Frequently Asked Questions
Amendment Proposal FAQs **subject to updates as needed
If this Declaration of Covenants amendment passes (70% is the current approval requirement), in order to amend the Declaration of the Covenants in the future, more than 50% of the members would need to approve. For instance, if there are 100 members, 51 would need to approve future amendments. If there are 101 members, 51 would need to approve.
Sweetwater's Bylaws allow for Notice via mail or email and BOTH have been done. Depositing into the mail is effective notice, under the law, as long as it was properly addressed and sent via first-class, even if the person ultimately doesn't receive it due to some error by USPS.
Yes.Â
1) HOA will go door to door.
2) A table will be set up at the fall festival with forms available.Â
3) The amendment is on our website Documents - Sweetwater Station - Community Announcements (swshoa.com)
4) Email a request for the amendment @[email protected]
This will be voted on at our October 17, 2024, meeting and is currently under consideration.Â
The HOA board MUST affirmatively vote to suspend an owner's voting rights, and then the board will notify them that their voting rights are suspended. Â
Yes, a mass email will be sent from the community’s website and from Premier Services, providing the outcome (the number of yes and no votes).
Typically, when there are three or more amendments, they are done separately. Since there were only two, the attorney suggested combining them.
Dues
Dues are assessed each year on April 1st and are due within 30 days. After 30 days, late fees and interest will apply.
Annual dues can be paid through an online portal,Â
AppFolio - Owner's Portal: AppFolio
There is no charge to have a homeowner portal in AppFolio. However, in order for this to work, members MUST send their email addresses to the HOA at [email protected] so that we can link them to the property address. The email address must be a working address set up to accept emails from AppFolio and the HOA.
Creating an account in the portal without first getting an invitation from the HOA is impossible. Please make sure that the HOA has your current email address.Â
Annual dues pay for all HOA expenses, such as landscaping, pond maintenance, general maintenance, office supplies, postage, property management, etc. Everything left over goes into reserves for future community projects.
As of 2024, there are no intentions to raise the existing HOA dues, which currently stand at $414.72 per residential household.
Corporate Governance
President - Kim McCumber
Vice President - Phyllis Tucker
Secretary - Sharon Poindexter
Treasure - Tim Scanlan
Jonna Vaugh - Parliamentarian
Yelena Chernyak - Board Member
Robbyn Sims - Board Member
Ben Harley - Board Member
Bruce Carrington - Board Member
Sweetwater Station is a registered non-profit corporation in the state of Georgia. All owners of residential lots in the community are members of the HOA.
The HOA is governed by (in order of precedence):
- Georgia State Law
- The covenants for the community
- The corporate By-Laws
- Actions of the membership
- Actions of the board of directors
Similar to most other corporations, the business activity is guided by a board of directors.
Per the By-Laws of the HOA, there are 9 directors. The directors are elected by the members at the annual meeting in February each year. Directors serve 2-year terms. Those terms are staggered, with 5 elected in even-numbered years and 4 elected in odd-numbered years.
The years listed indicate the beginning of each board member's two-year term.
At the first board meeting after the annual meeting, the new group of directors determines who will hold which offices for the next year.
Currently, the directors volunteer their time to manage the day-to-day business of the HOA in an effort to save money for the amenities project (see below). Directors answer questions from the members, deal with the vendors, manage the A/P and A/R and general accounting, and handle all requests for information from closing attorneys for new sales and transfers. Some directors also chair other committees, such as welcome/social, architectural review, and covenants review. Most recently, a significant amount of time has been spent on improvements repairs, and maintenance. This includes gathering bids and working with vendors to get the services needed by the HOA.
The board of directors meets monthly to consider all current business activity.
City Enforcement
The HOA is currently working on expanding our guidelines for the community. These will include street parking, speeding, ARC reviews, and much more. While the HOA does not own the streets, the residents do have a say on how we can handle them. We have no authority to do anything with the streets. At this time, we are dependent upon the City of Savannah. For these issues, please call the police or call 311 to report maintenance issues. At the same time, notify your neighbors and the board of directors. The more of us that call, the quicker these issues get addressed.
Trash and recycling also fall to the City of Savannah. The HOA has no rules regarding where the cans go, when they go out, or where they are placed. The City of Savannah does have rules regarding when those cans can be at the curb. If there is a problem, please report it to the City of Savannah by calling 311.