As expected, the Lake Improvement Board for Indianwood Lake raised the assessment by 23-percent for homeowners in a number of subdivisions near the lake.
The increase will allow for treatment and maintenance of the lake, with a yearly fee now set for the next five years.
The board said the increase was needed, as estimated figures to treat the lake are rising to just over $85,000, up from just under $70,000 from the 2002 assessment.
The Lake Improvement Board met at Township Hall last Thursday night and took feedback from the residents before coming to their decision.
Of the handful that spoke, and a few more that submitted letters, only half took issue with the proposed increase.
‘We’re talking three or four people out of 200 that spoke out against it,? said Steve Skalnek, President of the Indianwood Lake Homeowners Association, a separate group that is in charge of now taking bids based on figures set forth by the lake board.
‘Now if 150 out of 200 showed up, then it’s a different story.?
Some of the other issues brought up at the meeting were the quality of the vendors? work on the lake, the relationship of chemicals on lawns to what is put in the lake and lake access for non-riparians.
With regards to lake access, Skalnek said the only real hardship for non-riparians is that there is no place to dock a boat overnight.
‘It’s a beautiful beach with lots of sand,? he said of the private access point. ‘We keep it as a nice park setting.?
Skalnek noted that 87-percent of homeowners in the area pay dues to the association (a separate fee from the lake board assessment) even though the association fees are not mandatory.
He added that the dues of $75 are reduced significantly if paid on time in April, and said the fact that so many people pay shows their concern for protecting property values in and around the lake.
As for the 23-percent increase voted on by the lake board, not everyone pays the same fee.
‘On the lake it’s apportioned by your frontage,? Skalnek said. ‘Off the lake, it’s just a flat yearly rate.?
Based on the new dollar amounts, some lake residents will pay a maximum of more that $1,100, while non-riparians will pay just under $150.