Every title-holder pays a monthly HoCo charge based on the floor area of their property. This money is paid into a maintenance fund (HoCo budget), which pays for maintenance work to be carried out on their behalf.
Spending is divided into five main categories and sub-divided into detailed spending areas against which expenditure is recorded.
- Roads
- The items covered under this heading are the annual estimated costs for general repairs to roads (potholes, etc) and parking bays. It also itemises snow and ice clearing costs, which are necessary during the winter months. We account for long-term costs by including a project line to account for future road resurfacing costs.
- Roads Maintenance
- Snow and Ice/Sweeping
- Roads Project
- Street Lighting
- The items covered here are the annual estimated costs of the electricity used by the Park’s streetlights, provision for their repair and upkeep and the installation of new lights when required.
- Streetlights Electric
- Streetlight Repairs
- Streetlights Project
- Water, Sewer and Pumps
- The items covered here are the annual estimated costs for the maintenance of water pipes, water drainage/sewage pipes and the pump stations. Unfortunately, The Park is on flat land, so we need pumps to move water and sewage around the site. (Even without using the Living Machine to treat sewage, we would still need to move it from residents’ homes to the main entrance if it was connected into the mains drain).
- Water repairs
- Sewer repairs
- Pump Stations Maintenance
- Pump stations electric
- Landscaping
- This covers some of the public landscaped areas such as the main entrance, the Field of Dreams Solum and the car parks. To note: As some of the Park’s public landscape areas are also looked after by the Foundation’s garden department, a fee is paid to them for their work, (listed under ‘Other Costs’). Two examples of the areas the Foundation manage are: the area in-front of the Universal Hall and Cafe and the central Pineridge area around the Nature sanctuary. Landscaping costs also include responsibility for trees in the public areas of the Park as well as the public play area on the village green, all of which need to be managed.
- Landscaping Maintenance
- Trees
- Play Area
- Other Costs
- This covers everything else and includes administration, management, general maintenance and sundry costs. There are two administration charges, one for NFD as the service agent and financial administrator and one for Ekopia Ltd. Park Planning Group (PPG) is a THA body that acts on their behalf, ensuring new developments are in keeping with the overall Park ethos and desired development. Finally, where the THA supports collective projects such as the Park’s visitor toilets, these costs are accounted for in this category.
- Park Services Staff
- Technical Support
- Visitor toilet cleaning contribution
- Sundry Costs
- NFD Billing Administration
- PPG Costs
- Ekopia Admin Cost
- THA administration costs
Frequently asked questions
- Who decides how much money is made available to the Hoco budget?
- The annual Hoco budget income is decided and voted on, by THA members.
- How are the budget costs divided up?
- Once the annual amount has been set, a projection of how and where to spend the money is then proposed by the service agent (NFD). Budgeted spending allocations are based primarily on the previous year’s actual expenditure, as well as making provision for future costs (accruals) and any specific new project requests from the THA. The service agent, drawing on its expertise and experience will also advise the THA of the likely areas that money will need to be allocated to in the coming year.
- How can individual title holders have a direct say in what work is done each year?
- The THA has a Committee, who hold regular meetings for the title-holders. Committee members are- Amanda Haworth, Carin Schwartz, Lori Forsyth and nominated Findhorn Foundation Representative- Pete Finch. The best way to have input is to speak to one of the committee members for further information.