What We Do With Your Dues
Recently, the Membership Chairman received an inquiry as to how the $35.00 per year dues is spent. It occurred to me that if one family wanted the information, more of you would like to know also.
Remembering that membership in the Hidden Valley Community Alliance is voluntary and that the association exists for the benefit of the community, the following information is provided.
Monthly meetings, held the third Thursday of each month except December, are open to all residents of Hidden Valley and its subdivisions. The treasurer’s report is read at each meeting and copies are available. Additionally, copies of the treasurer’s report are available upon request by any member.
To the point, the following outlines how your $35.00 per year due is dispersed.
The monthly newsletter is electronically sent to members each month. If a member prefers a printed copy of the newsletter, an additional $12.00 fee is assessed which barely covers the costs of printing, paper and postage.
Other expenses paid out of each members $35.00 dues are for liability insurance required by the Washoe County School District and to cover the voluntary officers of the association at a cost of $3,741.00 this year, with premiums increasing each year; website cost; rental of Hidden Valley Elementary School for meetings; gifts for events on our calendar; i.e., Parade of Lights; Easter Egg Hunt; Fall Social, etc.
Additionally donations are made to Hidden Valley Elementary School, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and other organizations deemed worthy by the Board.
The costs for the annual Picnic in the Park in July are borne by the Alliance. The St. Pat’s Dinner Dance each March is promoted by the Alliance, and minimal finances are involved from the treasury.
The association also participates in the Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful efforts and the Washoe County Parks and Open Space endeavors to keep trash from accumulating on Pembroke Drive and gardening and cleanup work in the Mia Vista Neighborhood Park. All of these efforts involve buy-in by the Alliance but the work is done by volunteers.
One must recognize that, as a voluntary organization, all work involved with keeping the Alliance running in good order is done by volunteers. All of this work, including many hours spent in public meetings, is done because of a desire to keep the community informed and protect the quality of life we have long enjoyed in Hidden Valley.
Our Board members and other community members serve on many committees without compensation; i.e., Southeast Truckee Meadows Citizens Advisory Board; College of Agriculture and Biotechnology Advisory Board; the Flood Management working group; the Regional Transportation stakeholders committee; Off Leash Management Plan committee; Neighborhood Watch Program and Disaster Preparedness committees; Hidden Valley Wild Horse organization, etc. As to the Wild Horse organization, it is Hidden Valley volunteers who have built fences and who herd the horses back once they’ve wandered in the neighborhoods.
Alliance members have also testified during Legislative Sessions regarding issues that could impact the quality of life of our community residents. Anyone who has lived in Hidden Valley for any length of time recognizes the many hours of personal time spent by these loyal volunteers. All of this is at no expense to the members of the Association.
The bottom line is this…
The Hidden Valley Community Alliance is a voluntarily organization whose main purpose is to give back to the community. It is an organization that uses your money wisely and works hard to protect the environment of, in our opinion, the Best Community in the County.
The association always seeks energetic community members to join the Board or act as a committee chair for the many projects in which we become involved. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me and I will be happy to further explain the purpose and goals of the Alliance.
– Marge Frandsen, HVCA President, 2015, 2022, 2023
This article was also published in the March 2015 issue of the our newsletter, titled: A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD, by Marge Frandsen, HVHA President