PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO COVENANTS: A BUYER TRANSFER FEE
Email your questions to the WPOA Board at admin@wtgpoa.org.
Q. Who will pay the fee?
A. The fee would be paid by new buyers entering the community, including businesses purchasing property in Wintergreen. It would not be paid by the current owner selling their property, helping ensure that those buying into the community contribute up front to its long-term capital needs.
Q. When would the fee be collected?
A. The fee would be collected at settlement, or otherwise upon acquisition of the property, whether the property is improved or unimproved, and would be paid by or on behalf of the buyer.
Q. How is the Capital Reserve Fund used?
A. The fund is used to repair or replace existing capital assets such as our Fire/Rescue Stations, WPOA facilities, roads, new capital assets, and new amenities. Adequate reserves help reduce future increases in annual assessments. In short, it would provide dedicated funding to protect and improve the community’s shared infrastructure and amenities.
Q. Are there any exceptions to the fee?
A. Yes. The fee would not apply when a lot is transferred to a trust or acquired through inheritance. (See the amendment language.)
Q. Doesn’t WPOA already have a similar fee?
A. Yes. The original developers paid WPOA a Developer Transfer Fee when each new property was first sold in the community. That fee was collected only once, when the property was transferred from the developer to a private buyer or business, and it helped fund the needs of a growing community. Wintergreen is now nearing full buildout, with only a few small projects remaining. Crawfords Place is the last major development from which WPOA can collect the developer fees. Once that source is gone, future capital needs will have to be funded through assessments from all owners unless a replacement funding source, such as the Buyer Transfer Fee, is in place.
Q. Is a Special Meeting of the Membership required?
A. Yes. A special meeting will be held on Sunday, December 13, 2026 to vote on the proposed Buyer Transfer Fee amendment. Prior to this meeting WPOA will send owners notice of the meeting, meeting details, and a proxy/ballot. Owners who elect to vote online or return their proxy/ballot by mail or email will not be required to attend the meeting in person. Quorum is established by the total votes cast in advance, proxies, and votes cast at the meeting.
Q. Will this be discussed at the Annual Meeting on November 7th?
A. Yes, we plan to share details and answer questions. This amendment requires a Special Meeting. By having the Special Meeting on December 13, after the Annual Meeting on November 7, owners will have additional time to consider the amendment and ask questions. Owners may elect to vote online, or return physical ballots, and not attend the Special Meeting.
Q. When would this new fee take effect?
A. The fee would likely go into effect for property transactions beginning March 1, 2027. The covenants require no less than 60 days from the time the amendment is adopted to when it can go into effect.
Q. How much is the fee?
A. The fee will be determined using that current year’s improved lot assessment rate. As the improved lot assessment rate changes from year to year, the fee will match. The 2026 improved lot assessment fee is $2,279, so the Buyer Transfer Fee would have been $2,279 this year.
Q: What happens if this amendment does not pass?
A: If the amendment fails, future annual assessments will need to increase to cover both operating expenses and additional reserve funding. WPOA estimates this to be an additional 3% for several years.