Potomac Bay Estates property owners are subject to the following dues and fees.
Annual dues
Effective April 1, 2020, dues are $300 per lot, due April 1. All property owners are liable for annual dues.
Our fiscal year is April 1 to March 31.
Water system fees
Potomac Bay Estates maintains a community water system with two wells and associated control systems. Water is provided to each lot through a system of underground water mains with water connection boxes and taps at each lot.
Houses connected to the community water system pay a water fee of $325 per year, due April 1.
Empty lots on which no house is connected to the water system are not liable for the $325 annual water usage fee.
A few homes have their own wells and are not connected to the community water system; these homes do not pay the $325 annual water fee.
A fee of $2,500 is charged for a new hook-up to the water system. That is — when a property owner who is not paying the $325 annual usage fee connects to the water system, usually when the property owner builds a house on the property, the $2,500 fee is paid. This fee pays for the POA plumber to locate the lot’s water connection, make the connection, install pipe from the water supply tap onto the lot, and mark the water connection. After connecting to the water system, the property owner is liable for the $325 per year water usage fee.
Assessments
From time to time, property owners will be assessed a charge to defray costs for special projects. In the past, two assessments have been levied. All property owners are liable to pay these assessments. Assessments must be approved by majority vote of property owners.
- 2004: $600 per lot to pay for improvements in the community water system.
- 2015-2016: $400 per lot to pay for construction work at the common area: bulkhead restoration and protection; install breakwaters.
POA financial management
In 2014-2015, the Association Board of Directors conducted a review of the Association’s capital assets, the life expectancy of each asset, and the projected replacement cost. Capital assets that may need to be replaced — or that we know eventually will need to be replaced — include:
- The pumps in our two wells
- The generator that powers the pumps in case of power failure
- The bulkhead
- Various parts of the water system: wells (2); pumps (2); control devices; air compressor; chlorinator pump; pipes and valves.
Based on this analysis, the Board determined how much cash we need to pay for replacement of these various capital assets. A portion of dues and water fees goes to building up a cash reserve.
We maintain two separate current operations accounts: General Operations, and, Water System. These accounts pay for current bills — grass cutting, electricity for the pumps, and the like.
Similarly, we maintain two separate capital reserve accounts: General Operations, and, Water System. These two accounts function as savings accounts. They are NOT used to pay current expenses. Instead, these accounts are used to accumulate a cash reserve for emergencies.