Other Road Associations

Holmes Ranch Road

A Homeowners association, not a road association, Holmes Ranch Road is comes under the Davis Sterling Act, with bylaws, a CCR, and nonprofit status.  There are approximately 68 parcels, most 20 acres each, and each parcel is billed for $750.00/year.  If one owns two parcels, one pays $1500 and if three, ie 60 acres, then $2250.  This applies no matter how the property is used, or how many residences are on a parcel or where the parcel is on the road.  At the rate of $750/parcel/20 acres, their annual income is about $50,000year. 

There are about 9 miles of road to maintain, in two main sections:  Guntly Road and Holmes Ranch Road, with a couple of side roads.  Maintenance includes Rock and Grading , Brush Removal (done only when there is a matching grant), Pot Hole filling and in years past, Dust Off for the whole 9 miles , which is no longer done due to the $16,000 cost.  90% of revenues are spent on road maintenance and repair work.

All their financial info, including amounts spent and budgeted, is on their website: holmesranch.com.

Navarro Ranch Road

They do not have a road association either, but instead are a homeowners association under the Davis Sterling Act.  The board figures a budget and the assessment, sends this out for comment, and twice a year sends out bills.  There is a pond, a pool with a club house, and a chip sealed road.  Brush removal is usually done by a local crew with weed whips, chain saws and pole saws.   They used the brush-hog approach once and the CDF matching grant once.  Mowing, ditch clearing and pot hole filling is also done.  They have a legal mandate to have a reserve for replacement costs and 10 year projects.  Their parcels are all about 10 acres and they now pay about $700/year/parcel.  With 135 parcel owners about $43,000 of $94,500 billing is spent on road work/maintenance for 10-12 miles of road.  The minutes of every meeting, not just the annual meeting, are posted at their web site: ranchonavarro.com

Yorkville Ranch Road Association

Like the Nash Ranch Road, the Yorkville Ranch Road is divided into two sections:  the lower road, 12 miles long, bills 27 lower road owners at $500/parcel owner/year and   17 upper road owners at $100/parcel owner/year for a small part of the lower road that allows access to the upper road.  If two parcels are owned, two fees are paid.  The upper road has a locked gate and its maintenance is not part of this association.   Most parcels are 100-200 acres.  One Board member I talked to was quite frustrated with the lack of money, another was fine, saying the rough road was part of the rural experience for the mostly out of town owners.  This road has never had a full rock and grading job done on it.  Once a year, in the spring, the lower road is graded and there is spot rock put on problem areas.  That’s it.  There’s a web site, with very little information:  property owners names and locating info, board members and contact info, bylaws/CCR. 

Gschwend Road

The first mile is maintained by the county, the rest, about 5 miles, is maintained by 14 owners.  They have an informal arrangement, not a formal road or homeowners association, so if someone does not pay they have no recourse to collect, other than small claims court.  The parcels range from 10 to 40 acres, no one owns more than one parcel and no one pays for any part of the road beyond their parcel. Where the first owner’s parcel at the county stop point starts, 14 people pay, after that 13 pay and so on, until the last person on the road, who is paying 14 different divided up amounts added together.  No mention was made of any extra payments by the parcel owner with a summer business that brings customers up and down the road. Bills range from $50 to $1000.  Absentee landowners pay ½.  Some people refuse to pay. The amount of work done varies with the need. Who decides what is needed?  Only those who own the parcel and beyond, so all 14 decide on the beginning section and only one at the end.  One of the owners organizes the work by consulting with the owners and the grader.  He also figures each parcel owner’s bill.   No brush removal or dust off is done by this group, but two landowners have dust off put on their section of the road at their own personal cost.  Pot holes are filled by the parcel owners on a volunteer basis with a couple of piles of rock left at strategic locations. 

Lambert Lane

They also have an informal arrangement with the parcel owners and not a formal road or homeowner’s association.  There are 11 parcels, 9 payers, for about one mile of road.  Acreage varies from 20- 200 acres and if one owns 2 parcels, two fees are paid.  Everyone pays the same amount, $225, with the logic that a big part of the cost is getting the equipment and rock to the road.  The lower road members were told if they did not want to pay the same, they could hire and pay for the work on their own.   The work done is primarily rock and grading.  Brush removal is done by individuals, no dust off is used, pot holes are done on a volunteer basis with a pile of rock left behind for this purpose, and there is a bridge which needed railing repair, which was also done by volunteers.  The cost is figured by an estimate provided by the hired person and then divided equally. 

Deer Meadow Road

I left a message to call.  Have not connected with anyone yet.

Clow Ridge Road

Maintenance of the seven miles of road is paid for by 51-54 parcel owners.  Parcel range in size from 20 to 2000 acres.  Everyone pays $60 plus a $50-70/mile fee.    This covers annual rock and grading.  $1000 was spent on potholes two years ago and last year, much less will be needed this year.  Dust off is put on the first quarter mile or so.  Brush removal is done by volunteers:  a chipper is rented and volunteers do the work.  There are 37 culverts on this road!  They maintain a $4500 cushion in their checking account to cover the unexpected.  Instead of an internet site, they have a yahoo mail group.

 Thanks to Nancy Meyer for this research, June 2013