Reston Association approves 2022 budget, increased yearly assessment fees

Reston Association‘s Board of Directors has approved its 2022 budget and an increased yearly assessment fee.

During the board’s Nov. 18 meeting, it approved a 2022 budget of $19,833,717 and an increase of the annual assessment from $718 to $740.

The decision came after public hearings on Oct. 13 and Nov. 10 to discuss the budget, and a board approved motion on Oct. 28 to defer Barton Hill tennis court upgrades to the 2023 budget. The initial proposed assessment fee increase was for 6% to $764.

The motions approved by the board included the reallocation of $195,667 earmarked for the Lake Newport tennis project to the Reserve, Repair and Replacement Fund, and the reallocation of $435,000 in positive variances from previous capital budgets to the 2022-2023 capital budget. The board also approved utilizing $500,000 of existing operating funds to fund the 2022-2023 capital budget.

Several personnel moves are included in the budget’s coverage. Those include two new positions, the director of environmental resources and a capital projects manager.

The budget also includes a 3.5% performance-based merit increase which was approved during a Nov. 10 special meeting of the board. About two-thirds of the operating costs are personnel, and merit increases were frozen this year. However, acting CEO Larry Butler previously suggested that the merit increases would help retain RA staff.

The board identified several key drivers in non-personnel costs as well. Included was an approximate $100,000 increase due to inflation across building materials and supplies, and an increase in accounting services due to anticipated higher credit card expenses.

There is an expected reduction of printing and advertising costs due to greater utilization of digital media for communications, and election expenses are also dropping as costs are not expected to be as high.

A couple of notable projects lined up for 2022 include the Lake Thoreau Pool renovations and the beginning the refurbishment of Shadowood Pool.