Several people have commented on the Recreation Centers of Sun City West article regarding their plans to offer presale home inspections.
All comments I have heard are valid, although none really define a valid reason for the rec center offering such a plan for the new homeowner. Assuming the CC&R Department follows the same set of rules as their predecessor, PORA, their only function is to monitor and comment to the homeowner any violations the homeowner might have outside their residence. The most common violation is vegetation growth, such as weeds and overgrown bushes.
If the rec centers officials intend to offer an all-inclusive inspection, they must have licensed home appraisers qualified to do appropriate inspection of the internal and external structure. Note that PORA did not have such ability.
Questions we must ask the Rec Center are, “Why now do you wish to take on such a program and can you do such inspections without bias?” PORA several years ago reviewed a similar plan to do inspections and finally decided it to be a conflict of interest since their duties were to be a reactionary force reviewing issues and violations only if formal complaints were brought forth by other residents.
It seems inappropriate for the rec centers officials to provide a home presale inspection, possibly charge the owner a fee for their service, then turn around and challenge the owner to correct all issues or face a violation penalty.
Hopefully, the rec centers officials will find this endeavor a misdirection of their resources. I doubt any revenue they feel might be gained by such a plan will not warrant the problems they will see from conflicts of interest they will likely create.
Also, in my previous article (“RCSCW needs to get a grip on finances, IRS”) I talked about the rec centers’ lack of control of their chartered clubs’ IRS tax reporting. I highlighted why it is important to follow the IRS rules. The article Mr. Slade wrote was accurate in where the responsibility lies for ensuring the annual tax forms are correctly filed. I also added more detail why the clubs most likely failed in their responsibilities to file the annual forms accurately and on schedule.
After reviewing the general manager’s most recent report and presentation to our members, it is still apparent to me that the blame has been placed on the clubs and not management. The rec centers’ 18-page presentation detailed the Chartered Clubs’ rules and responsibilities, which included how and where they could sell their wares. It also talked about the IRS and forms the clubs are required to submit annually. There was one glaring point missing.
Chartered clubs operate much like the governing board in that club officer positions are not permanent. Officer positions can and in many cases change frequently based on member involvement, or the lack thereof. Because of this, knowledge transfer is a problem.
So where does the problem reside? Management’s presentation indicated that the clubs hold the blame. I disagree! The blame falls directly on management. Why? Because management is required to train, instruct and aid the clubs and ensure that all IRS forms are completed correctly and filed on time without outside direction from the governing board.
The board president, who should stay out of day-to-day business, is handcuffing the general manager by directing his daily activities and possibly causing the GM to pay less attention to club needs. Regardless of the president’s involvement, management should be strong and knowledgeable enough to make sure that issues so critical to our community is managed appropriately.
The general manager and chief financial officer must get better control of organizational needs and ensure that our community stays strong, vibrant and void of any and all potential violations that might cause Sun City West to lose its not for profit status!
