Greetings from the Board – November 2024

Greetings from the Board

A few people have asked me about the 2025 budget and the reason for the dues increase and after my explanation, encouraged me to “put it in writing” and send it out to our members.

We approved the budget for 2025 for VCA and for Siena at the October Board meeting (both are available on the VCA website under the “Your VCA” heading at the top of the page. 

In order to have a balanced budget (operating revenue equals operating expenses) and add a 5^th staff member (we ‘ve added around 2,000 houses since we last increased the number of staff positions), we had to increase the dues from $95 per quarter to $103 per quarter.  If you are on autopay, please remember to update your account with the new dues number. 

Our total operating expenses for 2025 are projected to be $2,809,208 and the two biggest items are landscaping $1,446,470 and administrative $1,015,113 (of which salaries and benefits are $399,960).  Remember we have over 6,000 homes and over 60 commercial members in Rancho Vistoso.

The budget is divided into Operating (which I described above) and the Reserve Fund.  The reserve fund will receive a transfer of $850,000 from, the operating funds and $150,000 in earned interest for a total of $1 million.  The budget calls for spending $1,119,900 out of our reserve fund.  Significant increases are the drainage mitigation in the reserve increased from $60,000 to $365,000 as we believe we will finally be able to fix one of our 3 biggest erosion projects in 2025.  The Town of Oro Valley and the developer of Rancho Vistoso made the HOA responsible for maintenance of these washes (long ago) and we must fix the deterioration and erosion issues.  The washes channel the storm water down to the CDO wash and most of the HOA’s in Oro Valley have the same financial responsibility for maintenance. 

We also allocated $250,000 to take down the streetlights on Rancho Vistoso Blvd (except for the Sun City lights that are the Town of Oro Valley, not ours) that will remove the long-term liability of those lights and save us approximately $35,000 per year in electricity.  We discussed the options on those streetlights for 3 years, gathering survey results, investigating costs and the vast majority of our members said, “take them down”.

The Rancho Vistoso HOA is a $3.5 million per year business and the volunteer board and the committees are working hard on your behalf.  Please consider lending a helping hand and sign up for a committee or run for the Board.  If you wish to contact the board, please send an email to:    askvca@ranchovistosohoa.com

Matt Wood

Did You Know – November 2024

Interesting facts about Arizona:

Arizona’s official state bird is the Cactus wren

If you’re looking for a list of Arizona state symbols, don’t forget about its state bird. The Cactus wren is native to the area and became a symbol for the state in 1931. Since the bird is endemic to Arizona, no other state can claim it. Cactus wrens are vivacious little birds with a unique song you can hear when they’re nesting in the spring.

Kitt Peak National Observatory has one of the largest solar telescopes

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope contributes to some of the most interesting facts about Arizona state. This telescope used to be the largest solar telescope in the world and is found at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.

This telescope has helped scientists study the structure of sunspots and make important discoveries, such as the presence of water and isotopic helium in the sun.

The Four Corners Monument lets you be in four places at once

Arizona is one of the “Four Corners states.” The borders of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona all come together to share a corner border.

A popular attraction for locals and tourists is the Four Corners Monument. This is a marked spot on the ground where these state borders meet. If you crouch with a hand or foot in each of the sections of the monument, you can technically be in 4 places at once.

The state tree is the palo verde

Though the Saguaro cactus may reach tree-like heights, it’s not a tree. Thus, the actual state tree of Arizona is the palo verde.

One interesting fact about the Palo Verde is that there are actually two species of this tree that are native to Arizona- the Foothill Palo Verde and the Blue Palo Verde. No specific species were named in the approved House bill, so both species enjoy this honor