Minutes of Meetings
Minutes: SouthBrook HOA Board Meeting/May 18th, 2026
Location: Unit #31
Present: Brad Gilbert, Matt Traub, Nancy Stetter, Austin White, Bill Jones
Brad called the meeting to order at 6:08
Approval of minutes from the 4/6 board meeting after fixing the minutes to reflect that the board approved the prior 1/19 board meeting minutes not the 2026 annual meeting minutes ; Brad made a motion, seconded by Matt, to approve these minutes. Vote: All board members voted to approve the minutes; the motion was passed.
Property Manager’s Report:
Landscape:
Mowing every Tuesday has commenced.
Area between 54-55 has been reseeded to grass where ground was damaged from repair work to building. Weather conditions been tough to establish seeding. Been hand watering. Have scattered seed twice.
Sprinkler system being worked on in preparation to turn on.
Winds has resulted in lots of branches on the ground. Thanks to those picking up and putting in central area.
Contractor has been contacted to do spring fertilizer/weed application
Top ten problem trees have been identified by Bozeman Arbor Care and the board will make a decision how to proceed. Tree stumps needing grinding will be done once this years tree removal is done.
Brad has isolated an area on east park area that brush was removed and has now been seeded to grass.
Cedar fence on NE border is schedule to be replaced in June. Dentist will pay half the cost,
- Buildings:
Painter has quit. Board needs to make decision on requesting downpayment return.
Deposit pd on 81-88. 4,950
9-17. 2,495.83
7,445.83
Amount left at completion
81-88. 1,650
9-17. 2,495.83
4,245.83
An individual stopped last week and looked at 81-88 building to finish it up. Is to provide a bid and necessary paperwork. $14,400.00 labor for building 81-88 plus paint and materials. May need to rent scissor lift for third floor.
3.Other bids from 2025
Deck railing on 53 will be replaced and brought up to code.
Patio fence at 46 is scheduled to be replaced. Les has been contacted on both of these projects. Will start after first of month. 88 has asked about patio fence replacement..
Calvin has opened crawlspace vents on buildings, cleaning screens. Calvin has cleaned gutters and put together a synopsis of conditions. We hope to put more gutter guards on this summer. Some gutters need replacing.
81-82 bird bath ponding. Have 2 bids, Groundworks, Lone wolf. Mr Lifter not gotten bid to me.
- Roofs. Have three areas. Above 49 bathroom, upper level. 51-54 garage inspection. 56 unit has leakage in front bedroom and living room. EG Construction waiting to hear from contractor from Billings works more reasonably. 39-46 usage.
Clean up day was a success. 1,360# of stuff. Still some items by 8 and 9
Would like to see an inventory of risk control policy documentation. Vent cleaning, hoses replacement with metal wire, water heater replacement, chimney cleaning. Are selling agents notified about these requirements. Are new owners informed at closing or shortly after of these requirement. These are inside elements and not my responsibility but I do have a vested interest in seeing these done as required. Should be a follow up with the inspection request of 27 dryer vent being replaced with metal and exiting the building 18”? Above ground level. All ground floor vents are at risk.
An updated owner contact list is needed. Should be done when ever their a sale.
The board agreed to have the top tree on the hazard list between units 54 and 55 removed. That stump will be ground along with the stump from the storm tree that fell to the ground. With the painter quitting the board will reach out to our lawyer and have a letter sent requesting our down payment be returned as a first step. The goal is to finish building 8 (units 81-88) and then find a new painting company for next summer's work. The privacy fence at 88 will be reinforced for this summer. At the annual meeting we need to discuss if repairs to limited elements that are only for one unit should be covered by the association or the owner/ owners of affected units. Also, we will present a plan for future large maintenance projects including roof replacement and siding replacement so we can give owners a few years advance notice. Assessing our buildings in a report card form and ranking by condition will be done to inform the maintenance planning.
Resident Manager’s Report
Bank report:
Checking $102,904.24
Reserve $101.95
CD's $26,900.06
Total: $129,906.25
Insurance collection: 29 units missed the May 15th deadline. They will be contacted and given a warning that the next missed payment will be a $25 fine. 4 units were late on association monthly fees, three will receive a warning and one was fined $25.
Treasurer’s Report: Austin is monitoring the 13-week cash flow for upcoming spring and summer projects. Will need estimated dates from Bill. The tree damage costs were offset by the money saved from almost no snow removal this past winter.
Motion to buy a CD for $20,000 made by Brad, Seconded by Matt and Passed all in favor.
Old business: No old business.
New business:
Insurance renewal was completed for $49,048. That will mean a $287 second payment due August 15th for $557 total per unit. The board discussed our options after reaching out to three brokers. Most insurers did not offer a bid due to the age of the buildings and barbecue by law issues that will be brought up at the next annual meeting. We received a high bid from Travelers. The best option to stay under $50,000 was to continue with CAU and lower our general liability coverage to 1 million which is more in line with other similar associations according to our HUB Insurance representative.
Next meeting date: July 20th, 6:00 PM/Unit 31
Brad made a motion to adjourn the meeting, and Austin seconded it; all three members voted to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 PM.
Southbrook Condo Association Meeting Minutes
Monday, March 2, 2026
Gallatin County Law and Justice Center
1. Call to order and establishment of quorum
25 units present + 26 proxies = 51 so we have a quorum
President Brad Gilbert called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM
Brad made a motion to approve these minutes; no opposition
The 2025 minutes are approved
Vice-President Matt Traub read this report
The Southbrook Condo Association Board would like to thank you for a great 2025. The current board will be in the second year of a two year term until March 2027. Overall, our goal is to build on the excellent work of previous boards and community members to keep Southbrook a thriving and well run community.
One of our first decisions was to increase the monthly HOA fee to $250. This was discussed and approved at the 2025 annual meeting and helped address our increased costs from maintenance due to the age of our buildings, inflation of wages, and materials. We updated our processes to digital including records, forms, and an electronic payment system for HOA fees (PayHOA). Our by-laws were updated with two new additions passed by written ballot in February of 2026. Those bylaws turned the refundable association fee deposit into a transaction fee for new buyers and reiterated that exterior changes to windows and doors require Board approval. Certain policies that were unclear or missing were also updated, mostly dealing with rentals. All are available on the website southbrookcondos.net. We hired a new Bookkeeper and changed tax accounting firms. All our financials are sent out quarterly and put on the website. The new accounting firm also completed a financial review for 2025. This is required every year by our bylaws. Lastly, a new bi-monthly newsletter is being sent out to help communicate news and updates.
The board has been taking an active role in the community, meeting lots of members in person to hear about issues and ideas. We will continue to enforce our by-laws and policies so please review those on our website or reach out for a PDF version. A few focus areas are to please be aware that the city of Bozeman and our Association both have rules about dogs being on leashes and picking up after them.We also have a policy to keep trash and recycling cans inside the garage when not set out for pickup.
In closing, please be in touch with concerns or ideas for helping to improve Southbrook. Email or call the resident manager, Nancy, and she will let us know to reach out.
4. Property Manager Report: Bill Jones
Wind storm damage Dec 19 by falling tree branches on roof of 53. The first one fell to the south and tore the rain gutter off. At 5am a branch fell to the north and partially landed on the roof of the garage of 54. Then about 6 am a larger portion fell to the east striking the chimney and roof above 53.
Resulting charges:
Evergreen Roofing removed the broken chimney section and installed blue tarp to prevent further moisture damage. $2,600
Bozeman Arbor Care removed fallen portions and removed the rest of the tree using a crane. $11,750 Ins did pay $9,000 toward the cost of removal.
Replace rain gutter $825
Ins adjuster estimate of repair cost $117,750
5% wind deduction from value of building $131,778
Estimated contractor cost to do repairs $41,634
HOA responsible for 100% of cost due to cost not meeting the deductible.
Bricks were delivered and repair work began 2-23-26 and hope to be completed by 2-27-26. Roof is shingled except around chimney area.
Interior repairs to 53 have been completed.
I want to thank the owners of 53 and 54 for their cooperation in completing these repairs. And to the owners and residents of neighboring units thank you for your patience and understanding as repairs have been made.
Tree removal and trimming cost $6,000 in 2026.
#81-82 Still have ponding problem from runoff and board is addressing.
Snow Removal. Nov 24-Feb 25 $24,100; Nov 25-Feb 26 $6,000
Gutter Covers: Building 71-80 is done (largest building) Some selected areas are done on other buildings. Hope to do more in 2026. Cleaning gutters is about 1$/ foot for 3,490’ About 3 year pay back for installing covers.
Painting: 1-8 and 71-80 were done in 2025 81-88 and 9-16 & 17-18 planned for 2026
Replaced stairway at 27-30 with metal stair. $20,000
Roofs: Roofer who is doing roof on south half of 53 said the shingles facing south are failing. Haven’t looked at north facing. Association is looking at significant cost to replace roofs.
Have been replacing wood facia in some areas with a TREX product which eliminates roting issues and painting.
Windows and doors: Owners in a couple units have replaced windows and doors which is an improvement to their units. Unfortunately they are the wrong color and will have to be painted at their cost which may result in ongoing maintenance. It is the owners responsibility to notify the HOA Board about these planned improvements so they are done in a manner that conforms to HOA rules.
Ceiling leak: We had an intermittent ceiling leak in a lower unit. After much investigation and opinions from experts, plumbers, roofers, handymen, insurance and property managers it was traced down to a cracked drain line from the dishwasher in unit above that was not run a lot.
Entry way and landings: Much work was done on several to stop leaks from the landings on the second level into the entryway ceiling below. There have been a few with substantial rot in the ceilings which is expensive to fix. Owners! Please watch for leaks in unusual places in those ceilings or a black line on a beam which signifies rotting. Let Nancy know if this is observed.
Deck railings are being replaced due to age and noncompliance with current zoning. These are being done in a worst first manner with safety being of prime importance.
Patio fences: These are being replaced on a worst first basis also. We have altered the design slightly to allow the fences to dry out from moisture events.
Cedar fence on east side of property: The fence between our property and the dentist office on the east end is scheduled to be replaced this summer.
We have had squirrel problems with the little varmints getting into attics. We try and mitigate these access points and it is a constant battle with the failing wooden facia. Another reason to replace wooden facia with TREX.
Landscape: Along with tree and shrub maintenance we also bring in our mowing crew to clean up the campus in the fall. We also use a firm to clean the flower beds for winter. The sprinkler system is fed by two wells on the property and our board president Brad, who has some knowledge of this system has been maintaining it. There are a few areas with clutter and encroachment into common areas and the board is addressing those.
CLEAN UP DAY IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY MAY 9. NO TIRES, BATTERIES, PAINT, AEROSOLS OR ELECTRONICS ALLOWED.
Owners would like us to look into placing owl decoys around to deter squirrels and birds from damaging buildings. It was also mentioned to clean up cones under trees during spring clean up.
Account Balances as of 2/26/2026
Checking $90,978.50
Savings $101.84
CD’s $26,655.03
Total $117,735.37
We did not renew one of our CD’s in order to have enough cash to cover potential costs resulting from tree damage to unit 53’s building. Overall, we have no accounts that are behind on payment. Our grace period for not charging late fees in 2025 due to updating our contact records and bookkeeping has ended. Going forward units will receive one warning and then a $25 late fee will apply to any payments not received before the 15th. We will be collecting insurance payments in May and August this year. Details will be communicated once we hear from our insurer about the 2026 rates.
There were six units sold in 2025. Two more units have been sold so far in 2026. Currently, two units are for sale. One of the units sold was a rental, which meant we offered a unit from the rental waiting list the option to be a rental. In 2025 two units converted to rentals, and one unit so far in 2026. We have 27 rental units with one pending. That would put us at 28 rentals with our maximum amount allowed according to the bylaws at 30. 17 units are currently on the rental waitlist.
During the past year we did not issue any fines for bylaw violations. We did issue several notices which is the first step before fines. The main issues we see are parking too many vehicles in the common lots, dogs not on leashes/cleaning up after them, trash cans, and exterior alterations. One vehicle per unit is allowed to park in the common lots. Clean up after your dog and Bozeman does require leashes. Trash cans get blown over by the wind and animals get in them so please keep them in your garages when not out for pick up. Any alteration to the exterior of units needs to be approved by the Board, i.e. windows, doors, utilities, decks.
See attachments below for financials (PDF Version). We discussed the hiring of a new bookkeeper and accounting firm. We had a successful accounting review affirming our financial statements. Our plan is to meet our goal of saving 10% of income for the reserve fund with our 2026 budget. Owners wondered if PayHOA will be an option for the insurance payment this year, the board will look into that. We discussed moving the fee for using PayHOA from the unit owner to the association so owners will pay just $250 with no fee for ACH payments. Owners were favorable to that and asked if Credit Card fees could be lowered as well and the association will look into that.
A motion was made by Jeff Stone 46 and seconded by Bob Davis 52 nominated
Austin White of unit 31 to be treasurer, which she accepted.
Noise complaint standards: According to our HOA attorney, if there are noise issues between units, contact Nancy. A board member will check if the noise is above the city’s allowed level; if yes, a fine will be issued by the Board.
Written ballot amendments passed see below for full amendments:
When a unit sells the new owner will pay a non-refundable transfer fee of $250 to the HOA.
Doors and windows need to comply with a uniform standard and need to be approved by the Board.
Should monthly dues be raised in 2027 to an amount that will include each unit’s insurance payment. 37 units voted yes and 28 voted no. The board will look further into this and no decision has been made.
PayHOA: To date, 22 units have signed up for this service. Please sign up for this service because it saves a lot of work for Brad/Nancy/our bookkeeper.
A potluck get-together was proposed; one of the green areas can be used for this purpose.
President Brad Gilbert adjourned the meeting at 7:35.
BY-LAW AMENDMENTS
The following amendment to the covenants of the Southbrook Condo Association are submitted to the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder for inclusion in covenants previously recorded in: FlLM 85, PAGES 1788-1836, FILM 103, PAGE 1573 and Document #2479086.
Association fees are at the monthly rate last set by the Board of Directors, pursuant to the Declaration for Southbrook Condominium (filed as Film 85 Page1809, records of the Clerk & Recorder of Gallatin County), plus the same rate per unit for month of entrance into the Association (which fee is non-refundable when the unit is sold). Fees are due the 1st of each month and are considered delinquent after the 15th of the month. Delinquent fees shall be assessed a penalty of $25 for each month of delinquency. Upon 90 days of delinquency of these monthly fees, a lien shall be filed against that unit. Hardship cases may apply to the Board of Directors for consideration of leniency on an individual basis.
The following amendment to the covenants of the Southbrook Condo Association are
submitted to the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder for inclusion in covenants previously
recorded in: FILM 103, PAGE 1573
All doors and windows installed on the property shall adhere to a uniform standard and must be approved by the Southbrook Condo Association Board.
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