The short version
Our 2027 budget holds monthly assessments flat at $55. But at the same August 13, 2026 meeting, Management told the Board directly that this can't be guaranteed to continue in 2028. Separately, Management disclosed that the Association's insurance carrier has been placed on notice about a possible claim tied to an ongoing records-request dispute — and that this could push insurance costs above what's currently budgeted.
Every dollar the Association spends on legal disputes, insurance claims, or costs that could have been avoided is a dollar that ultimately comes out of homeowners' pockets — not the Board's, and not Management's. This page lays out exactly what was said, and why we think it's worth watching closely as 2028 budget planning begins.
What was actually said, in the Board's own financial review
During the Financial Review portion of the August 13, 2026 meeting, Management walked the Board through the proposed 2027 budget. On assessments:
The assessment amount is not changing… So the assessment amount is remaining at $55. I make no guarantees that we're going to be able to do this in 2028, but the board took some proactive steps in 2027 to allow the budget to take on without having to increase that reserve account.
On insurance, moments later:
If you go back to our this year's insurance, you will see that we are budgeted for $8,064. We actually have just paid this insurance, which is on a three-year renewal, and this is the last year for it, so it will go out to bid next year, and it was just under $7,000… I can tell you that based on the ratification that you just did, that you are notice[ing] the insurance company for a records request. … there is a possible claim that may not hold [it] for [$]8,300 for 2027, so just bear that in mind. But we've built a little cushion in there, so I think we're okay.
We want to be transparent that this second passage is difficult to transcribe precisely from the meeting recording — the phrasing is not entirely clean. What is clear, stated plainly and more than once, is this: the insurance company was placed on notice specifically because of the ongoing records-request dispute, and Management flagged that this could affect the Association's insurance costs relative to what's currently budgeted.
Two separate, but connected, financial flags
1. No guarantee on 2028 assessments
Holding assessments flat for 2027 is a genuinely positive thing for homeowners, and we want to say that plainly — the Board and Management deserve credit for that. But Management's own words make clear this isn't expected to be sustainable indefinitely without some change: “I make no guarantees that we're going to be able to do this in 2028.”
That's not a criticism. Budgets change, costs rise, reserve studies get updated. But it does mean 2028 is a year every homeowner should be paying attention to, and it means the decisions the Board makes between now and then — including the ones documented elsewhere on this site — have a direct bearing on what that number ends up being.
2. An insurance claim tied directly to the records dispute
This is the flag we think deserves the most attention. On August 7, 2026, the Board ratified a decision to place the Association's insurance carrier on notice “for records request information and possibility of possible legal action.” At the same meeting, Management confirmed this notice could affect the Association's insurance costs — potentially pushing them from the currently budgeted $8,064 toward $8,300 or higher — though she noted a financial cushion has been built in to absorb it.
We think it's worth homeowners knowing plainly: the Association's insurance costs may be affected by a legal dispute over whether records requests were properly answered on time. That's a direct, dollars-and-cents connection between a governance and compliance issue and what every homeowner may end up paying.
Why we're not just reporting a budget line
We could have left this out of Board Watch as routine financial reporting. We're including it because of the connection Management herself drew, on the record: this particular insurance notice exists because of the records dispute, not despite it. That means this isn't an abstract “insurance costs go up sometimes” story — it's a direct example of how a governance dispute can turn into a real cost for every homeowner in this community, regardless of whether you have any personal stake in the underlying disagreement.
We've also documented, elsewhere on this site, a pattern of records requests going unanswered past their legal deadlines, and a resolution passed at this same meeting that we believe was not properly authorized under the Association's own Bylaws. We don't think these are unrelated. Disputes that arise from records requests not being answered on time, or from decisions being made without a full Board vote, tend to escalate — and escalation costs money. That money comes from assessments.
What we're asking the Board to do
We're not asking the Board to eliminate every dispute or guarantee every outcome — that's not realistic, and we don't expect it. We are asking that the Board:
- Respond to outstanding records requests within the statutory deadline, so disputes like this one don't have the opportunity to escalate into insurance and legal matters in the first place;
- Provide homeowners with a clear, itemized accounting of any costs — legal fees, insurance premium increases, claims — that are directly attributable to this or any similar dispute, separate from the Association's normal operating costs; and
- Explain, in the 2028 budget process, whether and how much this specific dispute contributed to any changes in assessments or insurance costs.
Read the source documents yourself
We don't want you to take our word for any of this. Everything referenced above comes directly from:
- The August 13, 2026 meeting agenda, including Ratification Item III(B);
- The full audio recording and transcript of the meeting's Financial Review section; and
- The Association's proposed 2027 budget (in the documents library as it is posted).
We encourage every homeowner to request a copy of the current budget and reserve study, and to ask the Board directly for a breakdown of any costs tied to this dispute as the 2028 budget process begins. Here's how to reach the board.
This page reflects the independent review and opinion of a McClellan Meadows homeowner, based on the record of the August 13, 2026 meeting. It is not legal or financial advice. If you believe any factual statement on this page is inaccurate, please contact us so it can be corrected.