By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
After two and a half months, the new Steiner Ranch community manager resigned and is expected to leave her post sometime in March. This news comes on the heels of the community’s executive director’s recent resignation and the previous community manager’s resignation.
Heather Hood reportedly gave notice on Feb. 9, former executive director Randy Schmaltz’s resignation was effective Jan. 5, he was with the community nearly three years, and Mackal Taylor resigned in mid-December, after eight years with the community.
The Steiner Ranch Master Association Board of Directors hires the staff who runs Steiner Ranch.
Hood did not comment but Clinton Brown, attorney with law firm Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey and general counsel for the Steiner Ranch Master Association, shared this statement from Hood: “She values the relationships she has made with association management and wishes the management team and board well on their future endeavors.”
“It is very unfortunate that Heather is leaving. I understand how crucial it is to keep our HOA in good health in order to move forward with projects and day to day operations,” said Erika Fletcher, vice president of the board.
“I can reassure the community that the board is working on interviewing and hiring replacements for the open positions. I am on the search committee to find an interim executive director and community manager. I have had approximately a dozen interviews and think we are getting very close to finding some good replacements,” Fletcher said.
Naren Chilukuri, SRMA board president, adds that the board, which hires and directs the community staffers, is working on filling the open positions.
“Erika and I have been conducting interviews with multiple candidates over the last three weeks and we are getting close to a solution,” Chilukuri said.
Homeowner services and operations are continuing including events and programs, common areas landscape maintenance, trash/recycling services, pools maintained by high capacity filters and CPOs, parks/courts/community centers maintained, assessments/revenues are being collected and bills are being paid, Chilukuri stated.
“Despite staff changes, all the above services and operations are continuing as they are not dependent on one person but collective organizational effort of staff, dedicated board of directors and homeowner led committees,” Chilukuri said. “Thanks to all of them for their dedicated service to our Steiner Ranch community.”
Steiner Ranch, as an aggregate community, has more than 4,000 homes, some 16,000 residents and a combined $4.6 million annual operating budget. The community is serviced through SRMA staff, tools, process procedures and service providers, Chilukuri said.
Background
Not long after the SRMA board was elected last April, the HOA board has become generally divided on several potential management shift ideas. The board is down to six members after Craig Smyser resigned from the board after the Sept. 14 town hall meeting, the first of three.
Chilukuri, Amy Colton and Rekha Garapati have been advocating for changes in the HOA management structure and have been exploring ideas for a third party management structure since the summer. They say this could lead to cost savings and efficiencies.
Fletcher, Robby Roberts and Dave Doman had been advocating to slow down the process to consider outside management and to review and refine the current structure. They want to table any major management structure decisions until the next election of board members in April.
The board is to give staffing updates at the next board meeting next week on Feb. 27.