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MCKENZIE TOWNE COMMUNITY FAQs:
This Information
provided by the McKenzie Towne Community volunteers.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCKENZIE TOWNE
COUNCIL, INVERNESS, PRESTWICK, ELGIN, & TOWNE CENTRE
RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONS
Q# 1. Is a community association
the same as the Residents Association registered on title as
the McKenzie Towne Council Encumbrance and in the brochures
given to homeowners at the time of their possession?
A# 1. No, a community association
is a volunteer organization dependent upon sponsorship and
fundraising to operate. A Residents Association is a not for
profit company incorporated in McKenzie Towne's case under
the Companies Act, and which has mandatory membership of all
property owners and an assured source of revenue to fund its
operations.
Q# 2. Why do the individual villages
have their own Residents Associations, instead of just one
for all of McKenzie Towne?
A# 2. Each village has its own
Residents Association in order to provide services
appropriate to that particular village. For convenience and
efficiency purposes, the McKenzie Towne Council was
established to coordinate the administration for all
villages and to maintain and operate amenities of benefit to
all McKenzie Towne residents. In the fall of 2002 efforts
were made to amalgamate all the associations at the Annual
General Meeting but was defeated.
Q# 3. Do all McKenzie Towne residents
currently pay a Residents Association fee?
A# 3. Yes, all residents and
property owners have their title encumbered with the
McKenzie Towne Encumbrance. The fees charged to residents
reflect the amenities that they have and operate and the
administration of their association, and their share of
general McKenzie Towne amenities.
Q# 4. When is the Residents
Association fee expected to be in effect for all residents
of McKenzie Towne?
A# 4. Inverness being the oldest
village has had fee's levied since 1999 while annual fees
were levied in Prestwick, Elgin & the Towne Centre in 2003.
Q# 5. Is there a rate cap on the
Residents Association fee?
A# 5. The annual fees are set by
virtue of the Encumbrance Agreement at $150.00 plus GST,
annually. The $150.00 can be automatically adjusted for
inflation. In today's dollars the fee would be $180.00. A
special resolution of the members could change the original
amount.
Q# 6. Who collects the Residents
Association fee?
A# 6. The Residents Association
fees are collected by the McKenzie Towne Council, which is
administered by Carma.
Q# 7. How often are the Residents
Association fees collected?
A# 7. The McKenzie Towne Council
and individual village Residents Association fees are
invoiced annually in June.
Q# 8. Do the commercial properties
located in McKenzie Towne pay the Residents Association fee
as well?
A# 8. Yes, all property owners pay
the annual fees, including the Fire Hall, churches,
commercial areas, etc.
Q# 9. Where is the money collected
from the Residents Association spent?
A# 9. The funds are spent to
administer and operate the amenities of McKenzie Towne and
each Residents Association, including the park at the
traffic circle, the electronic sign, Christmas lighting,
utilities, property taxes, certain flags at the traffic
circle, Inverness Square , Elgin Hill & Prestwick Common
landscaping, clock tower maintenance and postal kiosk rent.
Audited financial statements are sent to every Member prior
to the AGM.
Q# 10. What are the benefits to the
resident of McKenzie Towne for paying the Residents
Association fees?
A# 10. Residents benefit by having
in their community certain amenities and assets which,
because of their unique nature, could not otherwise be
provided, as the City would not normally accept
responsibility for their maintenance. For example, the
gazebo in Inverness Square is owned and operated by the
Inverness Residents Association, but is located on a park
owned by the City. The City is not prepared to accept
maintenance responsibilities for it, so the Residents
Association is the only means by which it could be provided
to the community. Other benefits include enhanced
maintenance of certain public spaces and the ability to
enter into contracts with the City to partially fund
maintenance activities. Other communities who did not have
Residents Associations set up by the developer (i.e.
Douglasdale, Christie Estates, etc.) have petitioned the
City to collect additional taxes through local improvement
bylaws to fund enhanced maintenance of open spaces by the
City.
Q# 11. Is the Residents Association
solely funded by the collection of resident’s fees?
A# 11. Not solely, the City has
agreed to contribute funds annually towards the maintenance
of Inverness Square based on what they would budget for its
normal maintenance. Similar arrangements will be negotiated
for Prestwick Common & Elgin Hill. The McKenzie Towne
Council successfully applied for a Provincial grant
($125,000) for the construction, in-part, of the LRT
temporary playfields.
Q# 12. How is the Residents
Association governed?
A# 12. Each Residents Association
is governed via bylaws and a Board of Directors. The
McKenzie Towne Council is governed by a Board of 8,
including 4 Carma members, and Members elected to represent
each of Prestwick, Elgin, Inverness, and the Towne Centre.
The number of Board members is determined annually at the
AGM.
Q# 13. Who elects the representatives
for the Residents Association and when does that occur?
A# 13. The Members of the
respective associations elect their Board of Directors
annually at the Annual General Meeting. Carma has retained
the right to appoint a certain number of Directors to the
McKenzie Towne Council and each village Resident's
Association as it is financially responsible for their
viability and operation until they are turned over to the
residents.
Q# 14. Is there a relationship between
the Residents Association and the municipal officials?
A# 14. Not formally, although
communications with both elected officials and
administration does occur.
Q# 15. Are the residents of McKenzie
Towne able to guide the Residents Association in matters
important to the residents?
A# 15. The roles of the Residents
Associations are limited to matters effecting the operation
of the association. Members can elect or defeat any Member
standing for a Residents Association Directorship, and in
that way guide the direction of the association. Ultimately,
as is now the case in Inverness, the associations will be
run entirely by the residents.
Q# 16. How does a resident of McKenzie
Towne become more involved in the Residents Association?
A# 16. Attending the Annual General
Meeting is usually the best means; letting Directors know of
your interest to stand for nomination is another.
Q# 17. Who should residents contact
for further information on the Residents Association?
A# 17. For more information about
McKenzie Towne Council, contact Robert Honsberger,
President, at 231-8952, or by e-mail at
rhonsberger@carma.ca.
This Information
provided by the McKenzie Towne Community volunteers.
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