Managing a self-contained community budget requires careful monitoring, and keeping our common expenses aligned with our projections is always a top priority. As we look at our financial standing midpoint through the year, there is an important update regarding our community water utility costs that requires the attention of all Members.
During the first six months of 2026, our water expenses have significantly exceeded our initial projections. Currently, the actual water bill is $2,318 over budget for the first half of the year.
Our Treasurer is closely monitoring the situation and will track the billing trends over the next few months to see if this overage stabilizes. However, if water consumption and expenses continue to climb during the latter half of the year, it will unfortunately require the Board to propose a higher water expense budget for next year to ensure our operational costs are fully covered.
The Board remains optimistic that this spike represents a temporary fluctuation rather than a permanent trend, and we hope to see water expenses decline as the year progresses.
With that said, there is an additional factor to keep in mind regarding our upcoming utility usage. At this time, we have two empty villas in the community. When these homes are sold and new Members move in, the baseline water consumption for the community will naturally rise. This expected increase in occupancy will place additional upward pressure on our water expenses for the remainder of 2026.
We encourage all Members to remain mindful of water usage where possible, particularly regarding exterior watering like landscaping irrigation, as we work together to keep our community operating efficiently. Updates will be provided as our Treasurer analyzes the upcoming utility cycles.
