The one-sentence version
Residents want to lower costs. Leasing the building raises them.
100%
of residents picked “income to offset dues” as their #1 priority for the building
1 of 1 who answered · Community survey · live results
Residents' number-one goal for 43 North Road is to offset costs — to make money for the community, not spend more of it.
–$44,606/yr
Estimated ~what leasing the building still loses each year — even at the best rent we found
Source: Local commercial-listing comparison · Kinnelon & Butler NJ + Community estimate · conservative assumption
But leasing 43 North Road does the opposite. Even at the best rent we could find, renting it out still loses the community money every year — because the rent doesn't cover what the building costs to carry.
$511K/yr
Estimated ~the community's recurring yearly loss — the Inn (verified) plus carrying 43 North Road (one-time costs excluded)
Source: 2026 SRC Proposed Budget + Community estimate · conservative assumption
And that matters because the wider budget is already stretched: the community carries large, growing losses every year, and dues keep climbing.
That's the whole picture. The rest of this page is just the numbers behind each part — survey first, then the finances — each one sourced so you can check it yourself.
What residents want
The survey, in the community's own answers
These come straight from the live survey — every chart shows the count and the number of people who answered (n). Switch any chart between bar, donut, and pie.
Top priority for the building
One pick per person. Income to offset dues is the clear leader.
n = 1 response · Community survey · live results
First choice: what should the building be?
One pick per person. Shaded by whether the option could actually generate income (our tag, not a survey field).
n = 1 response · Community survey · live results
Second choice
Where people landed when they looked past their first pick.
n = 0 responses · Community survey · live results
No responses yet for this question.
First choice by gate area
The same first-choice question, split by where people live. Areas with fewer than 3 responses are hidden to protect anonymity.
Not enough responses yet to show area breakdowns (areas need at least 3).
And there's much more in the survey
The survey covered far more than the building. A few of the topics residents weighed in on:
43 North Road
The building, and what it costs to carry
The community bought 43 North Road. Here's the purchase, the yearly carrying cost, and what it would take just to break even — every figure with its source.
What the community bought
Verified ✓$500,000
Purchase price
$125,000
Down payment
$375,000
Mortgage · 6.75% / 15 yr
2,618 sq ft
Built 1954
Source: Treasurer's Annual Report
What it costs to carry, every year
Recurring costs only. The one-time renovation is separate, below.
- Mortgage (annual debt service)$56,820 Verified ✓
- Operating costs (taxes, insurance, utilities, upkeep)~$48,000 Estimated ~
- Total recurring carry$104,820/yr
$56,820 + ~$48,000 = $104,820. Source: Treasurer's Annual Report (mortgage) · Community estimate · conservative assumption (operating).
Even at the best rent, leasing loses money
~$60,214/yr
best commercial rent we found · Estimated ~
Source: Local commercial-listing comparison · Kinnelon & Butler NJ
Add up the mortgage and the running costs, and the building costs about this much to carry every year. The best commercial rent we found wouldn't cover it.
For every $1 the building costs to carry, the best rent we found covers about 57¢. The other 43¢ comes from dues.
–$44,606/yr
So even in the best case, leasing the building still loses the community about $44,606 a year — money that comes from everyone's dues.
$104,820 carry − $60,214 rent = $44,606
The 2026 budget also has a one-time $125,000 renovation for the building. It's a one-time cost, so it is NOT in the yearly carry above — we keep one-time and every-year money separate.
Source: 2026 SRC Proposed Budget · Capital Fund (p. 3) · one-time, Verified ✓
The Village Inn
The Inn brings in a lot — and spends more
The Inn earns real money. It also spends more than it earns. Here's the revenue, the spending breakdown, and how the gap has grown over seven years.
🍽 VILLAGE INN FINANCES
What the Village Inn costs your household
The Village Inn operates at a yearly deficit of $406,304 — paid by all 980 households through your dues. Here's the full financial picture from the 2026 Proposed Budget.
Total Community Cost — Yearly Deficit
$406,304
paid by all 980 households every year
The Village Inn generates $1.43M in revenue but costs $1.83M to operate. Assessments cover the $406K gap — whether or not you dine there.
2026 SRC Proposed Budget, pp. 7 & 13 · Includes $49K G&A allocation
$34
per month
8% of your $413 monthly dues
$415
per year
8% of your $4,824 annual dues
$406K
total community cost
Yearly deficit
🏡 All of Smoke Rise
Where your $413/month goes
Your monthly dues fund everything Smoke Rise operates — security, road maintenance, the Village Inn, recreation, the lake, and more. Here's how every dollar is divided across all community operations.
| Security | $86 | 21% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | $87 | 21% | |
| Maintenance | $60 | 15% | |
| Other | $94 | 23% | |
| Inn deficit | $34 | 8% | |
| Recreation | $22 | 5% | |
| G&A | $16 | 4% | |
| Lake & Env | $14 | 3% |
Source: 2026 SRC Proposed Budget
A closer look
The Village Inn — by the numbers
The Inn is the heart of Smoke Rise — and the single largest expense in your assessment. Here's where the money goes.
🍽 Village Inn
Revenue vs. expense — does the Inn pay for itself?
The Inn brings in $1.43M per year from dining, catering, and bar sales. But it costs $1.84M to operate — leaving a $406K gap that your dues cover.
Revenue covers 78¢ of every $1 spent
Revenue
$1,428,688
Total expense
$1,834,992
Reported expenses: $1,785,992. Adding $49,000 G&A Inn allocation = $1,834,992 total.
🍽 Village Inn Spending
How the Inn spends $1.84 million a year
This is only Village Inn expenses — not the full Smoke Rise budget. Nearly half goes to staffing. Food and beverage is the next largest cost.
| Payroll & Staff | $793K | 43% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Food | $339K | 18% | |
| Supplies & Other | $217K | 12% | |
| Cost of Liquor | $108K | 6% | |
| Insurance | $51K | 3% | |
| Utilities | $51K | 3% | |
| Real Estate Tax | $44K | 2% | |
| Advertising | $35K | 2% | |
| G&A Allocation | $49K | 3% |
G&A Allocation: $49,000 of Inn expense categorized under General & Administrative (Budget p. 13)
🍽 Village Inn Deficit
7 years of growing losses
The gap between what the Inn earns and what it costs has grown 64% since 2019 — from $247K to $406K. That's an extra $159K per year the community now covers.
2019–2025: reported deficit · 2026: includes $49K G&A allocation
Sources: SRC Proposed Budgets & Treasurer's Annual Reports
43¢ of every food dollar is labor
$793K payroll against $1.43M revenue. Payroll alone exceeds 55% of revenue.
Deficit up 64% in 7 years
From $247K (2019) to $406K (2026 total). That's an additional $159K/yr the community covers.
The full 2026 budget
Every department, and your share of it
The whole community budget for 2026, department by department, and how the $413-a-month assessment splits across them. Switch any chart between bar, donut, and pie.
📋 2026 Departmental Budget
Every department, every dollar
The full Smoke Rise budget, ranked by expense. Departments shaded in forest green; the Village Inn is highlighted in gold because it's the largest single line — and the rest of this page goes deep on it.
Village Inn Includes $49K G&A allocation | $1,834,992 | 38% | |
|---|---|---|---|
Capital Fund | $1,204,000 | 25% | |
Security | $1,013,866 | 21% | |
Maintenance | $802,203 | 17% | |
Office | $585,154 | 12% | |
Recreation | $317,994 | 7% | |
G&A Includes $49K Inn expense allocation | $192,089 | 4% | |
Lake & Env | $159,000 | 3% | |
Prof. Services | $123,600 | 3% |
Source: 2026 SRC Proposed Budget · Village Inn expense includes its $49K G&A allocation. G&A's $192K bucket includes the same $49K Inn expense allocation — a cross-categorization, not a double charge.
One reconciliation: the Capital Fund line for the 43 North loan reads $56,280 here, while the annual debt-service figure is $56,820 — a $540 difference between two budget documents. This page uses $56,820 (annual debt service) everywhere it talks about the mortgage.
🏡 Your assessment
How your $413/month is divided
Every Smoke Rise household pays $413/month — $4,824/year. Here's how that splits across the community's operations.
| Security | $86 | / month | 21% of dues | Gate operations, perimeter patrol, in-house guards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | $87 | / month | 21% of dues | Roads, vehicles, infrastructure improvements. |
| Maintenance | $60 | / month | 15% of dues | Grounds, equipment, landscape, plowing. |
| Village Inn deficit | $34 | / month | 8% of dues | $406,304 yearly deficit, divided across every household. |
| Other | $94 | / month | 23% of dues | Office, professional services, communications. |
| Recreation | $22 | / month | 5% of dues | Lifeguards, beach programming, swim lessons. |
| G&A | $16 | / month | 4% of dues | Taxes on common property, insurance, board events. |
| Lake & Env | $14 | / month | 3% of dues | Dock operations, weed control, fish stocking. |
Source: 2026 SRC Proposed Budget · Percentages sum to 100% across all community operations.
Added up
The community's recurring yearly loss
Two things lose money every year: the Village Inn, and carrying 43 North Road. Added together — and counting only money that recurs every year, never the one-time renovation — here's the recurring loss, with the math shown.
- Village Inn yearly deficit$406,304 Verified ✓
- 43 North Road — recurring carry (no renovation)$104,820 Estimated ~
- Recurring loss, every year$511,124/yr
$406,304 + $104,820 = $511,124. Recurring only. The one-time $125,000 renovation is shown on its own and is never multiplied across years.
Spread across all 980 households, that's about $522 per household, every year.
$511,124 ÷ 980 households = $522/household/yr
How to read the numbers
See a number that's off, or have an official figure to share? Email us and we'll correct it — every figure here is meant to be on the record.
That's the whole picture.
Residents asked to lower costs. The building, leased, raises them. The Inn and the building together lose the community more than half a million dollars a year, and dues keep climbing. Every number above is sourced — check any of it, and tell us if we got one wrong.
Add your voice
Two ways to weigh in
Two separate channels — each clearly labeled with where it goes. Neither shows your message publicly.
Share your thoughts with the board
Have something to say about the building or the survey? Send it straight to the Board of Governors. We'll pass it along — it isn't shown publicly.
Suggest a question for the next survey
What should we ask next time? Suggest a question and we'll consider it for the next survey. Every suggestion is reviewed before it's used — nothing appears publicly.
Share the whole picture
The more neighbors who see the numbers, the better the conversation. Just a link.