17. Assessments
(a) Annual Accounting. Annually, after the close of each fiscal year of the Corporation, the Board shall cause to be prepared and furnished to each Owner a financial statement prepared by an accounting group approved by the Board, which statement shall show all receipts and expenses received, incurred and paid during the preceding fiscal year.
(b) Proposed Annual Budget. Annually, before the date of the annual meeting of the Corporation, the Board of Directors shall cause to be prepared a proposed annual budget for the next fiscal year estimating the total amount of the Common Expenses for the next fiscal year and shall furnish a copy of such proposed budget to each Owner at or prior to the time the notice of such annual meeting is mailed or delivered to such Owners. The annual budget shall be submitted to the Owners at the annual meeting of the Corporation for adoption and, if so adopted, shall be the basis for the Regular Assessments (hereinafter defined) for the next fiscal year. At the annual meeting of the Owners, notwithstanding any other provision in this Declaration, the Articles or the Bylaws, the budget may be approved in whole or in part or may be amended in whole or in part by a majority vote of those Owners present either in person or by proxy; provided, however, that in no event shall the annual meeting of the Owners be adjourned until an annual budget is approved and adopted at such meeting, either the proposed annual budget or the proposed annual budget as amended. The annual budget, the Regular Assessments and all sums assessed by the corporation shall be established by using generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis.
The annual budget and the Regular Assessments shall, in addition, be established to include the establishment and maintenance of a replacement reserve fund for capital expenditures and replacement and repair of the Common Area that must be repaired and replaced on a periodic basis, which replacement reserve fund shall be used for those purposes and not for usual and ordinary repair expenses. Such replacement reserve fund for capital expenditures and replacement and repair of the Common Area shall be maintained by the Corporation in a separate interest bearing account or accounts with one or more banks or savings and loan associations authorized to conduct business in Marion County, Indiana selected from time to time by the Board.
The failure or delay of the Board of Directors to prepare a proposed annual budget and to furnish a copy thereof to the Owners shall not constitute a waiver or release in any manner of the obligations of the Owners to pay the Common Expenses as herein provided, whenever determined. Whenever, whether before or after the annual meeting of the Corporation, there is no annual budget approved by the Owners as herein provided for such current fiscal year, the Owners shall continue to pay Regular Assessments based upon the last approved budget or, at the option of the Board, based upon one hundred and ten percent (110%) of such last approved budget, as a temporary budget.
(c) Regular Assessments. The annual budget, as adopted by the Owners, shall, based on the estimated cash requirement for the Common Expenses in the current fiscal year as set forth in said budget, contain a proposed assessment, against each Lot equal to the Common Expenses multiplied by a percentage equal to one divided by the total number of Lots in the Real Estate. Immediately following the adoption of the annual budget, each Owner shall be given written notice of such assessment against his respective Lot (herein called the "Regular Assessment"). In the event the Regular Assessment for a particular fiscal year is initially based upon a temporary budget, such Regular Assessment shall be revised, within fifteen (15) days following adoption of the final annual budget by the Owners, to reflect the assessment against each Lot based upon such annual budget as finally adopted by the Owners. The aggregate amount of the Regular Assessments shall be equal to the total amount of expenses provided and included in the final annual budget, including reserve funds as hereinabove provided. The Regular Assessment against each Lot shall be paid in advance in two equal semi-annual installments with the first payment due on the first day of the first month of each fiscal year. Payment of the semi-annual installments of the Regular Assessment shall be made to the Board of Directors or the Managing Agent, as directed by the Board of Directors; provided, however, the Owners may elect to pay assessments annually, in advance. In the event the Regular Assessment for a particular fiscal year of the Corporation was initially based upon a temporary budget:
(i) If the Regular Assessment based upon the final annual budget adopted by the Owners exceeds the amount of the Regular Assessment based upon the temporary budget, that portion of such excess applicable to the period from the first day of the current fiscal year to the date of the next payment of the Regular Assessment which is due shall be paid with such next payment, and all payments thereafter during such fiscal year, shall be increased so that the Regular Assessment as finally determined shall be paid in full by the remaining payments due in such fiscal year, or
(ii) If the Regular Assessment based upon the temporary budget exceeds the Regular Assessment based upon the final annual budget adopted by the Owners, such excess shall be credited against the next payment or payments of the Regular Assessment coming due, until the entire amount of such excess has been so credited; provided, however, that if an Owner had paid his Regular Assessment annually in advance, then the adjustments set forth under (i) or (ii) above shall be made by a cash payment by, or refund to, the Owner on the first day of the second month following the determination of the Regular Assessment based upon the annual budget finally adopted by the Owners.
The Regular Assessment for the current fiscal year of the Corporation shall become a lien on each separate Lot as of the f1rst.day of each f1scal year of the Corporation, even though the final determination of the amount of such Regular Assessment may not have been made by that date. The fact that an Owner has paid his Regular Assessment for the current fiscal year in whole or in part based upon a temporary budget and thereafter, before the annual budget and Regular Assessment are finally determined, approved and adjusted as herein provided, sells; conveys or transfers his Lot or any interest therein, shall not relieve or release such Owner or his successor as Owner of such Lot from payment of the Regular Assessment for such Lot as finally determined, and such Owner and his successor as Owner of such Lot shall be jointly and severally liable for the Regular Assessment as finally determined. Any statement of unpaid assessments furnished by the Corporation pursuant to
Paragraph 18 hereof prior to the final determination and adoption of the annual budget and Regular Assessment for the year in which such statement is made shall state that the matters set forth therein are subject to adjustment upon determination and adoption of the final budget and Regular Assessment for such year, and all parties to whom any such statement may be delivered or who may rely thereon shall be bound by such final determinations. Semi-annual installments of Regular Assessments shall be due and payable automatically on their respective due dates without any notice from the Board or the Corporation, and neither the Board nor the corporation shall be responsible for providing any notice or statements to Owners for the same.
(d) Special Assessments. From time to time Common Expenses of an unusual or extraordinary nature or not otherwise anticipated may arise. At such time and without the approval of the Owners, unless otherwise provided in this Declaration, the Board of Directors shall have the full right, power and authority to make special assessments which, upon resolution of the Board, shall become a lien on each Lot, prorated in equal shares (herein called "Special Assessment") .Without limiting the generality of the foregoing provisions, Special Assessments may be made by the Board of Directors from time to time to pay for capital expenditures and to pay for the cost of any repair or reconstruction of damage caused by fire or other casualty or disaster to the extent insurance proceeds are insufficient therefore under the circumstances described in this Declaration.
(e) Regular Assessments Prior to the Applicable Date. During the period that Declarant is selling Lots and Dwelling Units are being constructed within the Real Estate, it is difficult to accurately allocate the Common Expenses to the individual Lots. The purpose of this section is to provide the method for the payment of the Common Expenses during the period prior to the Applicable Date to enable the Corporation to perform its duties and functions. Accordingly and notwithstanding any other provision contained in the Declaration, the Articles or the Bylaws or otherwise, prior to the Applicable Date, the annual budget and all Regular Assessments and Special Assessments shall be established by the Initial Board without any meeting or concurrence of the Owners; provided, however, the Regular Assessments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions contained in this
Paragraph 17.
Prior to the Applicable Date the Regular Assessment shall be determined as provided in this
Paragraph 17(e). Until December 31, 1995 (or the Applicable Date if it occurs prior to December 31, 1995) , the yearly Regular Assessment shall not exceed $180.00 (the "Guaranteed Charge"). After December 31, 1995 and prior to the Applicable Date (assuming the Applicable Date is after December 31, 1995) the yearly Regular Assessment shall not exceed the amount of the Guaranteed Charge ($180.00), plus (1) the greater of an amount representing an increase thereof to reflect any increase in the Consumer Price Index (all items, all cities) published by the United States government over such index as existed in the month of December, 1995 or (2) ten percent (10%) .The amount to be added to the Guaranteed Charge shall be in an amount equal to the same percentage of the Guaranteed Charge as the percentage increase in said Consumer Price Index or ten percent (10%) , whichever is greater, or if Declarant so determines a lesser amount. Such adjustments to the Guaranteed Charge shall be made annually on the first day of each fiscal year. Such yearly charge shall, prior to the Applicable Date, entirely defray the Owner's obligation for his share of Common Expenses or shall be the Owner's entire Regular Assessment. Centex and 86th Street shall be responsible for any deficit prior to the Applicable Date (the "Deficit") in the follow1ng formula: Centex's share is 64.28% of the Deficit and 86th Street's share of the Deficit is 35.72%; provided, however, that this guarantee is not intended to include, and does not include, major physical alterations or other unusual expenditures not ordinarily anticipated in normal maintenance operations Such expenditures would be covered through Special Assessments, or, if sufficient, the replacement reserve fund.
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the Regular Assessment prior to the Applicable Date shall be designated as a reserve fund for maintenance, repairs or replacement of Common Areas that must be repaired and replaced on a periodic basis.
That portion of the Regular Assessment collected by Declarant prior to the Applicable Date applicable to the replacement reserve shall be held by the Initial Board and if required, applied to the replacement of Common Areas. To the extent that such replacement reserve is not so applied, the balance thereof shall be retained by the Corporation at the Applicable Date.
Payment of the Regular Assessment prior to the Applicable Date with respect to each Lot shall commence on the date that such Lot is embodied in a Recorded Plat (Commencement Date) .The first payment shall be payable on the Commencement Date prorated to the first day of the month when the next semi-annual payment is due. Thereafter, payment of the Regular Assessment shall be paid semi-annually beginning with the first day of the fiscal year or the first day of the seventh calendar month of the fiscal year, as applicable.
(f) Failure of Owner to Pay Assessment. No Owner (including Centex and 86th Street) may exempt himself from paying Regular Assessments and Special Assessments or from contributing toward the Common Expenses or toward any other expense lawfully agreed upon by waiver of the use or enjoyment of the Common Area or by abandonment of the Lot belonging to him. Each Owner shall be personally liable for the payment of all Regular and Special assessments. Where the Owner constitutes more than one person, the liability of such persons shall be joint and several. If any Owner shall fail, refuse or neglect to make any payment of any Regular Assessment or Special Assessment when due, the lien for such assessment on the Owner's Lot and Dwelling Unit may be filed and foreclosed by the Board of Directors for and on behalf of the Corporation as a mortgage on real property or as otherwise provided by law. Upon the failure of the Owner to make timely payments of any Regular Assessment or Special Assessment when due the Board may, in its discretion, accelerate the entire balance of unpaid assessments and declare the same immediately due and payable, notwithstanding any other provisions hereof to the contrary. The Board may, at its option, bring suit to recover a money judgment for any unpaid Regular Assessment or Special Assessment without foreclosing or waiving the lien securing the same. In any action to recover a Regular Assessment or Special Assessment, whether by foreclosure or otherwise, the Board for and on behalf of the Corporation shall be entitled to recover from the Owner of the respective Lot and Dwelling Unit costs and expenses of such action incurred (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys fees) and interest from the date such assessments were due until paid at the rate equal to the prime interest rate as announced by Bank One, Indianapolis, NA, from time to time by (or if said bank is no longer in existence then such rate charged by a national bank in Marion County, Indiana, selected by the Board of Directors) during the unpaid period plus three percent (3%). In the event either Centex or 86th Street fails to pay the Regular Assessment when due then the non-defaulting party shall have the right and is hereby authorized by the Board to act as agent for the Board to collect such Regular Assessment from the defaulting party in any manner provided in this
Paragraph 17(f).
(g) Subordination of Assessment Lien to Mortgage. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Declaration, the Articles or the Bylaws, any sale or transfer of a Lot that has a Dwelling Unit constructed on it to a Mortgagee pursuant to a foreclosure on its mortgage or conveyance in lieu thereof, or a conveyance to any person at a public sale in a manner provided by law with respect to mortgage foreclosures shall extinguish the lien of any unpaid installment of any Regular Assessment or Special Assessment as to such installment which became due prior to such sale, transfer or conveyance; provided, however, that the extinguishment of such lien cannot relieve the prior owner from personal liability therefore and further provided that the transfer of a Lot without a Dwelling Unit on it shall not result in the extinguishment of such lien. No such sale, transfer or conveyance shall relieve the Lot and Dwelling Unit or the purchaser at such foreclosure sale or grantee in the event of conveyance in lieu thereof, from liability for any installments of Regular Assessments or Special Assessments thereafter becoming due or from the lien therefore. Such unpaid share of any Regular Assessments or Special Assessments, the lien for which has been divested as aforesaid shall be deemed to be a Common Expense collectible from all Owners (including the party acquiring the subject Lot from which it arose).
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