The Tellico Village Property Owners Association reconvened last week for its first board meeting since the recent and extensive State of the Village address.
A QUICK RECAP
The meeting began with a quick overview presentation from Board Member John Orr of the information presented at that previous March 13 address (“POA, HOA Discuss Achievements and Continuity at State of the Village,” Tellico Village Connection, March 19, 2025), recapping the financial performance and success when compared to their start-of-year goals.
When discussing the Board’s 2025 initiatives, Orr mentioned an overhaul of the group’s policies and procedures, the first step of which would be a reevaluation of the current policies in the coming months.
The current eight-page document saw roughly one third to half of those guidelines listed as needing updates upon initial review. These codes were either outdated or conflicted with a new guideline drafted after the policies and procedures document was written in 2019.
Orr said that the project would take all year, though the Board has already updated their utility service terms of service — after one homeowner ran into trouble with its logistics a few months ago.
WATER PROJECTS AND FEES
When prompted by public comment, Board Member Steve Schneider gave an update on the $80 fee imposed on water bills across the Village and how the Board is planning to reimagine that number should the fees allow them to break even on the slew of water and sewer projects they have slated for 2025.
The fee was voted on in July of 2024, before going into effect in September of the same year. The addition was initially slated to last for 60 months, though Schneider said that the Board is in a state of reevaluation should their financial needs be met well before that five-year mark.
While no confirmations were made, he stated that the money could possibly be accrued in as little as three and a half years, according to the Board’s observations.
“We’re taking a look at the $80 fee as we speak,” Schneider said. “Based upon where we end the year with cash, what’s the revised forecast for capital spending, revised forecast for the grant money, and take a look to say, ‘Okay, should that (be) $80, what’s the number that we need to break even?’”
He continued by stating that while the amount of the fee was unlikely to change, the Board is considering shortening the term should revenue meet or exceed the expected costs for upcoming water and sewer projects.
INSTALLATION ISSUES
Interim General Manager Matt Benoit gave an update to the fiber installation currently being done that began in Toqua last year. While that segment of the project is nearing completion, according to Benoit, he did elaborate on the roadblocks faced by other facilities and utilities in the vicinity of these new projects and their ability to hamper progress.
“The bad news is that their ability to install without impacting our water and sewer systems, specifically the sewer in Toqua, has been a real challenge.” Benoit said.
He went on to state that the project had impacted five different sewer lines in Toqua in the past week, with another break taking place mere minutes before the meeting began.
“It wouldn’t appear that it’s getting better quickly,” Benoit said.
While the General Manager stated that he believes AT&T is implementing some remedies, the Board has begun to put them on “a pretty short leash.”
He cited one instance, in which the Public Works crew was out until around 12:30 a.m. fixing breaks before beginning work again the following morning at 8 a.m.
The Property Owners Association will regroup for their next Board meeting on Wednesday, April 16, at 1:30 p.m.
