An elected official in The Villages is calling for the restoration of a limit on amenity rates paid by residents.
“I want to see a cap back in place for the amenities,” said Community Development District 1 Board Chairman Rocky Hyder.
He said residents, who are paying more and more for everything from groceries to insurance, want to have some assurance that there will be some limit on what they are expected to pay for amenities.
Hyder’s declaration, made at Friday’s CDD 1 board of supervisors meeting at Savannah Center, comes at a time when many residents are angry about the millions of dollars in amenity money being spent to restore and renovate golf courses. Many residents believe the oversight of the care of the golf courses was lax and largely delegated to contractors.
Meanwhile, the Amenity Authority Committee and Project Wide Authority Committee are approving larger budgets each year, loaded with new projects.
“Christmas has got to end,” Hyder said.
Back in 2019, there was a cap (also known as the “deferral rate”) which was set at $155 per month. That same year, the AAC and PWAC decided to abandon the cap. The motivation, especially for PWAC, was fueled by grim financial forecasts which showed that expenses would exceed revenues in the years ahead.
As of Jan. 1, the prevailing rate for new homes and resales climbed to $195 per month. Homeowners who remain in their residence are subject to amenity rate hikes in accordance with the Consumer Price Index.
Since 2019, the Amenity Authority Committee has occasionally discussed the idea of returning to the cap.
However, the AAC and PWAC are essentially in a marriage and both would have to abandon the cap, something PWAC isn’t likely to do.
Do you think it’s time to restore the cap on amenity rates? Share your thoughts at [email protected]