Meeting Minutes: July 28, 2025
SCCE Home Owners Meeting – July 28, 2025
Please note: the Special Meeting held on July 28, 2025, was a public meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to review the proposed HOA fee increases and to get resident input. Regular business was conducted by the Board after the Special Meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 6:32 pm by Board President Dana Coats who introduced the Board Members and staff to all residents in attendance.
Board Members Present - Dana Coats, Al Stockman, Howie Aubertin, Amber Rasmussen, Chuck Liberty, John Santana, Marlowe McDowell, and Terron Voller.
Board Member(s) Absent - None.
Staff Present - Misty Danley, Kelsey Wyres, and Mike Riker.
Staff Absent - None.
Resident(s) Present and Signed In - Fifty-three (53) residents signed in.
Approval of Agenda/Previous Minutes/Call for Changes
A motion to approve the agenda was made by Amber Rasmussen and seconded by Howie Aubertin.
Motion carried
OLD BUSINESS
Adjustment of HOA Dues
Mike Riker began the presentation by breaking down the recent expenses the SCCE HOA has incurred and is planning for:
A fitting in Well House #1 broke and was non-operational for three weeks. The repairs were $9,800 for the VFT plus $6,000 for the signway filter.
There are currently two leaks in the water service lines, one on Kings Road and one on Penny Lane, that Mike Riker is estimating will cost approximately $5,000 each to have repaired.
There is a new State Required water system test that will cost the HOA $1,000, in addition to the other mandatory testing and the expenses associated with our current water system tests done annually and tri-annually.
The water tank requires repainting for the first time since its installation at an estimated cost of $36,000 to $40,000.
A new pump and motor for the water system need to be purchased in the event of a breakdown. The cost of this pump and motor will be $40,000.
The two pumps for the pool will need to be replaced in 2026 at $2,500 each.
Mike Riker presented $117,000 in expenses that SCCE will need to be prepared for within the next year.
Howie Aubertin stated that SCCE is a corporation and there are costs associated with our HOA. The responsibility of the HOA is to provide water to residents, maintain the swimming pool and commons area, which is 40% of the HOA budget, and road maintenance for Red Deer.
Howie Aubertin referred those in attendance to the Pie Chart of expenses and reminded everyone that the last rate increase was in 2017.
When the HOA Board approved the 2017 rate increase, there was $300,000 in the HOA bank account. Currently, the HOA has $148,915 in the bank. The Board planned that now that the pool loan is paid in full, those funds could be offset some of the HOA expenses, however expenses are exceeding that amount on a monthly basis.
The HOA has 2 ½ to 3 miles of HOA water lines that are fifty years old and a comprehensive plan needs to be in place for their replacement and upgrading.
Additionally, funds need to be in place for regular maintenance and emergency repairs as they arise. At the current $70 monthly HOA fee rate, the projected income for 2025 will only be $17,846.
The Board will be seeking assistance from the State of SD’s Environmental Funding Program to include a low interest loan for upcoming repairs the HOA water system will require. One of the qualifications for the program is a water system study. There is an $8,000 grant from the State to be used towards this study. Howie Aubertin stated that the Board doesn’t know the cost to have the study done.
Mike Riker added that estimates would have to be collected prior to the study being done.
Howie Aubertin informed those in attendance that the Board would like to have the study done within a year. Other requirements of the State program are that the water portion of the HOA bills must be higher than $45/mo per resident and the HOA must be able to prove they have the ability to pay the loan payments.
Questions and comments from residents:
Rodney Larson asked what material our water lines are. Mike Riker reported that they are PVC Case I-60 with glued fittings. Dana Coats stated that the water lines on Heather Rd and Penny Ln are only 4” lines, which will not support pumping in the event of a fire.
Carolyn Ellnigton asked the Board if the $100/mo rate will be in effect for a while or will there be additional increases? Howie Aubertin stated, on behalf of the Board, that they would like to be able to give a guarantee that the rates won’t continue to increase, but until the water system study has been completed and they have time to review the results, no such guarantee can be given. Dana Coats stated that the $30/mo increase of the fees would be in lieu of a special assessment once the study is complete.
Ted Johnson stated to those in attendance that he is 100% in favor of the rate increase, however, according to Article VI, Section 6.03, states that the Board shall determine the flat minimum monthly rate to be charged to each member during the following calendar year and that the September 1st effective date of this rate increase is outside the By-Laws of the SCCE HOA, it’s a matter of principal. Dana Coats stated that a precedent was set in 2017 when the rate increase for the swimming pool was passed by the Board.
Call for support for HOA rate increase
Dana Coats called for a show of hands in support of the September 1, 2025, implementation of the $30/mo increase of the HOA fee to $100/mo by the residents present.
There was an overwhelming response in support of the increase.
No objections were reported.
Motion carried.
Amendment of the Covenants
Howie Aubertin apologized to the residents present for the outdated version of the covenant that was mailed to the residents on May 28, 2025.
He informed everyone that the Working Committee consisted of seven (7) residents who reviewed the current amendment line by line. The Working Committee considered all points of view when finalizing the wording for resident consideration. Howie Aubertin informed everyone in attendance that this is the informational meeting only.
The Board will consider any and all information from tonight, prior to their final vote. Once approved by the Board, the amendment change will be given to our attorney for his review and conversion to legalese. Any recommendations by the attorney will be reviewed and voted on by the Board, if necessary. Once the amendment has been finalized, the residents will be asked to vote for the amendment change or to maintain the amendment as it currently reads.
We are months from voting on the amendment change still. Howie Aubertin read the proposed amendment change and called for questions and/or comments.
Questions and comments from residents:
Julie Hager asked if the HOA would be hiring someone to police the HOA for violations to the amendments and if not, then what’s the point of the change. Howie Aubertin that the Board is not looking to hire someone to monitor violations within our HOA, confirmed by Board President, Dana Coats.
Holly Riker interjected that rules must be established to ensure that things don’t get out of hand.
There was a question regarding the time restriction for campers in front of the house. Howie Aubertin stated the reason for this is to avoid someone living in the camper outside of the County guidelines.
Howie Aubertin proceeded to review the guidelines and variance requests, if necessary, for parking a recreational vehicle on the property. If a resident is unable to park their recreational vehicle in accordance with the guidelines, a variance request can be submitted to the Board. Members of the Board will arrange for an on-site meeting to determine the variance to better comply with the covenant. Once determined, the neighbors of the resident requesting the variance will receive written notice of the variance. The neighbors will submit their consent / non-consent to the Board, however, the Board will have final approval of the variance. This variance will only apply to the resident while the current occupant of the home and will not be transferable to a future resident without a new variance request.
Rob Young asked if there will be any specifications for the type of surface needed to park the recreational vehicle on. Howie Aubertin clarified that a hard surface is not a proposed requirement in the amendment, as long as the ground is maintained around the vehicle. Al Stockman added that it may be required as part of a variance, though.
Dale Kokesh asked if there would be additional options for the amendment. Amber Rasmussen stated that the Working Committee spent a substantial amount of time considering all possible options, “if this, then that” scenarios, and the committee feels that the wording in the proposed amendment expresses considerations for all sides of this issue. Once again, the question of enforcement was brought up by Bob Dominicak, and why we need the new amendment if it won’t be enforced.
Holly Riker reminded all members present that the hope is that the residents will self-monitor themselves in order to maintain our HOA’s community appeal and property values. Dana Coats expressed the Board's (this Board and future Boards) desire not to have to resort to enforcing our rules. He reminded everyone that they were all made aware of the covenants of our HOA when we purchased property here, and they are posted on our SCCE website, should someone have questions.
Attorney fees associated with the filing of the proposed amendment were mentioned by Shawn Trupe, along with the suggestion of foregoing the amendment change and putting the funds for the attorney towards our future water system expenses. Howie Aubertin expressed appreciation for this idea; however, he stated that this and several other covenants need or will need to be addressed in order to bring them to modern standards and expectations. The original covenants were written in the 1970s, and many things that were not standard then are commonplace now, i.e., people having recreational vehicles in addition to their cars.
There were several residents who expressed appreciation to the Working Committee and past and present Board members for their work on the amendment.
Dana Coats requested a straw poll to ensure there was support for the amendment.
A show of hands was requested, and a majority in attendance expressed support for the amendment.
Dana Coats thanked everyone for attending the Special Meeting.
Al Stockman made a motion to adjourn the Special Meeting at 8:27 p.m..
Terron seconded the motion. The Special Meeting adjourned.
REGULAR BUSINESS (CONDUCTED AFTER THE SPECIAL MEETING)
The meeting was called to order at 8:33 pm by Board President, Dana Coats, following the Special Meeting.
Board Members Present - Dana Coats, Al Stockman, Howie Aubertin, Amber Rasmussen, Chuck Liberty, John Santana, Marlowe McDowell, and Terron Voller.
Board Member(s) Absent - None.
Staff Present - Kelsey Wyres, Misty Danley, and Mike Riker.
Staff Absent - None
Approval of Agenda/Previous Minutes/Call for Changes
A motion to approve the agenda was made by Chuck Liberty and seconded by Amber Rasmussen.
Motion carried.
A motion to approve the minutes was made by Marlowe McDowell and seconded by Amber Rasmussen.
Motion carried.
TREASURER / BOOKKEEPER REPORT AND APPROVAL OF FINANCIALS
Because of the Special Meeting held prior to this meeting, Howie Aubertin quickly reviewed the A/R Aging Summary, Financial, P&L statements, Balance Sheet and Transaction by Vendor, provided to the Board Members prior to the meeting.
The takeaway was that due to expenses incurred during June, the HOA operated at a $24,467 loss. A recap of a few of the larger additional expenses in June were May’s missed payroll to the staff members paid in June, repairs to Well #1, and maintenance and resurfacing work done on Red Deer.
A motion to approve the financial report was made by Amber Rasmussen and seconded by Chuck Liberty.
Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Tabled due to the Special Meeting prior to the Monthly Board Meeting.
OLD BUSINESS
Tabled due to the Special Meeting prior to the Monthly Board Meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
Tabled due to the Special Meeting prior to the Monthly Board Meeting.
The next meeting will be on Monday, August 25, 2025, at 6:30 pm at the Doty Fire Hall.
With no further business, Chuck Liberty made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:42 pm.
Terron Voller seconded.
The meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,Misty Danley
Administrative Assistant on behalf of Board Secretary, Amber Rasmussen
