Assessments are set by the entire membership of the Birchfield Woods Cluster Association at each Annual Meeting, which is usually held in March or April each year. The Board of Directors prepares a proposed budget based on prior years' expenses and anticipated future needs. This proposal can be, and usually is, modified before it is approved by the membership as a whole.
The most recent meeting was April 8, 2009, where an annual assessment of $700 per member was approved. This is an increase of $20 per year or 2.9% from last year's assessment of $680 per year. The increase is due to rising contract prices, particularly in our trash collection contract. The assessment is payable in quarterly installments of $175 per quarter. Note that Birchfield Woods Cluster Association assessments are separate from and in addition to the Reston Association assessment that all Birchfield Woods Cluster Association homeowners must also pay.
Assessments for BWCA have historically been below the average for a Reston cluster Association. Assessments for 2003 and 2004 came closer to this average than in prior years due to a need to catch up on funding of reserve accounts for replacement of major assets, such as the paving of the parking lot. Now that the paving was completed in summer 2004, assessments should remain relatively steady and below the Reston average (barring unforeseen events, of course). The following chart shows the assessment history for BWCA compared to the average for all Reston clusters, as reported by the Reston Association Cluster Survey. Note that data from the survey is not yet available for 2005 and later.
What's up in RestonLinks to gardening and nature sitesFor further information or assistance, please contact an officer or member of the board of directors. This web site is maintained by James Juran (jamesjuran@alumni.psu.edu). Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the web site.