COA BOD Meetings Should Contain What?

I am a Florida BOD of a COA, from what I can see in reading other info regarding minutes, BOD meeting minutes should contain, among role call, posting, and approving of previous minutes, only actions taken by the Board, not all the discussion in detail. Am I correct?

One group I belong to underlines and bolds all motions in the minutes of the meetings. That way, if you have to go back into the minutes, the motion is easily found.

Another group prints a list of all the passed motions at the end of the year for Members to see.

One catch-all phrase : Discussion was held concerning blah, blah. No action taken.

Also, I think it's important for the Sec. to track all unfinished business and list it on the agenda for the next meeting. That prevents issues from just fading away without follow-up or resolution.

I've posted this before. It's from the Fairfax Community Association Manual and gives a good general policy on minutes:

Minutes - Applicable Virginia statutes and most associations’ bylaws require that factual and accurate minutes be kept of all board of directors meetings, annual meetings, and special meetings of the members. The importance of accurate minutes cannot be stressed enough because often the minutes are the only record of official decisions, directions, and actions of the board. If there is no verifiable record, a decision cannot be enforced. Minutes officially record the time, date and place of each association meeting, the presiding officer and board members in attendance, the subjects discussed, and the actions taken at the meeting. Title and sufficient
information to establish its background, the action to be taken if any, and the reasons for the action should introduce each topic. Only important points in the discussion should be recorded along with any decision, and including the votes for or against an issue if voting takes place. A subject or proposal referred to committee or tabled pending further information or discussion should be so recorded in the minutes.

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.

And here is a link to Roberts Rules Online

Hope this helps,

Tim