Esmann Island
Board Meeting Minutes
Date: 07/18/2026
Time: 8:13am-9:27am
Meeting called to order at 8:13am
Jeff Brown
Location: Esmann Office
Facilitator: Jeff Brown (President)
Note taker: Nikki Lynch (Secretary)
A closed meeting prior to the monthly meeting was held at 8:00am In this meeting to set the new board, Jeff Brown was elected President and Shauna Koppenhaver was elected Vice President
Jeff made a motion to approve the May minutes without reading, Shauna seconded the motion.
ATTENDEES
Jeff Brown, President; Shauna Koppenhaver, Vice President;Terry Denner, board member; Tim Plagge, board member; Tom Shieck, board member; Tony Reyerson, board member; Gail Scherr, board member; Dave Wagner, Treasurer
Owners:Linda Lampe, Mike Burke, Ron Reisner, Ken Root, Doc Rolfe, Mike Scherr, Shelley Ahern, Wayne Ahern, Dottie Reimer, Tim Hoffman, Kate Hoffman, Doug Hintzman, Dale Hoffman, Curt DeBoer, Denise DeBoer, Cindy Miller, Beth Greene, Farl Greene, Tom & Linda McCullick, Kari Winders; Shauna Barton
Online watching the video link: Dick Downes, Linda Baker, Vonda Hoffman, Tom & LaDonna Nagel, Linda Martin
REPORTS
Report #1:Financials (See PayHOA)
Report #2: Building Permits/Ownership Changes
Wayne & Shelly Ahern (382 Riverview Rd) submitted additional plans regarding rebuilding their cabin this fall. All surveys are complete and they are just awaiting someone on the building committee to come and check the pins. Terry stated that they will need to put down their deposits via check and Wayne stated that was no problem. Jeff addressed the changes to the building and permit dollar amount needs to be made online. This will be completed by the next meeting.
Report #3: Committee Discussions (Submitted by Kari Winders Pond Committee)
Balance as of June 8,2026 is $ 8,262.18 Can deposit was made: $360.00 There are still some glow sticks and ice cream sandwiches left from July 4 celebrations that will be handed out at the pond on Labor Day
Kari also brought up the idea of a Welcoming Committee should be started to welcome all new members. This has been discussed in the past but as she stated, people are not going to learn the rules/ways of the island by osmosis, it is our responsibility to welcome new owners and help set proper expectations. Nikki Lynch agreed to head up said committee and will bring some ideas to the next meeting. Please let me know if you are wanting to help with this committee. All help is appreciated.
Kari also mentioned that the plan going forward is to sort cans after every meeting to stay on top of them. Thank you to Terry and Terri Denner for taking back the cans and to everyone who has helped with the cans. This is a quick job, if we have enough bodies so please consider volunteering.
Also, if in need of additional cart stickers or placards, please contact Nikki Lynch
Report #4: Roads
Jeff mentioned that we do need to think about coordinating a road committee again. There has been one in the past and feels it would be useful to have again. If you are interested, please contact any of the board members.
Thank you to whoever filled in the holes on the corner of Timberlane and 2nd.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Item #1: Pay HOA
Pay HOA is up and running. There are about 20-25 people who have yet to pay their dues. Please be sure that you get all of your dues paid ASAP. Doug has gotten most of the documents uploaded to the site and he will continue to help but is eventually going to turn this all over to the board and the officers. Nikki Lynch asked who will be handling the emails that will be sent through PayHOA regarding any issues or questions. Per Doug, he will handle for now but the eventual flow will be that everyone on the board will be notified if items are sent to the general requests. Thank you Doug for all of your hard work getting this set up.
Item #2: Yield Signs
Thank you to Lampe’s for putting up the yield signs that we have been discussing for so long. There are concerns that additional signage is needed in multiple areas. Many members brought up the intersection that leads to the pond, to Riverview Rd and to the dock area. Trees need to be trimmed at that intersection. Gail was going to follow up with the owners and see about getting that resolved. The board will also discuss other signage options at the next meeting as there is a concern of safety and also Island responsibility if someone was to get hurt and there were not the appropriate signs.
Item #3: Alliant/Mediacom Poles
At the annual meeting, there was a discussion regarding who would be responsible in the end for removing the poles. The owners motioned and voted that a lawyer follow-up was needed. Ken Root asked what it is that the members are looking for regarding lawyer involvement. Terry mentioned that Cindy Miller had brought a letter stating that the poles were Alliant’s responsibility and stated she did not provide that to the board for review. Cindy stated she would be happy to make copies and give everyone a copy of what she has. She stated that everyone should have this information in their abstract for their lots, on the deed. She provided a copy of the letter referenced. (See attached) Nikki Lynch asked if it was possible to get the project managers to come to a meeting to answer any questions, as this was mentioned at the annual meeting. Terry stated he would get the necessary information to the board to make these arrangements. Kate Hoffman stated that ultimately what is needed is a plan to hold either Alliant or Mediacom accountable moving forward. Tony stated he would contact a lawyer when we get to that point. Terry then gave a number for one of the project managers and Jeff stated we would make arrangements to have them at a meeting to see if we can get clarification and then reach out to a lawyer. More details will be sent out once there is a date for these continued discussions with the 2 companies.
Item #4 Money in Bank vs CD
At the end of May, the CD that most of the island income was sitting in matured. The money was transferred out of the CD and into the checking account. The board stated at the annual meeting that once the dues were collected, the money would go back into a CD, leaving enough money to get through the next year. The board will discuss at the next meeting whether they plan to do one large CD or a couple smaller. Dave is going to make a recommendation as to which option he recommends. Terry stated that we generally keep roughly $21,000 in checking to cover expenses and whatever other budgetary items arise.
New Business:
Item #1: Insurance
Per Doug Hintzman, Esmann has received a letter stating that our insurance will not be renewing the policy. There are not many companies that are wanting to cover HOA’s anymore. He is looking into a couple possibilities and will continue to do research to see what our options are. Jeff and Doug agreed to meet up and discuss what our next steps will be to ensure coverage.
Comments/Discussions with Members in Attendance:
Tim Hoffman (490 Riverview Rd) made a motion to vote Terry Denner off of the board. Dale Hoffman seconded the motion. Jeff and Shauna both stated that they read the by-laws which state the following: Removal of Directors: At any annual, regular or special meeting duly called, any one or more of the Directors may be removed with or without cause by a majority of the members and a successor may then and there be elected to fill the vacancy thus created. Any Director whose removal has been proposed by the members shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the meeting. Tim mentioned that he did ask the board for this information at the May meeting and was given no information. Ken Root mentioned that he believed there needed to be a quorum to make the vote. Cindy Miller stated there was a by-law amendment that stated there did not need to be a quorum due to the fact that there never seems to be a quorum of all members. There were many questions about the way the by-laws read if this issue should have been addressed at the annual meeting or if this type of issue can be brought up at a regular meeting. Per Jeff, yes, this can be brought up at any meeting but the verbiage is not clear as to how many members need to be in attendance to make a vote. Kari Winders asked what was the reason for the proposed removal and the answer is no cause is needed. Terry Denner stated that it seems wrong that someone could have an issue with a member and bring 10 friends and make such a big decision. Mike Scherr stated that if this was the case, why would anyone want to be on the board. Jeff then asked the board for a motion regarding moving forward with this removal. There was no motion from the board.
Reckless Vehicles:
Many members asked about the young man on the electric bike that has been driving around and popping wheelies and making a scene. Many members mentioned that he was tearing up the pond area after it rained and Tony Reyerson caught him in the field doing damage and that is a rented space that provides income for the island. Tony spoke to the parents as did a few others and DeBoer’s attempted to address on the FB page to no avail. Kate Hoffman mentioned that they have dealt with issues with people being disrespectful on golf carts in the past and have called the sheriff to address. After much discussion, Jeff stated he would send a letter of concern to the Abel Board, he has served on that board and feels it would help the situation. Going forward, if there are issues and the person is causing damage or on personal property, make all attempts to resolve and if possible, get a video of any reckless behavior, then make a call to the sheriff.
Personalized Yard Signage:
Tom Stueck brought up concerns regarding the personalized signs that were recently displayed on the island. He stated that these need to be removed and that he understands that the argument is first amendment rights. However, upon review of the laws, it is a state by state basis and in Iowa, HOA’s have the right to ban signs. Shauna brought up the fact that all signs are a reflection on the island and that when issues become personal, it has crossed the line. Terry pointed out the fact that using the Esmann Island name in such a disparaging way is also not a good look for the island. Tim made a motion to work to add no personal signage to the by-laws and stated that all personalized signs be removed. Tom seconded the motion and the motion was passed by the board. Dave stated he will work on the verbiage to ensure all bases are covered such as not limiting garage sale signs, for sale signs, contractor signs, etc.
General reminder: Please be sure that you are cleaning up after yourself on the island. There has been an increase of litter around the island. Be sure that we are all working together to keep our island clean!
Motion to adjourn @ 9:27am by Tom and 2nd by Tony
Respectfully submitted by Nikki Lynch, Secretary