Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023

Las Huacas directors and steering committee are pleased to provide a financial update for the year ended June 30, 2023.

Homeowner participation 9-year trend
2015 to 2023

The table shows the number of homeowners who paid annual fees. We received 62 Road (3 more than last year) and 56 Security Fund (1 more than last year) contributions.

Statistically our participation rate for Road is 75% and Security 67%. However, we have more than the usual construction projects who may only have paid an impact fee, a few additional vacant lots who may only have paid a road fee, 2 former single vacant lots previously not counted now subdivided into multiple lots, 2 of which have paid one of the fees... so our total count of 83 homes/owners is not a fair comparison to prior years.

For a better comparison, if we adjust the total count for the above reasons, participation rates are: Road 83% and Security 79% respectively, similar to prior years. Good news for future collections. In addition, 57 people contributed to the Save The Road fund.

Financial overview for the year ended June 30, 2023

Road highlights and report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2023

62 of 83 owners paid into the road fund (62 of 75 “adjusted” owners, see paragraph 1 above). Fees received totalled $60,912 (2022 $36,159). We restructured and increased road fees for this year.
We spent $69,390 (2022 $50,210) (including overhead), mainly on road widening below the monkey refuge, gutters, culverts, and potholes. The balance remaining of the Save The Road fund is transferred here to be used for painting dividing lines, signs and for ongoing maintenance. The lastre sections still have to be maintained within the next month or two after we receive the current year’s annual road fees.

Construction impact fees - emergency and capital reserve

9 owners paid into the Emergency/Impact fund totalling $12,575 (2022 $13,375).
In addition, 57 owners contributed to the special Save The Road fund amounting to $255,805. The cost of replacing the badly potholed old surface was $234,644 leaving a balance of $21,161, transferred to the Road fund.

Las Huacas road report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2023

After thoroughly analyzing different contractors’ quotes, and in continuous communication with the municipal engineers, the road rebuilding option was chosen, due to its superior quality and cost effectiveness. It consisted of the placement of a thick, high-quality granular base of 10cm (3 in) covered by a 7cm (2.75 in) layer of hot mix asphalt for a total of 1,260 linear meters or 7,560 sqm.

LHCA obtained a discounted price of $234,644 despite significant inflation of the cost of raw materials.

With regulated heavy traffic, our new road can be expected to last over 5-6 years without signs of deterioration according to the municipal engineers. Going forward we must avoid at all costs articulated heavy trucks with more than 3 axles or 22 tons. To do so, we as neighbours need to inform our builders and providers to deliver loads divided into smaller trucks in order to preserve our brand-new road and investment.

Also, because of the road’s sharp curves and steepness, we have specific restrictions on the capacity utilization of cement mixers to avoid concrete spillage on the new road.

The topography and safety of our road also requires us to drive below 30 km/h and 20 km/h on critical curves. We are currently working on signs and an informative one-pager in Spanish for builders.

The road belongs to all of us and with each one of us as a custodian of this asset, we can preserve it for a long time and in complete safety.

Thank you all for your generosity and promptness in joining this team effort!

As a reminder, LHCA maintains only the hill’s principal arterial roads. These include the continuous asphalt from the guard caseta to the EE “T” junction at the top of the hill and four segments of lastre (gravel): (1) the entrance to the hill road from 160; (2) the main hill in section F; (3) from the “T” to Tierra Magnifica and (4) from the “T” to the cell tower. Abutting neighbors are responsible for other sections, “side streets”, and private islands of asphalt.

Special kudos go to Denisse Lashley for the significant time and effort managing and organizing the rebuilding project and all other maintenance.

Security highlights for fiscal year ended June 30, 2023

56 of 83 owners supported the security fund (56 of 71 “adjusted” owners, see paragraph 1 above).. Although everyone benefits from a secure and safe neighbourhood, not everyone pays.
Over the last fiscal year, we raised $62,264 (2022 $77,894) and of that spent a total of $69,894 (2022 $72,806). Note, security fees were reduced for the year coinciding with the increase of road fees.

Fees for the new fiscal year, starting July 1, 2023

Road fees will remain the same this coming year. We will continue with the road fees based on a distance-based methodology to address fairness considerations. We have four road fee categories.

We have renegotiated the contract with Jhonny (ASPN) that will require an increase in security fees by $150 due to inflation and a stronger CRC. The uniform security fee for everyone is now $1,350.

Ongoing, we still have the few short sections of lastre to maintain, as we do every year, as well as continue to install new gutters and culverts or maintain the existing ones. The road work is constant but with the new surface our future annual costs will hopefully decrease and will be reviewed for 2024/25.

The 38 who contributed $5,000 or more to the STR fund are not being asked to pay road fees this year. The 18 who contributed less than $5,000, and the remainder who did not make a contribution, are being asked to contribute their regular road fees so we can finish off the lastre sections and the rest of the maintenance.

Fee summary for the year ahead:

Bottom hill: (lower E section) Road $ 300 + Security $1,350 = $1,650
Lower hill: (middle E section) Road $ 600 + Security $1,350 = $1,950
Middle hill: (F, upper E & up to EE11) Road $ 900 + Security $1,350 = $2,250
Upper hill: (near and above the T) Road $1,250 + Security $1,350 = $2,600

Timing of receipts. This past year the good news was that most fees were paid within the first few months, but the not-so-good news is that some owners still delay their payments until much later in the fiscal year.

We count on and appreciate your participation, but slow and late payments require significant effort and frustration for our volunteer treasurer, our bookkeeper and some of LHCA’s directors, having to repeatedly follow up with multiple emails. Please make life easier for all of us and pay promptly. Please pay your fees as soon as you can, if possible, in July.

Transfers are easy! Here is our BCR bank account number.

IBAN CR71015201001048309979

Please indicate your name and lot number in “reason/motivo” field.

Thank you, neighbors - acknowledging those who supported LHCA in fiscal year 2022-2023

The vast majority of homeowners paid their fees this past year and we as a community are most appreciative. It’s our road to maintain, it’s our homes and families that are kept secure. It's our property values that go up. It’s also why some new owners have chosen to live in this community. Keep up the good work for all of us. These contributors are recognized in our monthly reports.

Although everyone on the hill benefits from LHCA’s road and security spending, some owners chose not to pay for road maintenance and a few more chose not to pay for security. A few non-payers have financial constraints; most non- payers are able to pay but choose not to. While LHCA’s fees are not mandatory, the majority of our community choose to support each other by helping to pay for the costs of maintaining our unique neighbourhood. If you want to encourage a non-paying neighbour or friend to support the community, that’s great, but please do it respectfully.

Save the Road fund

A special thank you and shout out to the 57 owners who paid into the special Save The Road fund and a great thank you to Cherie Duval (and the fundraising team) who organized this special fundraiser.