SaddleBrooke One · The Communicator · May 2026
SaddleBrooke One HOA news, May 2026: costs, water rates, golf closures
Blaine Bond’s digest of HOA One’s May 2026 newsletter: what the board and staff decided, in plain words, with the source linked at the end. Not the association’s own text.
The short version
What changed in May 2026
- The General Manager calls 2026 a tough financial year: labor is over 56% of the budget, and the HOA cut $20,000 a year by rebidding janitorial and over $1,000 in Q1 fuel with a hybrid patrol truck.
- Even so, the draft first-quarter books ran $286,783 ahead of budget, with golf earning $296,775 and the restaurants close to break-even; resale-fee income came in under plan, a sign of fewer One-side sales early in the year.
- A water rate increase is before the Arizona Corporation Commission, where staff recommended a lower residential rate on April 13th ahead of a mid-June hearing.
- A proposed sewer restructure would cost the HOA’s pools $571.00 a month, but nothing changes before May 2027.
- Golf courses close in rotation from May 4 through July 26 for aeration, drainage and new bunker sand on all three courses.
- Wall changes need an ALC permit, top out at seven block courses (about 5 feet) and need written neighbor consent on shared walls.
- The Roadrunner Grill adds Saturday happy hour until 8 pm for the summer, since Saturdays draw only 25–30 reservations in season.
What it means for buyers
Rising operating costs and pending utility increases are the backdrop for the 2027 dues rising to $3,340; budget for water and sewer bills that could move in 2026–2027. If you buy over the summer, expect one of the three courses to be closed at any given time, and read the wall rules before planning a patio or privacy wall.
Every decision in this issue
The details, item by item
| GM cost outlook | GM Vivian Timian: Q1 2026 brought large increases in fuel, food and commodities plus pending water/sewer increases; labor and contract labor are over 56% of the budget. Savings claimed: janitorial rebid, $20,000/yr; hybrid Patrol truck (Nov 2025) cut gas and oil by over $1,000 in Q1; larger in-house maintenance crew; electronic vendor payments; food-vendor rebates about $3,000/month; natural gas down after the warm winter. |
|---|---|
| Dues billing options | Owners can switch to e-mail invoices and automatic payments through the front office, 520-825-3048. |
| Water rate case | Pending at the Arizona Corporation Commission; ACC staff review on April 13th recommended a lower cost to residential customers than proposed; hearing scheduled mid-June. Utility named only as “our community” (text does not say Lago del Oro). |
| Sewer rate proposal | Combining smaller communities with “SaddleBrooke Utility” would raise sewer costs significantly for this area; not before May 2027; charge keyed to water-line size. HOA pools (2-inch line, no sewer use) would be billed $571.00 per month; HOA is asking JW Water to exclude the pool areas. |
| Q1 2026 results (draft income statement, 3/31/2026) | CSF and other HOA revenue $1,691,320 (budget $1,675,764); Home Resale Fee revenue $78,820 vs $104,280 budgeted (about 25 resales in the quarter against 33 planned); HOA net income $605,004 vs $491,174; golf net income +$296,775 (budget $259,644); restaurants −$12,367 (budget −$77,208); net income before depreciation $889,412 (budget $662,976); total net income $527,789 (budget $241,007). |
| Balance sheet 3/31/2026 (draft) | Total cash $10,908,565: operating $2,955,187, replacement reserve $4,795,892, Capital Improvement Fund $3,157,486. Total assets $31,465,399; total liabilities $3,722,861; members’ equity $27,742,538, of which $7,953,378 designated for capital reserves (from $7,709,619 at year end). Q1 reserve + CIF activity: contributions $493,000, interest $82,183, capital spending $331,425. |
| Golf summer closures | Tucson course May 4–10 and June 15–28; SaddleBrooke course May 11–17 and June 29–July 12; Catalina course May 18–24 and July 13–26. Bunker sand replacement funded on all three courses, to finish before courses reopen from overseed. Fairway sand-capping (3–5 inches over six years) moves to a core-recycling phase, so less new sand is needed. Tucson hit 100 degrees March 19th, three weeks earlier than ever. |
| Dining hours change | Saturday evenings join the Roadrunner Grill happy-hour lineup for summer, open until 8 pm; in-season Saturdays average only 25–30 reservations vs 80–90 on Thursdays and Fridays. NorthStar club software going live after April staff training. |
| Wall rules (ALC) | ALC permit required for any wall alteration; max seven block courses (about 5 feet) measured from highest adjacent grade; walls may not extend past the front of the home. Party walls: written neighbor agreement, both sides matched in color and texture. Perimeter walls (streets/common areas): Common Grounds inspection before ALC review. ALC meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays 9:00 am (May 7 & 21, June 4 & 18); online appointments at 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30; online exterior-paint application; Information Line 520-917-3767. |
| Staff named | Director of Operations John Reed; HR Generalist Jason Bilicic; Executive Chef Dylan Carothers; F&B Director Kelly Evans; Director of Golf Mike Roddy. 15 new households welcomed (Units 2–10A and 21). |
Source: SaddleBrooke HOA One, The Communicator, May 2026: read the issue. Summaries are Blaine’s; the recorded CC&Rs, HOA One’s current Rules and a home’s resale disclosure govern.
Buying in SaddleBrooke One?Blaine reads every issue and attends the meetings. Ask which of these items touch the home you are looking at.