Financial Transparency
Statement of Financial Condition
View verified accounts, current operational expenses, and historical funding metrics for Shipley's Choice Community Association.
Archived Financial Condition Statements
Select a reporting period statement compiled by the Treasurer below
Critical Account Shortfall Warning
SCCA's unencumbered operating balance has dropped to $914.87 as of September 19, 2026. This depletion is primarily due to the payment of the major Access Tree Removal invoices ($5,500.00) and ongoing common grounds lawn care.
Because voluntary community dues participation capped at 69% (194 properties out of 283), SCCA's cash reserves are insufficient to cover operational needs through the end of the calendar year. Without the transition to a dedicated Special Community Benefits District (SCBD) taxing framework, essential neighborhood safety trims, landscaping, and public liability insurance face immediate underfunding or deferral.
⚠️ Budget Limitation Note: SCCA's annual operating budget (currently set at $16,550.00) is artificially constrained by necessity. The Board has historically set the budget to match expected dues revenue. In reality, a realistic and healthy budget to safely maintain our common properties is closer to $20,000 or more. Between standard liability insurance and a single high-frequency "bad tree year" alone, SCCA routinely spends nearly $20,000—which is far higher than voluntary contributions can support.
This statement offers an unvarnished window into the financial position of the Shipley's Choice Community Association (SCCA) as of September 19, 2026. SCCA is entirely board-volunteer driven, with funds deployed strictly to maintain community safety, preserve common acreage woodlands, and manage liability risks. The report provides checking accounts, restricted-use reserves, outstanding balances, and line-item actual expenditures relative to the approved annual budget.
Summary of Cash Positions (September 19, 2026)
Checking Balance
$2,499.57
Gross funds in operating bank account
Restricted Playground Funds
$1,464.70
Section 2 playground reserve (restricted)
Outstanding Checks
$120.00
Issued but uncashed vendor payments
Unencumbered Balance
$914.87
Critically low operating reserves
2026 Operating Budget vs. YTD Actual
Detailed expenditures tracking and remaining budget capacities (compiled as of September 19, 2026)
| Expense Category | Actual YTD | Approved Budget | Difference (Remaining) | Spent (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lawn Maintenance Ongoing invoices for commons areas mowing, weed control, and edge-trimming. | $970.00 | $3,500.00 | $2,530.00 | 27.7% |
Garden Club Annual grant for community entry signs landscaping and flower beds. | $69.96 | $400.00 | $330.04 | 17.5% |
Real Property taxes Required property taxes on SCCA-owned common land parcels. | $33.27 | $55.00 | $21.73 | 60.5% |
Access Tree Removal Emergency tree cutting, safety trimming, and hazardous arbor care along common property. | $5,500.00 | $8,000.00 | $2,500.00 | 68.8% |
BGE Electricity for lighting the main community entrances. | $228.55 | $300.00 | $71.45 | 76.2% |
Insurance Comprehensive liability coverage. Exceeded budget due to industry-wide commercial rate hikes. | $4,279.00 | $3,850.00 | -$429.00 | 111.1% |
Association Memberships Dues for Maryland Community Association registries and regional civic coalitions. | $100.00 | $200.00 | $100.00 | 50.0% |
Website renewal Annual hosting and domain licensing. In 2026, the SCCA Board's webmaster migrated the domain away from Weebly to Vercel and redesigned the website from the ground-up to offer a modern, highly-featured experience for the community at $0.00 ongoing operational cost. | $0.00 | $125.00 | $125.00 | 0.0% |
Misc (checks, paper statements, SCSTC) Treasury printing, postage, billing stationery, state filings, and banking fees. | $64.64 | $120.00 | $55.36 | 53.9% |
Consolidated Operating Budget Totals Operational ledger summaries. Unspent
balances roll over to the general capital
reserve. | $11,245.42 | $16,550.00 | $5,304.58 | 67.9% spent |
⚠️ Structural Reality: Why SCCA's Operating Budget is Artificially Constrained
It is critical for residents to understand that the SCCA approved budget of $16,550.00 does not reflect the actual, unconstrained financial needs of our community. Instead, the annual budget is capped by necessity to match what SCCA expects to collect in voluntary dues.
In reality, a healthy and adequate budget required to safely operate, maintain the entry signs, and keep common woodlands trimmed is closer to $20,000 or more. Between standard public liability insurance premiums and a single "bad tree year" (where emergency dead tree removal is higher), SCCA routinely spends nearly $20,000 in a year.
Under the current voluntary dues model, when these essential costs exceed collected revenues, the Board is forced to either defer critical tree trimming safety work (creating liability) or deplete general capital reserves. This structural limitation creates an unequal burden and deferred hazards, highlighting why the transition to a dedicated Special Community Benefits District (SCBD) is required to secure a stable and adequate funding baseline from 100% of community properties.
Multi-Year Participation Trend
This table tracks the declining number of contributing households under the voluntary SCCA dues system. Only 194 out of 283 properties contributed in 2026.
⚠️ The Consequence of declining participation:
With voluntary participation declining to 69%, the funding burden of maintaining essential community safety assets (common woodlands, entrance signs, and liability insurance) is borne unequally. This financial reality has driven the SCCA Board's decision to pursue designation as a Special Community Benefits District (SCBD) to secure fair and dedicated funding from 100% of community properties.
Voluntary Dues & Burden Simulator
Adjust the slider to simulate voluntary dues participation rates. See how declining participation forces active contributors to carry a higher effective "subsidy" to cover the fixed SCCA operating budget ($16,550.00).
💡 Simulator Takeaways:
At 100% participation (the SCBD model), every property pays exactly its fair share of $75.00 per year, which generates $21,225.00 ($21,225 total). This fully funds not just the artificially constrained budget, but SCCA's actual operational needs of nearly $20,000 (fully absorbing rising commercial insurance rates and high-impact tree emergency years) while still leaving a healthy annual surplus to build long-term reserves for playground restorations.
Under the current voluntary system (~69% participation), SCCA collected a total of $17,310.00 in 2026. This includes 195 regular dues payments (consisting of 194 payments from the main period plus 1 late dues payment since the last statement, generating $14,625.00) along with $2,685.00 in voluntary extra funds generously donated by neighbors above and beyond the $75 baseline.
While these extra donations and late payments allowed SCCA to barely clear the constricted operating budget of $16,550.00, this voluntary funding model is still highly inadequate and financially precarious compared to SCCA's actual unconstrained operational needs of nearly $20,000. SCCA remains heavily reliant on discretionary, unpredictable extra contributions from a small subset of generous families. This makes reliable multi-year forecasting and budgeting for major requirements (such as playground restoration or reforestation) impossible, highlighting why a stable, predictable funding baseline from 100% of properties via the SCBD is required.
Download Statement of Financial Condition
Download the original, verified spreadsheet file prepared directly by the SCCA Treasurer. This spreadsheet has been archived and reviewed by the SCCA Audit Committee. We make all official financial spreadsheets available in their raw format to promote total transparency and community oversight.