Effective Board Meetings

We are at that time of year again when a lot of new board members are joining the ranks of our associations. Here is a brief overview of the purpose of board meetings, as well as some helpful guidelines of conduct for both new and old members.

Originally published by Ken Allen, CPM, ARM, CMCA, AMS, Community Association Manager

Board meetings are a means of decision making which should focus on the areas to which a Board is authorized to make decisions and the decision making process itself. There are three areas of Board decision making: Business, Governance and Community. The business portion is to review administrative, financial and maintenance matters. Governance is to enforce the governing documents, adopt and enforce rules and regulations and to decide issues of policies. Community is to promote harmony through service, communication, hearing appeals and settling conflicts.

Board meetings should always focus on decisions that need to be made, the presentation of possible solutions to conflicts and the setting of new priorities for the next meeting.

For Board meetings to be effective the Board Member needs to be prepared and meetings should be conducted so that they are conducive to decision making. To be adequately prepared, Board Members need to be sure that the meetings conform to legal requirements as to the frequency of meetings, when the meetings should opened to the homeowners and voting policies. Being prepared for decision making can be accomplished if meetings are scheduled at a fixed time and place and often enough for timely attention to matters needing Board attention. Having reserved a location ahead of time for the meetings reduces stress as the meeting gets closer because you do not have to hurry to try to secure one or try to remember where the meeting is. If possible, secure a neutral location away from the property such as a church, school, library, fire station and even at the management office. Management companies typically have a conference room located in their office building and this may be the most cost-effective solution. As you prepare your meeting notice and agenda well ahead of the meeting, include all players and distribute the notice, agenda and supporting material at least a week prior to the meeting. That way, everyone will understand what matters are before the Board, their needed input, and decisions that need to be made.

Following the basic principles of Parliamentary Procedures during the meeting will instill order, courtesy, majority rule, protection of rights and justice. After calling the meeting to order, establish that there is a quorum. A quorum is the minimum number of members needed to conduct business. Using motions in the decision making process is a good way to control the meeting. For an effective Board meeting, the presiding officer opens the meeting on time, announces the presence of a quorum, establishes the schedule of the meeting, sees to it that the meeting follows the agenda, keeps the discussions to the point at hand, and keeps meetings from becoming unreasonably long. The presiding officer can assure proper behavior during debates by instructing that all remarks are addressed to the presiding officer. Members should stop speaking when the presiding officer speaks and confine remarks to the issue at hand. Some other appropriate behaviors are avoiding using members’ names when referring to their positions, avoiding attacking members’ motives, and warning members of offensive behavior. Executive Sessions should only be used to discuss sensitive matters such as personnel issues, contract negotiations and legal issues.

The recording of the minutes of the meeting is a permanent public record that should reflect what was done at the meeting, not everything that was said. The use of action items prepares the Board for the next meeting. Action items list the decisions made at this meeting and, in some cases, dictates the agenda for the following meeting.

If a Board will follow the above actions, they will find that their meetings will run smoothly without incident and will be over before they know it.