Meeting Agenda

The meeting notice and agenda are posted 4 days prior to the regular board meeting.

I have frequently noticed:

1 - Additions are written in by a board member during the 4 day posting notice (no reference is made to time/date or by whom)

2 - Additions were not made on the original agenda but amended copies are provided for residents upon arrival for the meeting.

Are there exceptions or must the original agenda remain unaltered once posted?

Thanks in advance.

Barbara, other new business may present itself after the agenda is published and distributed. One way to solve this dilema is to add as the last line item under new business - "other new business". This allows the Board members to handle items which can not reasonably be delayed until the next Board meeting.

I understand owners' complaints but I know now that the board is within guidelines.

For the ones who grumble, they can be encouraged to attend meetings instead of relying on the posted agenda notice as a final notice of business to be conducted in the meeting.

Thank you all for the replies.

A Special Meeting does not have an agenda - the meeting's purpose should be stated in the notice.

OK, let me try again.

@ Susan - Special meetings should have an agenda as it's still a meeting of the membership. For my Association we still need to show proof of notice, verify a quorum, etc. in the meeting process. The agenda makes sure the presiding officer doesn't miss over any steps. Granted, the business section would only have one or two items in it but you still need to cover the details.

@ Barbara - IMO, minutes of the Board are approved by the Board. Minutes of the membership are approved by the membership. Any minutes from a special meeting of the membership would be approved by the membership at the following annual meeting (along with approving the previous annual meetings minutes).

@ Barbara - Unfortunately, not including the agenda as part of the minutes is typical. My Association never kept them until I joined the Board. It's highly probable that when I leave the Board, they will not be included anymore. It's more important that the minutes are accurate on what took place at the meeting. Reviewing my own State documents, Roberts Rules Online and Davis Sterling, I saw no requirement that the agenda be part of the minutes.

The following info may be helpful:

From Fairfax County (VA) Community Association Manual:

Too often, meeting minutes become lengthy with the intent of being thorough and correct. The purpose of a meeting is to conduct the business of the association; and the minutes should record what was done or decided, and not what was said or by whom. The minutes should never reflect upon the character, emotion, or personality of any person, or give the secretary’s opinion, favorable or otherwise, on anything said or done in the meeting. For important motions, however, the name of the mover should be recorded along with the exact final wording, including amendments, upon which the subsequent vote is taken. The recording secretary should be familiar with “Minutes and Reports of Officers” of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th Rev. edition (November 14, 2000). Meeting minutes, including motions, amendments and votes should be signed and dated by the president or secretary once they have been approved, and should be kept in a binder, file or “book of minutes” for later reference. It may also be helpful to file copies of meeting notices, financial statements, committee reports, and other documents along with the minutes, making them part of the association’s official records. Complete minutes can be valuable to an association should it need to document or defend its actions.

Roberts Rules online - Minutes

From the davis-sterling web site:

What to Include. As a rule, minutes should record what was done at a meeting, not what was said. (Robert's Rules, 10th ed., p. 451). Even so, the motion should include the rationale for the board's action. Following is a list of essential information that should be found in every set of minutes:

1. Name of the association.
2. Type of meeting (regular, special, emergency, executive session).
3. Date, time and location of meeting.
4. Directors who were present and who was absent, along with their titles (President, Treasurer, etc.). The minutes should also list guests who were invited to speak to the board, such as the association's CPA, contractors bidding on projects, the association's attorney, etc. Members who attended the board meeting should not be listed.
5. Officer and committee reports, if any.
6. Motions and how directors voted. Also include any actions taken between meetings by unanimous written consent.
7. General description of matters discussed in executive session.
8. Date of the next meeting.
9. Time the meeting was adjourned.

Attachments to Minutes. Contract proposals reviewed by the board are generally not attached to the minutes. The underlying documents that support the board's decision are kept in the board packet which is kept on file in the management office. Documents may be attached to and made part of the minutes but only with board approval. Individual directors do not have the right to attach documents to the minutes without first obtaining board approval.

Read more: Meeting Minutes http://www.davis-stirling.com/MainMenu/MainIndex/MeetingMinutes/tabid/1565/Default.aspx#ixzz1GEdH0xb2

from Davis-Stirling.com by Adams Kessler PLC

Per your 3/10, 5:42pm post, you've learned that in Cali your board may NOT add items to the regular meeting of the board within the 72 hours except under the circumstances you included. So, based on your 1st post, your board hasn't been acting in accordance with the Open Meeting Act. They either are poorly organized--can't get their act together in time to post the complete agenda, OR they are trying to slip items past the members by adding them at the last minute. They may NOT kinda fill in a blank called "Other New Business," to get around the law.

I'm curious about the "Special Meeting" topic. In our state and perhaps elsewhere, there are Special Meetings of the Board and there are Special Meetings of Members. Re the latter: 5% of units/lots may petition for a sp. mtng. of members on a particular topic, or they may be called by the board. The posted-notice requirements are no more than 90 days and no fewer than 10 days. The Regular Meeting of Members is the Annual Meeting held for the election of directors with perhaps additional ballot items.

Special Meetings of the Board, 4-day notice required, are held between regular meetings usually about matters that cannot feasibly wait till the next regular meeting, but that are not emergencies.

The minutes of a special meeting of the board (as with emergency meetings) are approved at the next regular meeting of the board and must be listed on that agenda.

So . . . which kind of "special meeting" was held??

You should be able to get copies of all agendas (except Ex. Sess.) from your mgmt. co., if you have one.

As someone else posted, sterling-davis.com is a wonderful source and includes an excellent Index. Just scroll to board meetings or membership meetings, etc.

Otherwise, you'll find all info in Calif. Corporations Code 7210, etc., and 7510. Check your Bylaws first.