The incorporation of Seven Lakes would provide Seven Lakes West property owners little gain, higher taxes, and less say in how things are done, Seven Lakes West Landowners Association Vice President John Hoffmann reported to Westside Landowners during the Board's Tuesday. October 26 Work Session.
Hoffmann's comment was offered as the conclusion reached by a Board subcommittee investigating the impact of incorporation on safety and security in Seven Lakes West. A copy of the committee's report is available here.
Hoffmann said the eleven-man committee began its work with a brainstorming session aimed at surfacing the key safety and security issues, which included the value of the gates, the likely cost of a Seven Lakes municipal police department, and the impact of wider access to the community's streets if the gates are taken down, among other issues.
Guards and gates currently cost the Association about $155,000 per year, Hoffmann said. And, according to Moore County Sheriff Lane Carter, they do provide an effective deterrent to crime.
Quoting information provided by Carter, Hoffmann said Seven Lakes is home to about 10 percent of Moore County's population, but accounts for only 1.7 percent of calls to the Sheriff's Office. "According to the Sheriff," Hoffmann said, "gates keep the bad guys out."
Of the 97 crimes reported in the Seven Lakes area in 2009, Hofmann, said, only 13 were in Seven Lakes West. Only 5 of the 144 Seven Lakes crimes reported in Seven Lakes in 2008 took place in Seven Lakes West.
Both groups that have floated proposals for incorporating Seven Lakes have underestimated the cost of providing police protection, the subcommittee found. Using budgets from five different area police departments, they estimate that an eight-person police department would cost just over $700,000 per year.
Having access to such a police force would likely improve response times to incidents, Hoffmann said. However, that increased response time comes at a considerable cost likely to generate higher taxes. And incorporating without the gates would introduce another expense: that of securing community amenities from use by non-members who would have free access to community streets.
Other Business
In other business during the Tuesday, October 26 Work Session of the SLWLA Board of Directors:
• The Board took its final vote approving the permanent closure of Longleaf Drive over Lake Auman Dam [See story on page 1].
• The Board approved an annexation agreement for Stonegate, a development near the back gate that will include twelve single-family residences in the $300,000-$400,000 range.
• Treasurer Joe Sikes, in response to a question from former Treasurer Kathy Kirst, said he would expedite having reserves attributable to the $100 per year dues assessment for West Side Park applied to an accelerated principal payment, so that the mortgage can be retired earlier.
• Joan Frost reported that additional mulch for the WestSide Playground is on order.
• Frost said Gate Guard Maggie Rock recently aided the Sheriff's department in the capture of a burglar. Rock reported unauthorized entry into the community by the individual, and the Sheriff's officers responding to the call caught the bandit red-handed in a Westside home.
• Infrastructure Director Goodman reported that emergency access gates are being installed on either end of Lake Auman Dam that will prevent unauthorized use of the dam by vehicles while allowing emergency vehicles to access it when necessary.
• Event Director Jane Sessler said Moore County Emergency Manager Scot Brooks will conduct CPR and AED training at Westside Park on January 11 at 7:00 pm. Residents interested in taking the class may reserve a place by calling Sessler or the SLWLA Office.
• Road patching along Teague and Longleaf, as well as at other locations along Longleaf, is expected to begin next week, Goodman reported.
• President Ron Shepard thanked a group of Lake Auman Sports Club volunteers, headed up by Charlie Flinchum, who recently cleaned up Pine Island and repaired its damaged bulkhead.
• The SLWLA Office staff continues to try to identify the owners of unmarked trailers in the boat and trailer storage lot, Manager Frost reported. Unidentified trailers will ultimately be towed from the lot.
• Frost said the office had sent out twelve compliance letters since the last meeting. "We are getting fewer calls and finding fewer problems," Frost said.
• Treasurer Sikes reported that the Board will hold an offsite budget retreat on November 16 aimed at producing a Board-approved draft budget.
