Professional Community Association Management Since 1984
Archived Newsletters
Every month, we issue an electronic newsletter, eNews Monthly, to keep clients informed about Association items, spotlight clients, answer frequently asked questions, and let you know what is happening with the company. Old issues of eNews Monthly are available on our Library page.
The 88th Texas Legislative Session began on January 10th and lasts for 140 days until May 29th. Our elected representatives have been busy working on issues for the last two years and have already pre-filed bills for consideration. The last day to file non-emergency bills is March 10th. In a typical session, more than 10,000 bills are filed and close to half become law. There are normally a couple dozen bills filed that affect associations in one way or another.
At this point, there are just a handful of bills that would affect associations. Here are a few of the bills filed as of the start of the session on January 10th. Only the last one is a big concern, but there will be more filings to come. Stay tuned!
* HB-92, HB-276, HB-328, HB-329, HB-330, HB-1191 & SB-326 all relate to the authority or municipalities and associations to prohibit activities such as growing fruit or vegetables, raising chickens or rabbits, or installing solar or wind-powered energy devices. Reasonable regulations may be applied but, in general, these items cannot be prohibited. View HB-92 View HB-330
* HB-614 deals with an association’s ability to impose fines. It requires the Board to adopt a policy and make it available to all owners. Not every association has the right to fine under its governing documents. But if it does and implements a fine system, most of what’s in this bill should already be standard practice. View HB-614
* HB-886 deals with filing liens for unpaid assessments. This one is problematic in that it adds steps, costs, and delays for associations pursuing unpaid assessments from owners. It would require three separate monthly notices of delinquency to the owner by certified mail. And then the lien may only be filed 6 months after the last notice. If a lien is currently filed 3 months after an annual assessment is delinquent (April), the new law would delay the lien until at least 11 months after the assessment became delinquent (December). View HB-886
Texas has a very nice website to explain how things work and to follow proposed legislation. Go to Texas Legislature online at https://capitol.texas.gov/Home.aspx and look around.
Cross Creek Ranch Holiday Tree Lighting
by Kristen Craig
On Saturday, November 26th, the Cross Creek Ranch community had a wonderful time at their Holiday Tree Lighting event with a special countdown from Santa!
Other than the tree lighting itself, the star of the show was the LED rentals. They had a giant LED chess set, giant Jenga, LED see-saws, and a giant Lite Bright. Other activities included a trackless train, face painting, balloon twisting, gourmet coffee and hot chocolate, cotton candy, and a station to write letters to Santa!
Residents also enjoyed appearances from an amazing DJ, Mrs. Claus, and Santa himself. Everyone had a chance to take a photo with Santa with a beautiful balloon backdrop.
The spirit of the season was certainly present in Cross Creek Ranch!
Santa Visits Lincoln Green Estates
by Adam Bruce
For the second year in a row, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and several of their elves visited the Lincoln Green Estates community (many thanks to the Board President and his wife).
The merry gang handed out goody bags as they drove through the community before Christmas. It was a joy to hear all of the young children exclaiming "I love you Santa!" as they made their way down the streets. Everyone was very appreciative of the goodies they received and had a great time.
This is another successful holiday event for this community and certainly got everyone in the community spirit!
Meet Mr. Chris Elbrecht of Walker Ranch
by Valerie Flinn
Chris was born and raised in Austin, TX. He moved to San Antonio a little over 14 years ago and quickly, some of us would say luckily for us, found his way to Walker Ranch, along with his wife and daughters. Chris is the current Treasurer for the Walker Ranch HOA and has served in this capacity for more than 4 years.
Chris is a Baylor University alumnus (Go Bears!) and sits on the steering committee for the local chapter of the Baylor Business Network. He also serves on the D-9 Neighborhood Alliance Committee, which consists of local leaders from the neighborhood communities within the district. The D-9 Group meets regularly with city officials, local police leadership, as well as other city/county departments. They discuss issues in their communities and district issues that affect the neighborhoods, then help provide input towards a resolution.
Chris is very family-oriented, makes time to serve on the Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer program at his daughter’s school, and helps coach girls’ youth soccer, in which his daughter participates. He is also very active, along with other members of the board, when planning and putting on the San Antonio Together Night Out (Previously called National Night Out). He assists in hanging additional holiday decorations at the community entrance to enhance the professional work; and helps during Easter Activities, the Halloween Parade, and the community Fiesta Shoebox Float parade.
Chris is currently employed at SWBC Investment Services as a Director on their Capital Markets Team. This background has served the community well, especially when overseeing the investments for the community, as they work to manage expenses and budget planning for their future. Chris has been a guiding light to help steer and maximize those investments. This allows them to be prepared for current and future replacement projects. He is a true asset to the community and our Board of Directors.
Cross Creek Ranch Community Association Maintenance Coordinators Volunteer!
by Kristen Craig
The Cross Creek Ranch Community Association recently wrapped up a food drive benefitting Family Hope! The Association collected three large boxes of food and hygiene items to donate to Family Hope. The generosity of the residents is incredible and what the holiday spirit is all about. We know these items will make a big difference for those that need them.
Our own Anderson Campbell and Norris Daniels have been dedicated Maintenance Coordinators for the Cross Creek Ranch Community Association since mid-2022. Anderson (pictured on the left) and Norris (not pictured) helped deliver the donations. They both are always willing to lend a hand for the greater good and they showed again by helping out with the delivery of the donations.
It is important to C.I.A. Services to live up to our core values, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. We are empathetic to those who need our help and always strive to give back to our community. Thank you Anderson and Norris for showing those values in what you do every day!
Annual Food Drive
The San Antonio Office kicked off the holiday season by raising food for the SA Food Bank and for Daisy Pets. The food they raised helped feed 100,000 families for many weeks.
We would like to give a big thank you to the following people from our communities who helped our staff to raise food: Aceneth Median from Palo Blanco HOA, Cindy Ybanez from S.A. Quail Ridge HOA and Joe Ruiz, our Maintenance Building Coordinator.
This initiative has highlighted the empathy, passion, and love for the greater community held in the hearts of all of our employees. Thank you San Antonio office fore being SPECIAL and living our core values!
We are very pleased to move into the New Year with our first client of 2023!
The Cloverdale Community Association joined us on January 1, 2023. Cloverdale is a new gated development in the Houston area that will ultimately consist of 154 homes.
Join us in welcoming Cloverdale!
Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are the clients that started with us in January.
Thank you to all these amazing communities!
Employee Anniversaries
Congratulations to Charlotte Bulcken on her 27-year anniversary with C.I.A. Services! Charlotte provides staff and corporate support at our North Houston Office and is always there to help us with special projects. Outside of work, Charlotte loves to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoys going to the theater and traveling.
Kimberly Terry is celebrating 10 years this January! Kim is an Administrative Assistant serving our San Antonio Communities. She is also a member of our Marketing Executive Committee. Outside of work, she enjoys time in nature and with her family.
Congratulations to Kelsey Ballard of our North Houston Office on her 6-year anniversary. Kelsey is an Administrative Assistant of several specialty communities. Kelsey and her fiance Adam enjoy spending time with their nieces and nephews.
Tra’Neshia Williams is a Community Manager in our West Houston Office celebrating her 6 year anniversary this month. She is always willing to assist anyone and is very much a team player. Outside of work, Tra’Neshia loves trying new restaurants with her husband and 2 sons.
More Employee Anniversaries
LeAnn Bruton will be celebrating her 5-year anniversary with us, making her a new stockholder! LeAnn is a valued team member of our Accounting Office. She is one of four on the Financial Team and our go-to for many of the nitty-gritty, “what-the-heck” moments. She enjoys sewing, quilting, knitting, and crocheting as well as her doggie roommates at home.
Tammy Smith will be celebrating her first anniversary this month! Tammy joined our Accounting Office on a part-time basis last year and is always willing to help out with whatever is needed. She has also been attending classes in order to obtain her Masters in Business Administration with Certification in National Intelligence!! She only has one more semester to go and then she’ll be graduating with honors! We are all very impressed with her abilities and are so happy she is here with us!
Associations in Practice
Our Associations in Practice Series is an offering of short videos with very specific topics. Our newest video is Texas 87th Legislative Session. The 2021 session of the Texas legislature produced significant changes to the Texas Property Code affecting property owners’ associations. This video explores those changes and provides specific follow-up recommendations.
Stay Plugged in With Webcasts
We offer each of our seminars in the form of a recorded webcast on demand for you to watch at any time! If you are interested in one of our seminars, they are available on our YouTube channel. The following seminars are now available:
To watch any of the webcasts, simply click on the links above.
C.I.A. Services, Inc. has a long and proud history of providing up-to-date news on our company happenings, industry news, and association governance. Each month, we are pleased to share with you our eNews Monthly. Each issue is loaded with great information!
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customercare@ciaservices.com
Toll Free: 866-219-0563
Houston 713-981-9000
San Antonio 210-490-0000
