Sugarhill has been fortunate to have an exceptionally low homeowners fee.$700 as of the 2024-2025 budget. This is the result of community understandings that amenities like bulk tv cable, clubhouses and other items do not necessarily enhance the values of our lives above high association fees.
We are a privately owned association that allows us to control certain aspects of our surroundings maintaining the unusual beauty of this community.
With those benefits come responsibilities that regularly cost the association money. The number one expense is our association-owned roads and their signs. This has always been the biggest expense that has to be reserved from the association fees.
The roads are followed closely by the need to keep our drainage systems functioning at top performance, another high level expense.
Finally we have lots of common grounds that require regular maintenance such as the entrance walls area, the mail boxes, the tennis courts and various walking paths mowing, roadway mowing, irrigation systems, and tree maintenance.
It takes careful accounting to maintain all this in a successful way so as to not increase the association fee or to call for special assessments.
The Current Annual Association Maintenance Fee
The Annual Maintenance Fee is $700
As per the Sugarhill Association bylaws, the annual association maintenance fee is mailed May 15th or earlier and is due July 1. There are important items included with the billing. Our bylaws require every lot owner to pay the annual maintenance fee.
Why do we have a Maintenance Fee? When our subdivision was started the developer planed to have the homeowners take responsibility for all the roads in Sugarhill and all the storm drainage systems, our biggest expenses. We also, maintain the entrance, mailboxes, tennis courts, and lawn and foliage for all our common areas. These costs are an obligation you signed on to when you moved into Sugarhill. This is a legal obligation. These obligations and more are written into our bylaws.
The Association Maintenance Fee is based on the projected budget that is submitted by the Board at the annual Members Meeting in the last week of February, and is approved by the board in the March or April monthly board meeting.
Billing is done through Paterson Accounting Service and payment will be mailed back to them or you can drop off your payment at Paterson's Payment BoxPaterson Accounting Services, Inc. Location and Payment Box.
You may option for a two payment installment plan that will have a small fee of $12 that we divide equally between the first and the final payment making both payments $356.00 each. In order to participate you must must make the first $356 payment by July 1 and the last $356 payment by December 1. You can only qualify for this if you don't already owe money to the association. For more information on this select the "Two Installment Plan" button above.
Want to pay by Bank Card?
We're Sorry, not available.
We have had numerous inquiries asking why we don't offer a Bank Card or Credit Card option for payment of the annual fee. This option can be done but the Association would need to move to a different bank and the fee per transaction would be considerable."
Each member using the Card option would have to pay the fee. In a commercial business the seller normally absorbs the cost of the fee but in a non-profit association it would fall on our sholders to contend with this fee without raising the Association Maintenance fee.
It becomes a fee collecting ordeal that is much higher than our current Two Payment Option. We may revisit this in the future.
Two Installment Payment Plan
The Two Installment Option
At the April 2019 Board Of Directors Meeting the Board unanimously approved a two installment Split Payment Plan for the Annual Association "Maintenance Fee".
This is an option. You are not obligated to participate in any way. If you choose to use the Split Payment option you will need to pay $356 before the July 1 due date and you will need to pay $356 before the December 1 due date.
The $12 you will be paying above the normal $700 is the interest of 8% per annum required by our Bylaws on any balance that goes beyond July 1.* and a $2 bookkeeping cost. This is the only legal way we are able to offer this option.
Here is the math breakdown
Description
Total
Annual Fee
$700
Required 8% per annum if past July 1
$56
Required 8% per annum divided by 2 for only 1 of the split payments
$28
The second payment interest devided by 12 months is the per month interest
$2.33
4 months of the monthly interest charge
$9.32
The 4 month interest charge is rounded up to $10 for the total interest fee.
$10
The interest fee ($10) is divided equally to each payment
$355
$2 is added to defray the additional bookkeeping expense and is also divided equally to each payment.
$356
That makes the total fee + interest and bookkeeping cost for the year to come to $712 when using the split payment plan. We are required to charge the interest on any balance after July 1 (the second payment). The first payment of $356 is due July 1. The second payment of $356 will be due December 1.
If you are paying using the split payment option. The first payment of $356 will need to be paid on or before the July 1 due date. The second payment will need to be paid on or before December 1.
Annual Maintenance Fee — Split Payment Schedule
Payment Option
July 1 Due Date Amount
Fee Add On Total* (Divided and included in each split payment)
December 1 Due Date Amount
Full Payment
$ 700
-
-
Split Payment
$ 356
$ 12
$ 356
Please note the full amount bill is mailed 1-1/2 months (May 15 or earlier) before the first payment is due on July 1 as per our bylaws requirement.
Our policy on Delinquent Accounts
Contact us within 15 days of becoming past due.
Our accountant will send out a past due notice. If you haven't contacted us a countdown starts moving your account towards collections.
If you have a history of being past due and you haven't contacted us, your account will go the the associations attorney for collections on or about 15 days after you receive the state required notification of pending collections referral.State law was enacted in 2021
We are not bill collectors. We will however, listen to your issue. You can contact us through the "contact Us" page or directly with a board member.
Our association attorney has a collection service we use. Failure to communicate will expedite you account to the collection service. This will be very costly for you should this happen.
Here are the due dates:
Full Payment is due on or before July 1. First Split Payment is due on or before July 1. Last Split payment is due on or before December 1.
So this is a very old expression. Dates back to the 1500s. It's literal meaning refers to how flies will get stuck in honey and stay away from you (a good thing).
The human relationship meaning refers to how you treat people. Treat them with sweetness (kindness, compassion, consideration) and you don't have as many problems (flies bothering you). Treat them nasty (vinegar) and your problems will never go away.
We believe in this motto and try to live by it.
× ×
Minor Change Coming in 2020 Billing
To simplify the Two Installment process and avoid possible confusion the $11.67 add-on fee for using the Two Installment Payment Plan will increase to $12 (a 33¢ increase) and will be split evenly between the two payments. That will make the first payment $356 and the last payment $356 as well. This will make the total for using the Two Installment Payment Plan $712.
×
×
Mail or Drop Off Payments To:
Paterson Accounting Service, Inc 3316 NE Sugarhill Ave. Jensen Beach, FL 34957
The big green building on the corner of Sugarhill Ave and Jensen Beach Blvd. Below the first set of stairs.
Paterson has a payment box to the left of their front door that you can place your payment in.
It is best to place the payment in the box so it won't sit in the box overnight or over weekend. They are closed on Fridays and weekends.
Paterson does only commercial bookkeeping and accounting.
