We hear too many stories about the (awful) board meetings that occur in associations. We know that this is not the norm, as not all board meetings are awful. Those are simply the ones we hear about. Just like the mainstream media, it’s only news if it's bad. When it comes to HOA meetings, whether a meeting is considered good or bad may depend on who’s telling the story. Those that complain probably have a bias about either the board or the Association in general, or about a specific issue that they don’t feel is being properly addressed.

The fact is that board members often have to make unpopular decisions, and emotions can run high over controversial issues. However, board members also make a number of more mundane, but still important, decisions. These decisions generally revolve around Association finances and common area maintenance. The topics of rules and regulations tend to be much more emotional.

There are two things that an Association can do to make sure board meetings are effective and have a minimum amount of conflict: (1) give members the opportunity to voice their concerns, and (2) make sure that each meeting runs as efficiently as possible.

Providing members the opportunity to talk is normally done through an open forum process where members are given a few moments to speak. It should be made clear to these individuals that the board is simply listening to and receiving information from them, as the board should not be able to make any decisions on any issue unless it is an agenda item. It is in this open forum process where emotions can get out of control. To maintain order, the board should establish written rules that are emphasized as the open forum session begins. An example might be that each member is allowed to speak for five minutes on a subject, and is not to be interrupted during that time, nor is the board allowed to comment on the member’s discussion. However, it may be wise to allow the board to question the member just for purposes of clarification.

Maintaining efficiency in the meeting requires advance planning and attention to the agenda and meeting protocols to keep the meeting on track. There are three things that are generally mentioned as keys to holding an effective and efficient board meeting: (1) preparation, (2) a good agenda, and (3) useful minutes.

1. Preparation - The board always has a number of routine business matters that must be addressed during the course of the board meeting, as all board decisions should only be made in an open board meeting. This requires that the board receive information in advance of the meeting so that they have an opportunity to read and understand the information and be ready to take action during the meeting. The board should not be in the position of being presented with information at the meeting and then expected to make a decision without the opportunity to review the information. This means that the board packet should be prepared and distributed to board members several days before the meeting occurs to allow them time to familiarize themselves with any issues to be discussed at themeeting. A board packet typically includes the meeting agenda, minutes from the prior meeting, financial information, correspondence received, and any relevant reports. The financial information will generally represent the largest bulk of the board packet. Financial information typically should include a balance sheet, income statement with budget-to-actual comparison, assessments receivable list, accounts payable list, copies of bank reconciliations and bank statements, a listing of checks written during the month, and often, copies of paid invoices. When board members are presented with this information ahead of time, they are given the opportunity to review it and request any additional information that they may consider necessary to be able to reach an informed decision.
2. Agenda - The agenda goes a long way toward making a meeting productive and efficient by. providing the structure and organization for the meeting. It helps to establish time limits for discussion of each agenda item to make sure the business is completed in a timely fashion by the end of the meeting. The agenda may also be used to limit member participation by requiring that any member comments be related to agenda-specific items. If members want to discuss additional items, they may be required to submit possible discussion items in writing prior to the meeting so that they can be added to the agenda.
3. Minutes - Minutes are the official record of actions taken by the board of directors at a meeting. As such, we feel that minutes should only reflect action items and decisions made. Minutes should not be a verbatim transcript of the entire meeting. While a prior article published in HOA Pulse provided a checklist for minutes, that checklist was intended to identify the items that might be documented in the minutes. It did not discuss the overall structure of the minutes. Minutes should typically include:

• The time the meeting was called to order and the time it was adjourned.
• A listing of board members who were present and those who were absent.
• Approval of the prior meeting minutes.
• All motions made during the meeting, whether or not they were approved.
• The maker of each motion, the second of the motion, and a list of board members who voted for, dissented, or abstained from the motion.
• Approval of any specific financial transactions.
• Acceptance of the treasurer’s report.