle Breslin, Larry Versaw, and Richard Zahner.

Community Experience

The goal is to develop a plan to improve Club member experience from existing amenities. We hope to keep getting better. Opportunities include closer coordination between Clubhouse and Pro Shop, improvement and expansion of our recreational activities and encouraging our many clubs. We hope everyone will invite family and friends to The Villages, confident they will experience welcome and beauty. Board Liaisons for Community Experience are Andy Altman, Diane Hallock, and Liz Kung.

Bylaws

The Club Board believes the Club Bylaws must be updated to complement the new strategic plan for the entire community and the Capital program and community experience goals of the Club Board. The process continues and more information on content and timing will be announced soon.  The Board Policy Committee working on the Bylaws includes Andy Altman, Judy Owen, and Richard Zahner.

The Board welcomes your suggestions and comments.

The Villages three Boards of Directors attended a Board Orientation on the 12th of this month. The all-day program was facilitated by Paul Koojoolian an experienced senior executive in the Country Club industry. In the opening session he addressed best practices of Board and Management relationships, reminding us that Boards are responsible for policy, planning and oversight.  Other topics included:

• Risk Management and Insurance
• Legislative Update
• Budgeting—Operations, Reserves and Capital
• Club and Association investment strategies
• Landscaping Issues    

It was an informative day and a great way to hear about the priorities and concerns of the nineteen directors of the Club, Association and Homeowners’ boards.  During the day we discussed the need to hold both the General Manager and the Boards accountable to accomplish the goals, objectives and projects we committed to at the beginning of this year. For our part, the Club Board has made progress on several of our goals:

Strategic Plan—With the Association and Homeowners we have contributed to a draft Strategic Plan document that will address the facilities and quality standards we expect for our Club and community. This annually updated document will become the basis for future projects, budgets and programs.

Five-year Capital Improvement Program—The Club Board approved a new policy to create and maintain a rolling five-year capital program. This will include a Facility Master Plan.

Bylaws and Polices Update—The Policy Committee drafted a redline version of the bylaws including a proposed Initiation fee and changes to capital collection and spending limits. Related polices have also been proposed and several approved. Your review and comments are welcome at a Town Hall Meeting in mid-October at the Clubhouse. 

Technology Committee—This month the Board will consider forming an ad hoc Technology Committee to study options to Comcast and internet service providers.  

It has been a busy two months as we adapt to the new Member Portal, Online Villager and the new Cobalt management system. The Club Board appreciates your patience, suggestions for improvement and good will. 

Thank You!

—Richard Zahner Villages Golf & Country Club Board President

A group of dedicated volunteers from The Villages participated in a two-day training program on October 16 and 18 to help the community work toward becoming designated as a Firewise community. Organized by The Villages’ Ad Hoc Fire Safety Committee, the training was conducted by the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. Ten volunteers learned about wildfire science, fire behavior, and methods for enhancing wildfire resiliency in The Villages.

In addition to classroom learning, the training included fieldwork where volunteers were introduced to Fire Aside software, used on an iPad for data collection. They practiced using the software at both a single-family home and a condominium building. In the coming weeks, these volunteers will collect data on various homes and facilities in The Villages as part of the process for earning the Firewise designation. This effort will involve reviewing data from the 2,536 homes in the community, as well as Club Facilities, over the next few months.

Stay tuned for more updates as the initiative progresses.

Earlier this year, Villages volunteers began to put the framework together to begin work towards becoming a designated Firewise community. 

The Firewise USA® program, led by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), helps California communities improve their wildfire resilience. It encourages collaboration among residents, local fire departments, and stakeholders to make homes and areas more fire-resistant. Supported by CAL FIRE’s Community Wildfire Preparedness & Mitigation Division, this initiative is key to California’s wildfire preparedness strategy and assists communities in achieving Firewise designation.

The Ad Hoc Fire Safety/Firewise Committee is a working on behalf of the three Villages corporations to increase wildfire resiliency for the entire community.

Soon, Villages volunteers will be out walking through the districts looking at  building structures and landscaping. They will be recording the data on iPads. You may see them looking at fences, siding, windows, shrubs, trees, etc.  The Villages will use this collection of data to determine the work to be done over several years to enhance wildfire resilience. 

Question: Howard Blumstein recently pointed out that the FY25 $47.55 increase in the monthly assessment generates an additional $1,447,042 in Club revenues over the previous year. The Major Expense Categories increase shown in the FY25 budget documents as approved by the Club Board is $1,025,042. Why was an additional $422,000 in revenues needed?

CBOD Response: We are correcting the allocation of labor cost to the appropriate category. In recent years the cost of our staff labor and overhead has been allocated to capital projects not operating expense. Based on last year’s audit recommendation we have corrected this practice so that in the future all labor related expenses will appear as an operating expense.

The additional $422,000 in revenues beyond the major expense increases is primarily due to the reallocation of wages and overhead from the capital budget to the operating budget, and general increases in operating expenses such as insurance which increase by 27% or $51,900 and other non-capital equipment. The edited recap of the FY25 budget in the accompanying table includes the wages and overhead. The increase matches the major category expenses.  It is important to note that the $422k figure represents a combination of both operating dues and capital replacement contributions.

Thank You for your question highlighting an important change in our accounting practices.