Morgan Hill has a very well run HOA. The board conducted an analysis of costs, figured out how to economize without compromising services and maintenance, obtained more competitive bids, and cut the monthly HOA fee prior to the new developer coming on board. When the new developers started building again and homes started closing escrow, the fee decreased more. When I purchased in 2004, the estimated HOA at buildout was $85 monthly, but that was projected on completion prior to 2010. HOA here fluctuates based on the phase and can actually go up temporarily when the first few homes of a new phase close because there is no developer subsidy agreement and the fixed costs increase with each new phase. I have paid fees as high as about $145, just for a few months. The current fee is $99.
The board also made the County of Riverside accountable for expending the bond money from CSA 143D to maintain the landscaping in that portion of the common area that is controlled by the county, so the landscaping is finally being cleaned up and replanted. Our property tax money for landscaping was being held in reserve and not expended to maintain our landscaping until the Board enlisted the help of a county supervisor.
