Is Spectrum skipping the tab? FCSA has been waiting on $48k from Spectrum for Months

  The meeting minutes linked on the Fort Clark website for January 2025 have a Motel Report that states, “The motel was down $496.31 based on the projected budget for December. We are waiting on a payment of $47,890.80 from Spectrum to date.” 

  The December meeting minutes, though not posted on the website (October is the last meeting posted for 2024 as of time of printing of this article) have been obtained by Kinney County Post and can be found in the photos of this article. Those minutes report the following for the motel: · “The motel was down $10,916.31 based on the projected budget for November, but this is due to Spectrum extending their stay 2 more weeks, which I estimate to be about $28, 000.00.”

  Based on these minutes, one can assume that the $48k tab that is owed by Spectrum according to Fort Clark Springs Association, began in November of 2024, and incurred thousands more dollars as workers continued to dig up ground, hit water and internet lines, and speed down residential roads as they installed new fiber cable for better broadband services in our community. 

  At the Town Hall meeting presented by FCSA on February 1, 2025, General Manager Charlena Cavender presented a Profit and Loss Statement for the motel and, in response to questions from the audience, disclosed that a portion of the stated income for the motel has not been collected, despite the fact that the document states that the report was compiled on a “cash basis”. Kinney County Post published an editorial on concerns relating to the manipulated financial report on February 6, 2025 which readers can find online at KinneyCountyPost.com. 

  That was over a month ago, however, and at the March 15 FCSA Board meeting, Ms. Cavender stated, “I’m working again with Spectrum and the representatives on the balance owed to the Fort and will be following up with details.” Following this report, a member attempted to ask twice for additional clarification on this payment and whether there was any expectation for when the payment would be made, but was stopped by FCSA President Lisa Vale with no answer each time. Despite a previous claim that the “check was in the mail,” it’s unclear when Spectrum will pay their tab, months after they are reported to have racked up almost $50,000 in motel bills. 

  While the association ultimately decided to wait on issuing a special assessment to members to help pay for some critical motel repairs, the funds needed to address some structural issues are no doubt growing as we defer maintenance and properly evaluate further needs. The original estimate for repairs and special assessment totals were approximately somewhere between $45k to $60k, and it appears FCSA may still be waiting on a similar amount from Spectrum. It’s unclear whether Spectrum is directly responsible for the outstanding motel bill, or if that’s just a catch-all name for the independent contractors that collectively rented rooms over a number of months while they completed the installation project. In the meeting, Director Guzman clarified that the Board Meetings are the place to get official answers and information, but it seems that information is somewhat selective. 

  A special assessment is going to be a hard pill to swallow to address motel repair bills, not because it’s not needed. It is most certainly needed. But how can members feel confident that this money will be put to good use when we are already unclear on where a $50k payment is, that has been on the books for months.


References:
March 2025 Regular Board Meeting Video:
February 2025 Regular Board Meeting Video:
Feb. 1, 2025 Town Hall Meeting Video:
December 2024 Regular Board Meeting Video: