WATSONVILLE—The residents of Pajaro Village—a 55-and-older community of about 250 homes in Watsonville—could soon see an increase in their annual homeowners association dues.
That’s because the association’s board of directors is considering hiring a management company to run things there.
If the board approves the plan to hire Aptos-based Anderson & Co. for an annual fee of $30,000, the homeowners will see an increase of just over $40 in their annual homeowners’ dues, raising it to $243.65.
Board president Patricia Guevara did not return several calls asking for comment.
The proposal has raised the hackles of many residents, while others see it as a necessary move.
While resident Steve Trujillo said the increase could be a financial strain for some, he said that such a move is needed to help handle the increasingly complex set of regulations governing homeowners’ associations known as the Davis-Stirling Act.
This year alone, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 30 new regulations related to those rules, Trujillo said.
“It’s a lot of work, and there is a huge amount of paperwork,” he said. “I understand why many homeowners are reluctant to go to a management company. For 45 years this HOA has not had one. Many think we can function and go on without one, but I do not happen to share that opinion.”
One of those people is Marsha Bassett, who said she is part of a majority of residents who hope the board keeps things the way they are.
But the board is unmoved by this, Bassett said.
“We’re beginning to think they are in it for them,” she said. “It’s turning into a dictatorship rather than a democracy.”
Instead of hiring the company, Bassett suggests hiring a part-time receptionist and a full-time bookkeeper, and even an attorney familiar with the Davis-Stirling rules.
Trujillo reckons that there are about 50 residents for whom the increase could be a struggle.
For those folks, Trujillo is suggesting using the neighborhood’s Neighbor Helping Neighbor fund, which is bolstered by fundraising events such as spaghetti dinners. That money is now used for neighbors unable to tend their lawn areas.
“I don’t want anyone evicted because they can’t pay,” he said.
