Category Archives: Development Districts / Special Tax Districts

Lake community owners to vote on Watershed Improvement District (VA)

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By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Because its homeowners’ association cannot raise enough money to dredge Timber Lake, Campbell County recently approved a referendum vote to establish Virginia’s second Watershed Improvement District (WID). According to The News & Advance, lake front homeowners will have a chance to vote for or against the WID on March 2. If a majority of homeowners votes in favor of the WID, an official election will take place on April Continue ReadingLake community owners to vote on Watershed Improvement District (VA)→

The Villages CDD could sue homeowners for delaying repair of sinkhole

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Sinkhole

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Imagine buying your retirement dream home, facing the nightmare of a huge sinkhole that could swallow it whole. What if you could be sued for that sinkhole? For Frank and Jan Neumann, that nightmare is real. According to reports in Villages-News, on February 15, 2018, a sinkhole suddenly opened up in their front yard, dangerously close to their home in The Village of Calumet Grove. Marion County officials deemed Continue ReadingThe Villages CDD could sue homeowners for delaying repair of sinkhole→

Reader seeks affordable solutions to pave HOA private roads (VA)

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Problems and solutions sign blackboard

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities   QUESTION: I read your article about private roads and the need for out of the box solutions for the problem. I very much agree. We have a very small HOA, less than 50 homes, in northern Virginia. There are several private roads that provide access to about half of the lots. The other lots are on the main state road. The cost of paving our road in this Continue ReadingReader seeks affordable solutions to pave HOA private roads (VA)→

HOAs consider infrastructure tax districts

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Road bridge iron railing

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities Across the U.S., homeowners  are considering tax districts to help them make essential repairs to their HOA infrastructure. Volunteer-led HOA boards face the difficult task of finding affordable solutions to deal with their busted dams, silt-filled lakes, crumbling roads and bridges, and obsolete wastewater systems. It’s an increasingly common problem in association-governed common interest communities, especially as infrastructure breaks down or wears out with age. Most HOAs are relatively Continue ReadingHOAs consider infrastructure tax districts→