General Manager’s Update

Dear Landings Association Members,

Thank you to all for the great, thoughtful feedback on the updated Landings Association Rules and Regulations draft changes. Even with dozens of residents and staff involved in this effort, that is no substitute for our thousands of residents and their daily experiences. We received suggested changes or areas of review from almost 100 residents. These now go before the Governance Committee for consideration before the updates are finalized and then approved by the Board of Directors. Thank you for your engagement!

 As recently reported, the Board has approved a traffic study within our community to review such items as speed limits, intersections, signage, and road markings. Besides offering an opportunity for residents to drop in and share their concerns, we also reached out via Eblast as well and have received helpful feedback as this study gets underway. Next year, we plan to do a similar study on our community paths. This helps us stay current and make improvements over time, as traffic patterns have changed greatly in The Landings’ 51 years of existence.

 On a less positive note, as the temperatures have heated up, so have the tempers of some individuals in our community. Please know that as a service organization of 75 employees, we are here to make your life and this community the best it possibly can be. We take our work seriously and are committed to doing our best to help protect property values and enhance the Landings lifestyle that our members want and deserve. That does include enforcing the Covenants and Rules and Regulations, performing work in easements, and conducting collections. Our tasks aren’t always pleasant ones, but we endeavor to treat all with fairness and compassion. Per the Association’s Strategic Plan, we “strive to be known as an ‘Employer of Choice’ in the Savannah Area”.  Part of attaining and retaining that status includes helping our employees feel safe and protected as they conduct the Association’s business. Fortunately, the vast majority of Landings members understand and respect our charge and always are kind and courteous to staff. I ask all members to please do the same for our employees. Abusive conduct toward employees will not be tolerated and will result in a minimum fine of $250. This issue, and most of the Rules and Regulations for that matter, are intended to regulate good behavior. If we’re all practicing that good behavior on our own, then we won’t have the conflict. As the motto in our household goes, “Be a good human.”

We’re now in the thick of budgeting season. In this detailed and thorough process, each department creates a Work Plan for the next year and then determines the required budget to accomplish that work. Budget Liaisons from the Finance Committee meet with each department and Finance staff to review the draft and challenge the assumptions. Simultaneously, the Reserves Subcommittee meets to review current and future capital repair and replacement needs. Later this fall, the Liaisons report to the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors to finalize and approve the budget. The good news is that our revenues are running slightly ahead of budget, and our expenses are running slightly below budget so far this year, meaning more money can be allocated to our Capital Reserves Fund. Stay tuned for more details as this work progresses.

As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance (karls@landings.org). It is my pleasure to serve this wonderful community!