FAQs for Silver Springs Property Owners Association
Updated September 2020
- What is the best way to find information about Silver Springs Property owners Association? Our POA website is silverspringspoa.com. There you will find copies of the Bills of Assurance for each phase, signed copies of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, meeting minutes and much more. To communicate with the POA Board email us at [email protected].
- When was the Silver Springs POA established? In the Bill of Assurance for each phase of Silver Springs Subdivision there is a Silver Springs Property Owners Association(POA) mentioned. The POA was never fully set up with Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws for the POA to govern by. In 2017 the neighborhood voted to unify all the phases under one POA. We also had Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws drafted by an attorney and the neighborhood voted and approved those Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws. We began operating as a fully established and unified POA in January 2018.
- What is the purpose of the Silver Springs POA and the POA Board? The purpose of the Property Owners Association is to unify our neighborhood which gives us a voice when there are decisions being made that could affect our neighborhood. Having a POA also protects the individual homeowner when there are Bill of Assurance related issues with their neighbor. The purpose of the POA Board is to govern, handle the finances, enforce the Bills of Assurance and to always look for ways to improve our neighborhood and the value of our homes. You can also refer to Article IV of the Articles of Incorporation of the Silver Springs POA.
- Are Special Improvement District 30 and the Silver Springs POA the same thing? No. They are 2 separate entities. Improvement District 30 owns Silver Springs Country Club. Its primary purpose was to fund the purchase of the golf course. The previous developer sold the golf course/clubhouse/pool & courts to District 30. A bond was issued to cover the debt. The payment of the bond was passed on to each property owner as part of their property taxes. The issue is the bond was based off there being over 300 houses built. There have only been 150 houses built. Which means our payments (assessments) do not cover the debt. In 2019/2020 the Duke’s bought the bonds, refinanced the debt and dropped it to where our payments now cover the debt. For more information about the purpose of, responsibilities of and all questions related to District 30 please contact the 3 District 30 Commissioners. Silver Springs Property Owners Association was established in the Bill of Assurances and represents the property owners of the neighborhood. It is the only organization answerable to the community. See Questions 2 & 3 for more information on establishment & purpose of the POA.
- What is Special Improvement District 28? When the neighborhood was being built the developer took out a bond to pay for the water and sewer for the neighborhood. The payment for the bond was passed on to each property owner as part of their property taxes. One of the main issues we face is the bond was based on over 300 houses being built and so far only 150 have been built. So our monthly payment (assessment) doesn’t cover the debt. For more information about the purpose of, responsibilities of and all questions related to District 28 please contact the 3 District 28 Commissioners.
- What can POA funds be used for? The use of POA funds must be approved by the POA Board. The Board uses the funds to maintain and improve common areas in the neighborhood. The POA has a lease with D30 for use of the Club and through the lease can help with the maintenance and upgrading of the amenities. The Board also looks for ways to improve the neighborhood and funds may be used for that as well. Refer to Article IV of the Bills of Assurance, Article VIII & X of the Bylaws and Article IV of the Articles of Incorporation.
- Why did the POA Board approve using POA funds for an attorney? We retained an attorney to create & file all the required paperwork for establishing the POA, and to formally obtain non-profit status with the IRS. The attorney also serves as an advisor to the POA Board to answer questions and insure the POA was established legally and operates legally.
- Is membership in the POA and/or payment of dues voluntary? No, membership in the POA and payment of dues is mandatory. Please refer to Section 1 of Article III and Sections 1, 7 & 8 of Article IV in the Bills of Assurance and Article V of the Articles of Incorporation.
- What happens if a property owner does not pay their dues? For a full explanation please refer to Article IV of the Bills of Assurance and Article II of the bylaws. If POA dues (assessments) are past due then the POA has the right to assess interest and file a lien. If dues are not current the owner loses voting rights until the dues are paid. If the property sells, Title companies will require dues be paid before closing. Current POA dues are $120 a year.
- Has the POA filed any liens for non-payment of dues? No. Silver Springs POA has never filed paperwork or hired an attorney to file a lien for non-payment of dues. When title companies are processing the sale of a property they look to see if POA dues associated with that property are up to date. The POA is contacted for confirmation of dues payment and the POA releases that information to Title companies. Title companies require dues to be paid in full to process the sale of the property.
- Can I pay my dues online? Yes you now have the ability to pay your POA dues through our website by going to this link. www.silverspringspoa.com/poa-dues.html
- Where do my $40, $50 and $10 monthly payments go? See questions 4 & 5. The special improvement districts each have bond debt. The debt is assigned to each property owner as part of their property taxes. For District 28 the annual fee is $478($39.83/mo), for District 30 the annual fee is $600($50/mo). That money goes straight to the bond debts. The districts do not have money to use for the neighborhood. The POA dues are $10/mo. The POA dues are the only money collected that goes directly to improving the neighborhood.