Chesapeake Ranch Estates Board of Directors Election

[Admin]

Ballots are in the mail for the CRE election for the 2007-08 Board of Directors. If you live in Chesapeake Ranch Estates, now is your chance to elect a Board with the community's best interests in mind, to achieve improved property values and a better quality of life. Click here to view a pdf file with the names of Board candidates endorsed and recommended by the Committee for Improved Values in CRE. Your vote will determine whether to head for improved property values and a better quality of life in CRE or start an expensive downhill slide.

 

[garyt27]

CRE Roads

Ballots are in the mail for the CRE election for the 2007-08 Board of Directors. If you live in Chesapeake Ranch Estates, now is your chance to elect a Board with the community's best interests in mind, to achieve improved property values and a better quality of life. Click here to view a pdf file with the names of Board candidates endorsed and recommended by the Committee for Improved Values in CRE. Your vote will determine whether to head for improved property values and a better quality of life in CRE or start an expensive downhill slide.

How do they control dust on gravel roads. The only way is to pave them. The secondary roads in CRE will never be paved. They should stop the appearance that they will be. Once again, at a recent meeting with the C.Co. Commisioners, Almost all residents there asked not to raise the STD, however the all powerful and knowing did not only extend the STD, They doubled it!! Becky voted against this! Reelect Becky Tice!

 

[residentofcre]

How do they control dust on gravel roads. The only way is to pave them. The secondary roads in CRE will never be paved. They should stop the appearance that they will be. Once again, at a recent meeting with the C.Co. Commisioners, Almost all residents there asked not to raise the STD, however the all powerful and knowing did not only extend the STD, They doubled it!! Becky voted against this! Reelect Becky Tice!

I spoke against raising the Special Taxing District. I spoke out against raising the M&O Fee.

Mr. Mumma is one of the authors of the new Special Taxing District. Of course he is angry with me for speaking out against it. I am grateful to him and the rest of committee for the long hours they put into it. If he were being honest tho, the reason he asked for so much was really because he expected the Commissioners to cut some of his bloated numbers back to the original amount. That's right... the reason he bloated the numbers was he didn't want to suffer a cut... he got more than he wanted and he's angry with me for being honest.

Mr. Mumma is also on the Finance Committee and he doesn't really have time to look for other funding sources for meeting the budget needs of CRE.

While I must applaud him for putting in his time on both Roads and Finance. He unselfishly gives a lot of his time to CRE.
I have to tell you though, it makes me cringe every single time I hear him say "Raise the Fees". He always knows I will fight him on that. I know a lot of single income families simple can't raise the income because it's simpler than digging for a better solution.

I have spent at least 1000 hours investigating this problems over the past two years and I have a plan. It will take some work and Mr. Mumma doesn't want to hear it.

The fact of the matter is, my plan would not affect the single lot owner for the most part. My plan would cause a rate hike for those members who have multiple improved lots. That's right... the landlords... the rentals.

My plan would also affect those who want to use services that require admin services beyond roads and beyond the member use of the common properties.

While I do back a few of Mr. Mumma's selections... I do think I have been working hard for CRE and I appreciate your vote of confidence Gary.

I would like for anyone that has questions to contact me.... I'm Becky Tice and yes... I am running for Director of the Board of CRE... there's work to be done....

 

[Midnightrider]

I spoke against raising the Special Taxing District. I spoke out against raising the M&O Fee.

Mr. Mumma is one of the authors of the new Special Taxing District. Of course he is angry with me for speaking out against it. I am grateful to him and the rest of committee for the long hours they put into it. If he were being honest tho, the reason he asked for so much was really because he expected the Commissioners to cut some of his bloated numbers back to the original amount. That's right... the reason he bloated the numbers was he didn't want to suffer a cut... he got more than he wanted and he's angry with me for being honest.

Mr. Mumma is also on the Finance Committee and he doesn't really have time to look for other funding sources for meeting the budget needs of CRE.

While I must applaud him for putting in his time on both Roads and Finance. He unselfishly gives a lot of his time to CRE.
I have to tell you though, it makes me cringe every single time I hear him say "Raise the Fees". He always knows I will fight him on that. I know a lot of single income families simple can't raise the income because it's simpler than digging for a better solution.

I have spent at least 1000 hours investigating this problems over the past two years and I have a plan. It will take some work and Mr. Mumma doesn't want to hear it.

The fact of the matter is, my plan would not affect the single lot owner for the most part. My plan would cause a rate hike for those members who have multiple improved lots. That's right... the landlords... the rentals.

My plan would also affect those who want to use services that require admin services beyond roads and beyond the member use of the common properties.

While I do back a few of Mr. Mumma's selections... I do think I have been working hard for CRE and I appreciate your vote of confidence Gary.

I would like for anyone that has questions to contact me.... I'm Becky Tice and yes... I am running for Director of the Board of CRE... there's work to be done....

Since you oppose it, can yo explain how the special tax district works please?

 

[residentofcre]

Since you oppose it, can yo explain how the special tax district works please?

Gladly.... Actually the Special Taxing District does offer some benefits but I'll get into the benefits later.

CRE has 66 miles of roads.... when the Special Taxing Districts began several years ago, none of the roads were paved unless CRE members paid for the paving directly out of the maintenance budget.

According to Maryland Law it is possible for a Homeowner's Association Board to go to the Commissioners and ask them to collect a certain amount of money to be used for a specific purpose [a tax].

The Special Taxing District in CRE is the method that has been used to pave almost every major road in there since 1998. It's a very long and expensive process. Every road has to be engineered... we have to stand in line and wait for engineer time, then we go to bid for the contractor to do the paving which cannot be done in house because we simply don't have the equipment, manpower, or time.

Some people in CRE are under the impression that once we are done with paving the roads with their tax money, the county will take over the roads. This is not true.... The county will probably never take our roads... they are too full of blind curves and hills.

The Special Taxing District does benefit CRE... which is why I do not want to see it go away completely. Since CRE is involved in a Special Taxing District we are considered to be a quasi government entity and this allows us to receive FEMA funds. We have received FEMA funds for the cost of removing trees and restoring the road after huricanes. This is a major deal for us. It takes a huge burdon off of our contingency reserve funding requirements.

Another benefit of our Special Taxing District is the Fuel Tax. Since we have paved our roads and we have drawn so much attention to the fact we have 66 miles of road. We are now going to recieve part of the fuel tax we all pay at the pump. The part of the fuel tax that we pay at the pump that Calvert County didn't even receive will now come into the community to help maintain our paved roads. This is a big issue... they've been doing it in Montgomery County for years.

Oh and on a personal level... The Special Taxing District may be a deduction on a member's income taxes where the money paid on the road fee [that use to be used to pave the roads] is usually not. I would suggest you check with your accountant or tax advisor about using the deduction.

I support a Special Taxing District.... I don't support the increase.

Does that answer your question?

 

[Midnightrider]

Gladly.... Actually the Special Taxing District does offer some benefits but I'll get into the benefits later.

CRE has 66 miles of roads.... when the Special Taxing Districts began several years ago, none of the roads were paved unless CRE members paid for the paving directly out of the maintenance budget.

According to Maryland Law it is possible for a Homeowner's Association Board to go to the Commissioners and ask them to collect a certain amount of money to be used for a specific purpose [a tax].

The Special Taxing District in CRE is the method that has been used to pave almost every major road in there since 1998. It's a very long and expensive process. Every road has to be engineered... we have to stand in line and wait for engineer time, then we go to bid for the contractor to do the paving which cannot be done in house because we simply don't have the equipment, manpower, or time.

Some people in CRE are under the impression that once we are done with paving the roads with their tax money, the county will take over the roads. This is not true.... The county will probably never take our roads... they are too full of blind curves and hills.

The Special Taxing District does benefit CRE... which is why I do not want to see it go away completely. Since CRE is involved in a Special Taxing District we are considered to be a quasi government entity and this allows us to receive FEMA funds. We have received FEMA funds for the cost of removing trees and restoring the road after huricanes. This is a major deal for us. It takes a huge burdon off of our contingency reserve funding requirements.

Another benefit of our Special Taxing District is the Fuel Tax. Since we have paved our roads and we have drawn so much attention to the fact we have 66 miles of road. We are now going to recieve part of the fuel tax we all pay at the pump. The part of the fuel tax that we pay at the pump that Calvert County didn't even receive will now come into the community to help maintain our paved roads. This is a big issue... they've been doing it in Montgomery County for years.

Oh and on a personal level... The Special Taxing District may be a deduction on a member's income taxes where the money paid on the road fee [that use to be used to pave the roads] is usually not. I would suggest you check with your accountant or tax advisor about using the deduction.

I support a Special Taxing District.... I don't support the increase.

Does that answer your question?

It tells me that you dont fully understand where the money comes from....


IF the special tax district is where all the money for our roads has come from, then we need to eliminate the roads fee portion of the dues.

so are you saying that the state is collecting extra taxes from CRE residents as a result in the increase inthe special tax district?

 

[residentofcre]

It tells me that you dont fully understand where the money comes from....


IF the special tax district is where all the money for our roads has come from, then we need to eliminate the roads fee portion of the dues.

so are you saying that the state is collecting extra taxes from CRE residents as a result in the increase inthe special tax district?

The Roads Fee is for the maintenance of the CRE roads.

The Special Tax District is to be used for the paving of the CRE roads.

The County is collecting extra tax money from the Members in CRE above and beyond the assessment of their real property tax and reimbursing it to CRE as the Paving is done yes.

You asked, however, if the State is collecting an extra tax from us... the answer is no.

You must be referring to the fuel tax I mentioned. Everyone pays the same fuel tax when they go to the pump. Some of that fuel tax is reimbursed to the county [based on the mileage of road the county maintains] for the maintainence of County Roads. The rest of the fuel tax goes to the State to be distributed. In Montgomery County, it has been the practice for several years to distribute a portion based on mileage to HOA's for the maintanance of roads within the HOA. This will now be possible in CRE and Drum Point due to the Special Taxing Status. It's not an extra tax paid, it's a benefit that will finally be coming back to us. Should we end the road fee? I would love to see that happen.