June 2026 Sunriver Scene - Flipbook - Page 4
Sunriver
OWNERS ASSOCIATION
SROA treasurer
report:
Contact your board at sroaboard@srowners.org
sroa president’s message
As we head into
peak season we observe our annual migration of visitors.
Du r i n g s u m m e r
months in Sunriver
the population explodes from under Bill Burke
2,000 residents to
more than 20,000 owners and visitors.
This is good for local businesses including
restaurants, grocery stores, sports equipment rental companies (whose rentals
practices follow the rules and regulations for
authorized rental equipment, thank you),
The Village at Sunriver businesses, property management and realty companies as
well as non-profits such as Sunriver Music
Festival and the Sunriver Nature Center.
Visitors are attracted to Sunriver because
of the many recreational opportunities in
a natural environment that Sunriver and
the surrounding area offers. Sunriver is a
great place in a natural environment and
the premier residential and resort community in Central Oregon and the region.
It is why so many visitors arrive, often
generation after generation. It is also why
so many owners have bought and invested
in Sunriver.
Among the many amenities provided by
the Sunriver Owners Association (that is,
you the owners) are the SHARC aquatics
center, the Member Pool, the owners’ boat
launch and access to the return shuttle,
abundant tennis and pickleball courts,
multi-use parks for kids and families,
Owner Enrichment Committee class offerings, free music events and the 34 miles
of pathways, our consistently top rated
amenity. (Note: This is only a partial list.)
With the tremendous influx of folks
during summer season there are also challenges. We encourage everyone to learn and
follow the rules and regulations that make
Sunriver such a wonderful place. Factors of
greatest concern include pathway safety, fire
risk, noise, parking complaints and, sadly,
nuisance properties.
We encourage all visitors to be respectful
of others and the rules and norms of our
community as visitors would expect from
visitors to their communities. While SROA
and the Sunriver Police and Fire departments stress compliance and education
citations can be issued when needed.
In last month’s Scene, I addressed the
upcoming election cycle including the
The proposed Capital
Capital Transfer Fee (CTF) ballot measure including the SROA Treasurer Report on Transfer Fee
which was authorized by the SROA Board page 5 and story on page 1.
based upon the recommendation of the
Finance Committee. From a board and
community perspective, passage of the
CTF is really about the future of Sunriver
in an expanding and competitive arena
of attractive communities. Think of the
increasing use of rentals across the street in
Caldera Springs and how that might impact
the roughly 40% of Sunriver homes in the
rental market. The CTF would aid Sunriver
in remaining relevant and attractive to owners, visitors and businesses.
The goal of the CTF is to generate revenue for future, high-cost amenities and is
commonly used in communities similar to
Sunriver. It is identified to be used for capital improvements only. If passed it could
help alleviate draining our reserves, further
increasing maintenance fees, or seeking additional special assessments.
As I’ve previously written, Sunriver is
currently well funded with a history of
sound fiscal management stretching back
several years.
We remain in good financial shape for
operating and maintaining existing amenities, infrastructure and services for owners
and guests. However, our current situation
does not address future amenities that owners have shown support for and that carry
significant expense.
Fortunately, over time, Sunriver’s owners have stepped up to invest in our community.
Examples include construction of
SHARC and the creation of our Reserve
Fund. Imagine the value of your investment
in Sunriver had owners not supported the
construction of SHARC, or being in a perilous situation caused by a lack of reserves
funds to replace or maintain existing amenities and infrastructure, as you may have
observed in other communities.
Examples of high cost amenities previously identified by owners, the board and
Finance Committee through annual Capital Projects and Annual Work Plan meetings include such items as building a Circle
2 to Circle 3 pathway (a long identified
public safety issue); park upgrades and new
parks (think of your kids and grandkids);
new indoor facilities; additional meeting
rooms and expand fitness facility. (Note:
this is not a complete list.)
We encourage owners to read factual
information in this version of the Scene
Additionally, specific information about
how the CTF would work can be found at
sunriverowners.org/capitalfee. The website
includes Frequently Asked Questions.
Other opportunities to obtain fact-based
information includes attending the May 23,
9:30 a.m. Capital Transfer Fee Presentation
at SHARC, the June 23 Sunriver You Forum via Zoom, 4-5:30 p.m. and the Owner
Happy Hour on June 6, 4-5:30 p.m. at
SHARC. A table will be set up for owners to meet and discuss the ballot measure
with representatives.
Also on this year’s ballot is the annual vote
on next year’s incoming SROA board officers. Initial information on the candidates
is included on page 3.
Ballots for the Board Candidates and the
Capital Transfer Fee will be sent electronically in early July and the election closes
Aug. 8 at 12 p.m.
A reminder to owners and guests, this
fire season poses an extreme risk of fire
that could impact our safety, homes
and community.
Let’s all share the responsibility for doing everything we can to help Sunriver
remain safe and secure. There are plenty of
references within Scene editions regarding
what each of us, owner, guest or visitor,
can do to help.
A final note and matter of concern
for many of our owners. At the May 16
SROA board meeting your board approved
an agreement with the Sunriver Service
District for Rules Enforcement and Bike
Patrol. At the time of this writing, SSD
is scheduled to approve the contract at
their regular board meeting on Thursday,
May 21, 1 p.m.
There is a great deal of good news surrounding this: 1) the agreement for Rules
Enforcement and Bike Patrol will be in
effect for the peak season, commencing on
Memorial Day weekend; 2) both entities
are moving beyond an outdated method
of providing agreements and services; 3)
the agreement provides for regular review
by both parties, allowing for future data
driven, cost effective decision making.
Both SROA and SSD look forward to providing these services to our
shared constituents.
Please feel free to share this accurate
information with fellow owners, business,
your property managers and guests.
Monthly meeting highlights, actions of the SROA Board of Directors
The Sunriver Owners Association (SROA) Board of Directors meeting was held Saturday,
May 16, 2026.
Board members present: Bill
Burke, Pam Hays, Keith Mobley (via Zoom), Clark Pederson,
Linda Beard, Roni Jacknow
(via Zoom), Dale Harrison and
Brad Banta.
Staff present: James Lewis,
Keith Wallach, Jesus Mendoza.
Owners Forum (summarized)
From May 15 work session
Page 4
• Debra Weiss had a question
about SROA representation on
the Sunriver La Pine Economic
Development board and a
recommendation in favor of
approving a data center in La
Pine over environmental risks.
• Carol Conragan had concerns over an agreement between SROA and SSD for the
enforcement of SROA rules –
specifically noise during nighttime hours.
• Carol Barrett had concerns
about the lack of access to
JUNE 2026 SUNRIVER SCENE
SROA Financial Report
Year to date through April 30, 2026 (unaudited)
Total Operating Revenue ................................... $4,725,163
Total Operating Expenses* ................................ $4,808,043
Operating Surplus / (Deficit) ............................. $30,024
*Reserve Fund Contribution: $1,345,417
Sunriver golf due to membership actions taken by the
Sunriver Resort. She would
like the board to take further
action. She also had concerns
about SROA rule enforcement
and believes that it is important
for the SRPD to be involved
24/7 for issues such as noise
violations.
• Sanjaya Sharma had concerns about the lack of access
Turn to Highlights, page 5
By Clark Pederson
In July/early August, all
Sunriver owners will be asked
to vote on an amendment to
the Consolidated Plan to allow
the SROA board to implement
a Capital Transfer Fee (CTF) of
one half of one percent on the
purchase price upon the transfer of property within Sunriver.
The fee will be paid as part
of the closing transaction and
title transfer.
How did the plan
come about?
In November 2024, the
Sunriver Owner’s Association
(SROA) Finance Committee
appointed a Subcommittee to
explore new revenue sources
to fund the ever-increasing
costs of additional amenities
requested by Sunriver owners.
The committee discussed options and deliberated for several
months. A review of 15 other
large-scale HOAs showed the
use of Capital Transfer Fees to
fund amenities.
Several concerns were addressed in drafting the specifics
of the fee:
1) It will be included in the
Sunriver Consolidated Plan
and cannot be increased without a vote by owners.
2) Several categories of transfers are exempt:
• transfer between spouses
or to your family or household
members,
• transfers to a living trust
• foreclosure or similar proceeding, and
• any other transfers identified by administrator (the
SROA board) by rule.
In May 2025, the subcommittee advised the Finance
Committee recommend the
SROA board adopt a Capital
Transfer Fee of one half of one
percent. A legal review indicated that such a fee was allowed
for homeowner associations
under federal and state law.
With further discussion, the
Finance Committee was in support of the recommendation
and arranged for drafting of
ballot language. Draft language
was approved at their June
meeting and presented to the
SROA Board of Director which
approved the draft language
and submitted the measure for
a vote of owners.
Further work was done to
ensure that the method used to
adopt the fee would apply to all
properties in Sunriver – commercial property such as the
Turn to Treasurer, page 5
