SUPPORT/FINANCE
Financials:
RCSC ended January within its operating and capital budget year to date. All Divisions except Golf have met or exceeded their net operating budget projections year to date. Golf was ($22.2k) unfavorable due to Public and Guest Greens fees being ($32.8k) and ($17.5k) under budget, respectively. Operating income for January totaled $2,468k and was ($114.8k) unfavorable to budget due to the Golf revenue items mentioned above, and Transfer Fees being ($23.5k) under budget due to fewer than anticipated home resales. Operating expenses for the month were $1,762k and $614.2k favorable to budget to Wages and Benefits being $188.2k favorable to budget, Building and Projects under budget by $146.4k due to timing, and Equipment under budget by $107.5k due to the timing of fitness equipment purchases. Year to date Net Operating Excess was $620.4k and favorable to budget by $502.2k (81.0%). This favorable year to date Operating Excess was due to the $614.2k favorable Operating Expense variance, offset by the ($114.8k) shortfall in January income.
Purchasing:
RCSC hired a Procurement Coordinator in January to improve our internal controls related to contracts and purchasing. In January, the new Coordinator began to gather quotes to replace many of our old company vehicles and put these vehicles under a fleet program for improved preventative maintenance. The Coordinator also began to execute master service agreements with our larger vendors and is reviewing available software options to better track our vendors’ certificates of insurance.
Cardholder Services:
Payments on past due assessments in January were 13.5% of past due balances. Overall, accounts receivable decreased in January by 2.1%. Overall accounts receivable for past due balances increased in January by 4.0%. December assessments went 30 days past due at a rate of 7.7% and November assessments went 60 days past due at a rate of 4.7%
Payments through third-party collections firms totaled $9,406 in January. January payments made through the online web portal totaled $213,536 from 392 property owners.
In January, property transfer balances decreased by 0.7%. Outstanding balances related to property transfers represent 52% of all receivables and 54% of past due balances. January trustee sale notices on Sun City AZ properties increased to 28, and properties owned by lending institutions remained at 2.
Information Technology:
In January, the Information Technology team received 106 new service requests, and closed 101 requests by month end, leaving 5 tickets remaining open. On average, IT closed service requests in less than one day in January.
IT completed the TEG Servicer Migration project in January and is planning to complete the migration of the remaining applications and data to the new Servers/Storage devices by late February/early March. IT has completed its office move from the Warehouse to Lakeview, and filled the last open position for desktop support.
Human Resources:
Human Resources added 17 requisitions during the month of January and filled 6 requisitions, ending the month with 6 open positions. The time-to fill requisition KPI in January was 9 days. The January Turnover rate was 1.7%, or 20.6% on an annualized basis. This compares favorably to the 24.7% annualized Turnover rate in January of 2023.
FACILITIES
Projects:
In process:
Mountain View Recreation Center
- Elements list presented to Board for second reading (2/29/24)
Sun Bowl Softball Field Improvements (PIF) STATUS GREEN
- Budget $1.38M. Total cost to date $103,155
- Project began 11/27/2023
- Contractor: Robert E. Porter Construction
- Expected project duration: 6 months
Viewpoint Lake Repair (PIF) STATUS GREEN
- Budget $8.0M Total cost to date $7.59M
- Procuring two new fountains. No estimated completion date yet.
Recently Completed:
Bell Recreation Center
- Replaced missing shades between library & welcome center. Project was completed on 1/8/24 at a cost of $5,039. Contractor: Total Shade
- Replaced laminate tops on worktables for Artistic Stained Glass club. Project was completed on 1/22/24 at a cost of $3,560. Contractor: Lee’s Tapps Tops
Marinette Recreation Center
- Installed circuit extension for two outlets on fence on courts 1-4 for Pickleball Club. Project was completed on 2/2/24 at a cost of $5,823. Contractor: Accel Electric
- Installed a new panel and three dedicated circuits for power outlets adjacent to courts 13 & 14 for the Pickleball Club. Project was completed on 2/2/24 at a cost of $6,786. Contractor: Accel Electric
- Replaced canopies at west and south sides of the pickleball courts. Project was completed on 1/19/24 at a cost of $5,811. Contractor: Total Shade
Sundial Recreation Center
- Built gated dumpster enclosure for added security. Project was completed on 1/18/24 at a cost of $30,561. Contractor: K.L. McIntyre GC
- Painted ceiling in Yoga studio. Project was completed on 1/7/24 at a cost of $1,560. Contractor: Exquisite Painting
Willow Maintenance
- Repaired damaged slump block wall in maintenance yard. Project was completed on 1/2/24 at a cost of $1,895. Contractor: Tri-C Diversified Construction
Work Orders (skilled trades repair & maintenance):
Facilities opened 464 new work orders and completed 435 work orders in January. The average time to close a work order in January was 18.9 days. Facilities has completed a total of 435 work orders in 2024.
GOLF
Superintendent Update:
As the last few weeks of winter are upon us, I am pleased with the conditions of the golf courses. We are ultimately trying to maintain consistency across all of our courses. This can be challenging as each course presents its own microclimate unique to that property. Despite the winter challenges and not overseeding two of our courses, the Fairways and Greens as well as the expansion of the Green banks have been very well received. We are currently in the process of applying a pre-emergent herbicide to all eight of the courses which will alleviate the pressures of common summer weeds such as goosegrass and crabgrass. By the end of the month, we will have completed this application throughout our courses, and we will make a second application at the end of March through early April. I am also very pleased with our maintenance crews as they have answered the bell surrounding issues such as bunkers and desert cleanup. We look forward to needle tining the greens in March. This process will provide a great chance to eliminate compaction as well as provide adequate air and water movement in the root zone. This will have minimal impact on play. I thank you for your continued support of RCSC golf and we will continue to strive to be better each day.
PRO SHOPS:
- 19% of total rounds played by Annual (Resident) No Fee Passholders YTD
- 75% of total rounds played by Annual Surcharge Passholders YTD
- 73% of total rounds played by Resident Cardholders YTD
- 57% of total rounds played by Annual (Non-Resident) Passholders YTD
- 04% of total rounds played by Public Golfers YTD
- 57% of total rounds played by Guests
- 15% of total rounds played by Staff
On March 7, Lakes East/Lakes West will be hosting the annual Teal Ribbon Tournament. The event is open to ladies and men and no handicap is required. It is a 9-hole event with a 9:30 am shotgun start, and lunch follows play at Sundial. The proceeds benefit the University of Arizona Cancer Center for Ovarian Cancer research. The entry fee is $35/per person, entry forms may be picked up and turned in to any pro-shop.
The bump rate (those golfers requesting a tee time through the lottery that were unsuccessful) for January had similar results to December. Overall, we had an increase in the number of requests of 9.36% (17,282 in 2023 vs. 18,899 in 2024), however, the number of golfers bumped dropped by 3.45% (1,837 in 2023 vs. 1,357 in 2024). Overall, our bump rate was 7.18% for the month.
Snack Shops:
Lawn Bowl & Grounds:
Green speeds range from a low of 13.0 seconds at Oakmont to a high of 14.2 seconds at Bell South. Moisture readings range from a low of 8.8 at Bell North to a high of 10.5 at Lakeview East.
The Lawn Bowl greens were being mowed once per week and rolled three times per week. At Bell, the crew is installing a root barrier to keep nearby tree roots from intruding on the green surface.
The softball field is being mowed twice per week and the infield is graded four times per week. The grounds team is busy spraying weeds brought on by the rains and getting Sun Bowl ready for the spring concerts.
BOWLING
January 2024, Bowling lineage remained the same compared to 2023 totals. January 2024 lineage totaled 34,286, compared to 34,290 in January 2023, a decrease of only 4 games.
January 2024 bowling revenue was $97,181 which was 3% higher than January 2023 revenue of $93,925.
Lakeview Lanes passed the United States Bowling Congress certification test and is now certified by the sport’s governing body until 2027. Bell Lanes inspection was completed in December and is certified through 2026.
The Summer Leage Bowling Program has been developed and information is currently available at both bowling centers for anyone interested in joining a league this summer.
Activities:
The Sundial concert series occur every Wednesday night through March 27th. Doors open at 5pm and shows begin at 6pm. Most shows still have tickets available at the ticket office located at Sundial. The March 13th show One of These Nights, Eagles Tribute is sold out.
Sunday Nights at Sun Bowl begin the first Sunday in March. The lineup is available in printable PDF format on the website under the Recreation Tab, click Events & Entertainment. When viewing the PDF, there are links to band pages to get more information about the band peforming. These shows are free for RCSC Members or Privilege Card holders (with photo) for entry, key fobs are not accepted.
Clubs:
Club Officer training was held during the last two weeks of January 2024. A copy of the training was posted to the website for those officers who were unable to attend. The 2023 Club financials have been received. The clubs are in the process of submitting their 2024 officer list, rosters and their 2025 schedules.
One club has been de-chartered (Stamp Club). The RCSC Board approved a name change for the Bell Tea Dance Club to the Bell Afternoon Dance Club. IRS paperwork has been submitted for their EIN to be updated with the new name.
Club attendance for January at all centers were:
Members: 41,850 Guests: 2,794
Monitored Activity Area Check-ins: 18,977
Centers:
As many of our members have returned from other locations to avoid dealing with winter conditions, here at Sun City we have experienced some cool cloudy days with some much-needed rain for our Palms and Saguaros, but as you know it doesn’t stick around for long even though it’s winter. The Recreation Centers are in full swing with members and club participation. The fish are enjoying the newly reconstructed Lakeview Lake, so come take a ride on one of the four new pedal boats and enjoy the view.
Overall check-ins for January were up compared to 2023, with approximately 5,000 more visits. Bell is still the center with the most check-ins followed by Sundial, Fairway, Marinette, Lakeview, Mountain View, and Oakmont.
Website Analytics:
January saw an increase in visits to the website from 27,922 to 29,000 (an increase of 1,078) 26,000 were considered new visitors. Of those, as seen in the graphic below, organic searches that did not directly use our name) were the largest referral source to the page. Efforts continue to claim the Google Business pages that feature RCSC facilities to align and ensure accuracy and increase visibility to members and cardholders.
Top pages for visits:
| Home Page | 18,837 |
| News page/Info Center | 3,157 |
| Golf Courses & Pro Shops | 5,094 |
| Green Fees & Annual Passes | 3,208 |
| Rec Centers Landing Page | 4,112 |
| Clubs | 2,620 |
Email/Eblast Campaigns
Work ensues to review best practices for informing RCSC Members & Cardholders using email campaigns. This demonstrates the email/eblasts with the most clicks (with links to more information or sending to our website).
Sun City Update – January Edition
Staff and volunteers played a large role in preparing and delivering the nearly 28,000 January newspaper, Sun City Updates, with the generous help of the Sundial Men’s Club, the Sun City Poms, Sun City Welcome Center, RCSC staff, Board Members, and other volunteers. The effort brought to light a community spirit and talent that can be utilized in the future. The edition included a wide variety of department and community updates, contact information, and was a positive gesture to the entire community. The Sun City Update will be available at recreation centers for everyone to be able to keep up to date on all things happening.
Welcome Center:
The Center welcomed 849 guests in January and hosted two Sun City Welcome Experience (tours around Bell Center with welcome packets). The majority of guests were new or current residents, with many having moved here prior to 2020 and are now getting out and more active, with others having lived here more than a decade and investigating new activities. The team is reviewing current surveys to update information collected and will be reported in future updates.
The Welcome Center is the only location run largely by knowledgeable volunteers and with a vast amount of detailed information to connect members and cardholders to specific classes, activities, and events from among the huge variety of options available in the RCSC. The facility is uniquely able to share detailed information about individual clubs, events, and activities.
In January, the greatest interest among guests was learning about clubs, and 135 exclusively came to select information from the club’s brochure wall. Among prospective buyers surveyed, the top interests (all tying at No. 1) were arts & crafts, cooking, golf, sewing & quilts, and swimming.