RCSC Board Meeting 3/27/3025 No New Business!

RCSC Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 9am at Sundial Auditorium

NOTE, Agenda lists:
• No new business
How often, if ever, has that happened? There will be second readings of the four motions from last month with member comments allowed.

• Board Meeting Agenda – March 27, 2025 https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025_03_27-Board-Meeting-Agendapublic.pdf

• Board Meeting Minutes – February 27, 2025 https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025_02_27-Board-Meeting-Minutes.pdf

• Treasurer’s Report – March 27, 2025 https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025.03.27-Treasurers-Report.pdf

• Management Report – March 27, 2025 https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/03-27-25-Management-Report.pdf

• Balance Sheet and Public Income Statement – February 2025 https://suncityaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/02.2025-PUBLIC-BALANCE-SHEET-INCOME-STATEMENT.pdf

# Source: RCSC e-blast Thursday, March 20, 2025 https://mailchi.mp/d9af17f1d61d/board-meeting-agenda-may30-7787678?e=f18f779945

 

I've got some New Business; how about rescinding that motion for a 1.5 million dollar air conditioned dog training facility?

I love dogs too, but I've heard speculation that they want to turn this into a business training dogs from the outside of non-members?

Gees, we can fund A/C for dogs but not for the guys in the Vintage Vehicle Club.

 

Can that be done? We can't vote on anything anymore. And does it really matter? Seems the board does what it wants. It doesn't matter to me as I won't vaccinate my dogs so they would not be allowed in. Maybe they can rent a school gym in the summer?

 

I think the car dudes should pay for new air conditioning as they have no problem purchasing antique cars. Besides money flows through that club like water.

 

Truth is, air conditioning was in the original quote on the building but when Chris Herring screwed up on the garage door and that had to be re-worked, the funds were no longer available.

 

I am guessing some of the dog owners might have some pretty good money in their dogs, too. Please provide evidence that "money flows through the [Vintage Car] Club? How do you know that?

 

Janet, he doesn't know that. He makes crap up to justify some stupid comment he made earlier.

 

One of the arguments for building the club was because owners with antique cars were typically in a financially stable position. They are an expensive hobby and more to the point, Sun City West had a club well before us and we were losing potential home buyers because they had a facility and we didn't.

Tom is spot on, the AC was supposed to be put in at the point of build. The screw up on the doors allowed a RCSC employee to red-line it and replace it with the less expensive "swamp cooler" they installed. It was the typical case of an employee in over his head.

I suspect Dave was suggesting the club members are making money by doing work beyond their own cars...which he also knows is not legal. Clubs aren't supposed to be acting as a for profit business. If that's not the case, he should clarify what he meant.

 

Very true. Designer dogs are pretty darn expensive. My neighbor paid around 4k for her Giant Schnauzer. French Bulldog puppies can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $8,000.

 

I was their auditor for RCSC and anything else is confidential. I was fired from position because myself and fellow auditor did too good of a job and club prez wanted us gone, it also helped that your golfing buddy was on the Board.

 

Imagine that! I just read that is the number 1 reason for getting fired.....doing too good of a job!

 

I have no idea who you mean by my "golf buddy on the Board". I have never played golf with anyone on the Board.

 

I guess the point is everyone wants everything and there are a few that want to cast dispersions on everything or scream bloody murder if they done get what "they" were promised and are entitled to. This issue is prevalent in all similar type organizations, so Sun City is not unique. Gary Osier and I have recommended a process which we believe will help restore some level of objectivity to the capital allocation process. Even if fully and objectively adopted Sun City will still have members who want everything or want to make sure nobody gets anything.

 

I wouldn't disagree John, but i would suggest when communication is done well with the rationale behind the decisions AND the membership knows and understands the logic behind those actions, things can and will get done. The reverse side of the coin is true as well; when the board poorly communicates and makes emotional or personal decisions, the stuff hits the fan.

Sadly it (the stuff hitting the fan) has often happened far after the damage has been done. I would and have argued Sun City's past 15 plus years should be used as a text book on how to do things wrong. Nope, not everything, but clearly enough bad decisions by the GM with virtually no oversight from the board. No one ever said this should be easy, but we let it all get away from us on the pretense it could all work out by giving the GM more authority.

No question, that is yesterday's news and it matters not...other than as a teachable moment. We can and should learn from those mistakes; the question looms, have we? I don't know, i hope so. I would hope the Mountain View Session opened eyes and helped the board and the GM understand engaging the membership is our path forward. It always was, it always will be.

Here's the bigger dilemma and my fear is we aren't willing to address the elephant in the room: Those days of cheap everything are over and they aren't coming back. It is exactly why every decision made as we move forward will have a ripple effect. We always assumed the PIF would solve our amenity challenges, but we ultimately failed to understand they would also compound our yearly lot assessments.

We also know (myself included) that members will always struggle when it comes to getting their head around the budgeting process. Sure there are some who quickly look at a spread or balance sheet and are capable of reading it, but that's far from the majority. I loved the discussions of simplifying the budget process, hopefully they can dumb it down so even i can understand it.

Several of us saw the remarkable effort Sun City West has had in place since 2009. The TORCH program has graduated 96 members a year and had an in depth knowledge of how and why their community works. It has been invaluable in creating a stream of individuals who have filled key positions in clubs and organizations year after year.

There's no reason we can't replicate some of those efforts: Dare i say, Make Sun City Fun and Smarter Again. (Do you think that will fit on a hat?)

 

My intention is to make a plea to the board tomorrow morning and ask for a plan be developed to make member engagement a priority moving forward. I use engaging the members, as the process should be a two way conversation with everyone invited to participate. Perhaps having open discussions at different centers once a month on a specific topic that invites members to join the discussion. I am still a fervent supporter of the printed version of a community newsletter that would be available to everyone, because not everyone has access to electronic content. This is an aging community with those residing here, aging in place. Currently, there is no attempt to involve or engage the members in a meaningful discussion about what they see for Sun City. Community engagement means, to me, getting out there and being seen, heard, and engaging the members for open discussions. Pick a topic, stay on task, and share the discussion with everyone who attends. Make the time slot in the afternoon or a weekend meeting, considering how many people still work. We can’t expect people to come to our designated meetings, the time slot is not always the best time of the day for members to come. We have got to get better at getting people to be engaged and interested in the conversation about what is happening, what is working, and what the process needs to look like moving forward.
Okay, so I have offered my summation here, now just need to verbally deliver an effective plea to the board tomorrow morning.

 

And which motion on tomorrow's agenda will you be making these comments?

If your comments aren't directed at one of the proposed motions I doubt you will be allowed to comment! Comments are only allowed on the motions listed in the agenda.

 

Thank you for the update. I will look now to see if anything is going to be relevant for my diatribe.

 

Article V, Section 5, "Member comments at Board Meetings will be limited to posted motions."

 

I could try and make it around motion 1, but what I have to say shouldn’t be a tag along on another idea. Guess I’ll have to wait until next month, and try then. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Full disclosure - I have been heavily involved in the VVSC for many years. If Dave is insinuating members are working on cars as a business, he is way off base. The only time working on other cars has been suggested is we once had a president who asked RCSC if we could fix cars for free for members who were not able to make ends meet (i.e., for CAN) The answer was no. To my knowledge, no one has ever fixed someone else's car as a business. The closest we ever get to that line is when one member asks another for help and they almost always get the help they need.