RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Association Board moved quickly through a relatively light agenda at its Dec. 16 meeting, with discussion centering on two items: the elimination of the Communications Committee and approval of plans to purchase new maintenance equipment at auction.

Questions about the now-defunct Communications Committee arose during agenda items regarding the appointment of committee chairpersons for the coming year. After a motion and a second were made to approve a blanket nomination of directors as committee chairs, Board President Patrick O’Hern asked if there was any discussion. When audience member Tom Shewchuk attempted to comment, O’Hern told him the microphone was closed.

Following the vote, O’Hern said he suspected Shewchuk wanted to speak about the Communications Committee and offered an explanation for its disbandment before allowing Shewchuk to comment.

Under rules adopted by the board in September, residents may only speak during public comment and are no longer permitted to address agenda items while the board is discussing them. (See "Association Board Tightens Public Comment Rules") .

O’Hern explained the board’s reasoning. O’Hern said the Communications Committee was created to help oversee the transition when Greenfield Communications was brought in, but that role is no longer necessary. He said much of the work has since shifted away from the committee and is now handled by the office, particularly Administrative Assistant Matt Matisse.

“He does a fantastic job for the E-blast and paperwork that goes out, any written materials that go out,” O’Hern said, adding that the association plans to handle communications in-house going forward.

Shewchuk told O’Hern he understood the explanation about the committee that had been chaired by Director Danny Carrillo before he resigned.

Although Shewchuk acknowledged that the committee may have gone “off line” beyond its original charter, he said that did not diminish the contributions of its members. 

“I attended three or four of those meetings, and there’s a lot of good input from that team,” Shewchuk said. “I would hate to see it go away just because Danny left the board and losing that whole brain trust with Martha (Glunt) and Nellie (Bloomquist) and the others.”

O’Hern responded that the issue remains under consideration, saying, “It's a work in progress.”

O’Hern said the board trusts staff to handle communications for now and is still evaluating its options. He emphasized that feedback from residents will be considered and noted that the Communications Committee could be re-formed in the future if needed.

The board discussed maintenance equipment needs during the Maintenance Committee report, where O’Hern and Maintenance Supervisor Troy Schaffner outlined plans to replace a 2006 Ford truck equipped with a manlift and chipper box. The truck no longer complies with California Air Resources Board diesel regulations. Schaffner said the association planned to purchase two separate pieces of equipment at auction – a newer chipper truck and a stand-alone aerial lift – to reduce costs and extend equipment life.

“Currently, it’s a chipper truck with an aerial lift on it now, and if we split those up, obviously that will give both of those tools a longer life, but it will give them more flexibility for the crew to be in multiple places, or just be safer in one location,” Schaffner said.

He emphasized safety as a primary motivation. 

“Tree work is the most dangerous thing that the RMA maintenance does, and this is going to make our guys a lot safer,” he said.

Schaffner confirmed that the 2006 truck’s reserves total $147,890, and it may sell for about $50,000 at auction, which would require an out-of-state buyer due to emissions rules. The board authorized purchases not to exceed $175,000.

General Manager Rod Hart later said Schaffner secured an aerial lift on tracks at auction, while the chipper truck price ran too high. Instead, the association purchased a low-mileage 2024 Chevrolet chipper truck locally. 

“It was Troy doing some wheeling and dealing, and we were able to stay underneath what the board approved,” Hart said.

Hart said the aerial lift will improve access and safety. 

“It’s on tracks so we can move it much closer to trees than we have ever been able to do before,” he said. The 2006 truck will be sent to auction next month.

The board formally approved the 2026 slate of officers following a unanimous public vote. The appointments included O’Hern as board president for a second term, Director Chris Childs as vice president, Director John Van Doren as treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee, and Director Tom Reimers as secretary.

The board also approved a blanket nomination of committee chairs. Van Doren and Ernie Cowles will co-chair the Architectural Review and Finance committees. Reimers will chair Compliance. Directors Scott Adams and John Haviland will co-chair Governing Documents. O’Hern will chair Maintenance, Adams and Van Doren will co-chair Parks, and Haviland will chair Recreation.

Directors approved the purchase of a new steel shade structure for Lake Clementia at a cost of $58,500 and authorized the write-off of $6,781.85 in bad debt from a deceased resident.

Haviland also announced the 30 winners of the association’s annual Holiday Lights Contest and showed an example of the sign to be given to winners, along with a gift certificate. Unlike in previous years, none of the winners attended the board meeting to accept their awards.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, when directors are expected to discuss and likely finalize new e-bike rules.