E.B. from Litchfield County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Can you refer me to a good article I can share with the board relating to using Reserve Funds and Operational Funds? I have some board members thinking it is one big pot of money! I would like to show them an explanation.
Mister Condo replies:
Sure thing, E.B.! The difference between Reserve Funds and Operational Funds is significant and the two should never be mingled or thought of as one big pot of money! My friend, Jeff Hardy, Founder of TOPS Software, wrote an excellent article on the topic that you can find here: http://camblog.topssoft.com/back-to-basics-understanding-reserve-fund-accounting. I am not sure what type of training your Board has had but one of the first things Board members need to learn when they agree to serve is all of the fiscal fiduciary duties they have as Board Members. Funding and protecting the Reserve Fund is paramount to maintaining a fiscally healthy association. There is always great temptation to simply spend or borrow from this fund, but, as is almost always the case, the monies never get put back and the community becomes deficient when the next major capital improvement project comes due. That takes the community down the path to Special Assessments or loans to make the needed repairs, or worse, deferred maintenance (not making the repair at all). All of this is easily avoidable by a proper understanding and respect for the Reserve Fund. Good luck!