8 secrets to a better community budget process

Creating the annual budget for a residential building or community association can be a daunting task. As a new board member, you may be asking yourself, “How do I balance the community’s needs with its wish list?” “How do I know what items to plan for and when?” And “How can I ensure we have enough money to cover planned or unplanned expenditures when the time comes?”

While there is no one perfect process, since every community is different, we do have 8 universal secrets to help streamline your budget process.
 

Secret #1: Develop a long-term financial plan

An annual operating budget is the very foundation of your property or community’s financial management and operation. It’s the tool that enables you to estimate your expenses and revenues and helps you measure and monitor your  financial activities. But what some communities do not consider is that having a longer-term financial plan (3-5-10 years) is just as important as having a short-term (1-2 year) operating budget.

By identifying and planning for your community’s needs farther out in time, you can be prepared to handle significant, unexpected expenses and create long-term stability.
 

Secret #2: Consider increasing your assessments gradually each year

The primary source of revenue for most residential communities is regular assessments, and one of the main reasons your building or community establishes an annual budget is to determine the amount of that assessment. Your governing documents will outline the payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, or yearly) and how the assessment should be allocated to the units in your community (divided equally or on an ownership basis).

While some communities choose to only increase assessments when there is a significant change in the budget, it’s better to increase annual assessments annually and minimally to match the evolving needs of your residents and property and keep in step with inflation — as opposed to increasing assessments every several years by larger amounts. The goal is to spread increases over the time of ownership and reduce the financial strain on homeowners and shareholders.
 

Secret #3: Prepare your budget in advance

Budget preparation can take months of collecting vendor contract increases, pending capital projects, estimating maintenance and repair costs, and more. That’s why we recommend you start your annual budgeting process with a kickoff meeting six months in advance of the actual budget taking effect. It’s important to honor the time that’s required to budget properly and have space to make any necessary edits as the needs of the community change.
 

Secret #4: Create a finance committee

A great way to foster a better understanding of financial matters within your community and secure budget buy-in from your residents is by forming a finance committee that is comprised of residents who are not active board members. While the committee cannot make any decisions on behalf of the board, they can provide suggestions and promote financial transparency in the community.
 

Secret #5: Have an updated reserve study

Part of almost every community budget is reserve funding. This account is created to accrue funds for large, longer-term expenditures such as a roof replacement or expensive system repair. With changing legislation, many local, state, and provincial laws are requiring buildings and residential associations to have fully funded reserves in place for any routine or unplanned capital repairs.

The reserve study is the financial roadmap for effectively funding these projects. It will list all assets that are considered reserve fund items that will need to be replaced or repaired in the future. Frequent updates to your reserve study will ensure your budget reflects inflation, increases in cost repairs or materials, and more, so your building or community has sufficient funds for future repairs.
 

Secret #6: Speak to professionals

If this is your board’s first time drafting a budget for the property or community, we recommend you seek the advice of your auditor or property management company if you need help determining whether an item is a reserve or operating budget component.

Even the most experienced board member can at times be unsure of the status of a repair or capital project and it's important to have a professional oversee your budgeting process to ensure compliance with local statutes and that your budget has no missing or incorrect line items.
 

Secret #7: Consider your residents

It’s always good practice for board members to think about their own personal expenses and relate them back to what residents are experiencing. By helping them understand that your board is affected by price increases as well, your residents will be more understanding.

One way to accomplish this is to hold informal budget meetings with homeowners to discuss upcoming expenses and their impact on the community. This will help with financial transparency and prepare homeowners if there is a larger assessment expected for the upcoming fiscal year.
 

Secret #8: Partner with a professional management company

A professional property management company, like FirstService Residential, will be able to support your community and provide value-added services to streamline your budgeting process. Whether through industry experts or access to financial resources such as FirstService Financial, having an experienced management team will help your board better understand the process and ways to efficiently plan your budget.

To learn more about this topic, we encourage you to contact your community manager.