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In short, the board has possibly slapped the lot owners of Ocean Pines with a tab that could top $200,000 in the coming fiscal year to subsidize the 550 members of the golf club. That amount would be addition to over $200,000 all Association members already pay to support the golf amenity capital expenses.
According to Heather Cook losses could range from $120,000 to $170,000. Cook essentially caved to pressure from golfers, and likely Dan Stachurski, and gave up on on her proposed rate structure previously approved by the board.
Add to the mix a possible $40,000 golf consultant and a $200,000 deficit is certainly now looming into range. To put this kind of a potential loss in perspective, the $20 assessment increase this year will raise about $170,000. Net result is all lot owners may well see their assessments rise by $20 and all the money go to subsidize golfers. Remember the anguish over a possible $18 assessment increase to cover expenses with the new Community Center?
Actually the board voted against the consultant. Janet Kelley made the motion. If failed on a tie vote with Kelley, Stachurski, and Cook voting in favor of spending $40,000 on a golf consultant, and Sterrett, Venit, and Coleburn against.
However, based on comments by Dan Stachurski later that evening at the budget hearing, the consultant issue will probably be brought up again when Glenn Duffy is back. How Duffy will vote is anyone's guess, but a betting person might suspect he would vote for the consultant. Other directors might also be persuaded to change their votes.
Meantime during the meeting's public comments period the golfers were quibbling about whether cart fees should be reduced by $1, and the board rejected a Kelley motion to raise boat slip rates, now at about half the cost of commercial slips in the area.
All once again proving truth is stranger than fiction. You really can't make this stuff up.
