Again I could be wrong, as it was last year when I attended a Budget Meeting, but I believe there was a discussion or proposal to issue a Bond and believe the Bond (in part) was proposed to fund Golf Course renovations.

Not to beat a dead horse, but a budget that's constrained by CPI increases & sale re-adjustment only, seem unrealistic. I'm sure my opinion is in the minority, but costs increase and CPI never seems to accurately reflect how much more it costs me to live.

People just don't appreciate how good we have it in The Villages, when it comes to how much we pay to maintain the lifestyle. It's a steal.

Thanks for the warning but I'll be watching the football playoffs Sunday. It's more entertaining when there is offense and defense.
In the morning I'll be preparing philly cheesesteaks and chicken wings before the games.

The bold/underlined is the piece that eluded my brain. So they won't be able to just walk away within the next couple of generations and still be wealthy. All I could think of, were the ghost towns around the midwest. Certain people owned certain parts of the towns. And when they either lost interest or ran out of gold to mine, they - walked away. And left whoever stayed, with nothing to do, no one to do it with, no one to sell it to, no one telling them how things should run - and then they walked away too. Banks have gone out of business before - in my lifetime, several times. Not just "been absorbed" by other banks, but closed shop and gone out of business. Mortgage lenders and insurance companies have gone out of business because the people in charge relinquished themselves of the responsibility. Developers have gone out of business because their kids didn't want to run the family business, and they had no one else to give it to.

All of these things have happened - some within my lifetime, some within the past decade, and some long before even our own grandparents were born.

So that's why I was wondering - if there was anything set up to prevent it from happening here. The reason I wondered was because the Schwartz/Morse family owns MOST of the commercial properties, most of the retail and office and even medical space, all of the new construction and razed land reserved for future construction, AND the bank, AND the new-construction real estate company. So it seemed like - wow - what would happen if Johnny Schwartz Morse III told his daddy "Nah - the buck stops with you, dad. I'm gonna be a veterinarian."

It wasn't hyperbole, it wasn't rhetoric, it wasn't a "concern" that would affect me personally, ever. I have no kids so it wouldn't affect them either. It was more of a pondering, based on the knowledge that these things have happened, and do happen, on a smaller scale.

Actually Covid helped golf as it is an outdoor activity. This could be short term and only time will tell the long term affects. Golf can be very frustrating

Plenty of good tee times this past week.

Developer needs to think about having a lower price when temperature gets below a certain temperature. Some revenue is a lot better than 0 revenue.

Met a guy who was part of the group who wrote the program. Interesting conversation. Call iit the "what if system". TOOO many variables. Personally feel system is good. If it ever fails, what a mess.

And most rankings are paid for. Airline magazines(years ago) had the highest ranking doctors.

Any team I would have wanted is out of the picture already, so I'll stick with doing the live broadcast. On today's broadcast you can call in and share your opinion live, the phone number will be on the screen, and I'll be more than happy to take your call, listen, and allow you to share your thoughts with everyone watching.

The cheesesteaks do sound tempting...

Gold Wingnut Live #49 1/26/2025 at 3:00 PM - YouTube

I beg to differ on the quantity paying more than others.

At our recent neighborhood get together, the amenity fee came up. At least a quarter of people stated they are paying over $210 per month, and a few shouted out numbers over $215.

It became a very ugly topic with angry people wanting to know why they are paying more for identical services. They compared it to a store charging some people different prices for the same item.
A few wondered about filing a class action lawsuit, citing discrimination based upon age because newer homeowners (who paying more) are typically younger than present residents (paying less). And then paying more for their existing house than those buying a new house.

It really doesn't matter what budgeting process that caused different amounts. It's unfair for one house to subsidize another. It should be identical for everyone.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS

There is nothing to be fixed so there is nothing to be done.

When you purchased the home you were told what the contractual amenity fee was and in your deed restrictions you read that it would increase every year based on the CPI. That is what you agreed to and that is what was done.

In what year did they purchase? When I looked back at the contractual amenity fee for the past several years and the maximum CPI that would have been used for adjustments, the highest number I could come up with was $207. I'm not sure that's even possible but I couldn't find a way to get higher than that. With the year they purchased I can find the contractual amenity fee at the time of the sale and if you provide the neighborhood I may be able to determine the month the rate is increased.

A simple image of a utility bill showing an amenity fee above $210 would go a long way too.

EDIT: It looks like a $210 or $215 bill might be possible. More info below.

Oh, look at you, dealing in facts, when most people would rather get their information from their barber's cousins's next door neighbor.....

Amenity Fees and the "Cap"
 

Great explanation Don. You always have the information but there will always people who can't/won't understand. People need to be realistic, everything goes up and if you want to keep the amenities we enjoy, ALL of us need to fund them. If you don't understand how amenity fees differ in your neighborhood, head up to the District Office, they explained it to me very simply, the Amenity Fees vary widely in TV due to the "Beginning Amenity Fee" is tied to purchase date of your property. The original purchase date of our home was Dec 2020. We purchased the home in May 2022, and at that time I believe the Amenity Fee was $179 (and change), in December 2022, our Amenity Fee increased to $193.79. In December of 2023, our Amenity Fee increased to $200.89 and in December 2024 our Amenity Fee increased to $205.97. So we are paying more than some of our neighbors who have owned their homes since 2020 because of our purchase date in 2022. Still a good deal to us.

Never infer that I am posting incorrect information. Personal attacks are prohibited here.
To prove it, here is a screen capture from a Jan 2025 bill.
Please notice the amenity fee is above $210

The prevailing rates for the last few years were $179 in 2022 then $189, $195, and now $199 for 2025.

The amenity fee increases on a home in the month it was put on the market the very first time. Particularly for resales, this is not the month you purchased, it is the month it was put on the market. I purchased in May but my fee adjusts in February.

When you purchase a home the amenity fee is set to the prevailing rate as listed above. If you purchased in 2022 your initial amenity fee was $179.

If you purchased AFTER the month your fee increases then you saw your first increase in 2023 and you should be paying between $189 and $196 now.

However, if you purchased BEFORE the month your fee increases AND IF the fee increases even on recent sales then you could be paying between $202 and $211 now. I don't know if this actually happens but it would simplify the application of the increase and it would explain claims of $210 amenity fees so perhaps it does happen.

I don't have the prevailing rate for 2021 to know what the numbers would be for a purchase in that year. Purchasing in 2023 or 2024 would not have resulted in a $215 fee today.

Still, the fact remains that the prevailing rate, adjustment month, and adjustment calculations were available at the time of purchase.

I don't care what magic formulas are used to arrive at different rates for the same amenities. That is how it is done UNFAIRLY. That process is the cause.

Nobody gets anything extra for paying more.
Nobody gets anything removed for paying less.