Board Minutes -- what to include...

I'm a Co-Owner in an 82 unit site condo development. We do not have a manager or mgt firm. We do have three owner volunteers that act as "managers" for our pool, landscaping and sprinkler system. For the last year I've been trying to track to do lists for the Board and Mgrs in order to help with follow-up. I'm not familiar with other "governing" boards that track management and "staff" to do level issues in board minutes. I realize there is a desire to be transparent with members/owners, but at the same time it seems like there would be a more appropriate balance of what goes into the minutes. Should I suggest to the Board that they separate Board issues from mgt issues? Documenting in the Board minutes that someone is going to call the landscaper to ask them to make sure they cut the grass behind a garage seems excessive. Any sage advice?

Are you on the board Patrick? What size is it?

Here are sample minutes form a CA website complied by CA HOA attorneys. But th structure of minutes generally aren't in your bylaws and usually roughly follow Robert's Rules of Order (but you need not have the book, etc).

In your particular case--with your three-volunteer manager ("VM"s), it seems reasonable that each give the board a written monthly report of their activities and requests for funds or permission to seeks bids, etc.

#6 below could be structured to include the reports of the VMs. This normally is the location of a management report and of committee reports. Any approval the board gives to VM's requests should be documented in the minutes. Any instructions the board gives to a VM should be documented in the minutes. Discussions, i.e., he said-she said should not be in the minutes.

SAMPLE MEETING MINUTES

ASSOCIATION
  Board of Directors
Minutes of Regular Meeting
meeting date & location

1.   CALL TO ORDER
     President <> called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.

2.  ROLL CALL
      A.  Board Members
           , President
           , Vice President
           , Secretary
           , Treasurer (absent)
           , Director

       B.  Others Present
            , Association attorney         

3.   OPEN FORUM (if required in your state)

4.   APPROVAL OF MINUTES
        The minutes of the meeting were approved as submitted.

5.   FINANCIAL REPORT
Since the Treasurer is on vacation, gave the Treasurer's report as follows:
      A.  Total Assets as of
      B.  Operating $
      C.  Reserves $
Delinquencies <$>
E. Lien on APN <> approved by the Board. 


6.   MANAGERS REPORT
      A.  Front Entrance Resurfacing - work is complete.
      B.  Planter Repair - waterproofing complete, painting scheduled for next week.
      C.  Recreation Room Television - a 55” tv and wall mount purchased & installed.            
      E.  Fire Sprinklers - inspected by Fire Department and signed off.
      G.  Plumbing Consultant- 3 firms contacted re investigation of plumbing complaints.
           Currently awaiting responses.

7.  UNFINISHED BUSINESS
      A.  Fountain. The Board discussed a revised proposal to install a water fountain in the clubhouse. After discussion, the request was not approved because only two bids were submitted and they exceeded the amount budgeted for the work. The board voted 4-0 the project back to VM <>for further review and recommendations.

8.   NEW BUSINESS
      A.  Wheel Chair Ramp. A homeowner requested permission to install a temporary wheelchair ramp at his expense to accommodate an upcoming surgery. So as to reasonably accommodate the request and per recommendations of the association's legal counsel, the Board approved the request 4-0 subject to proof that the owner's contractor is licensed and insured.

      B.  Reserve Study. Since annual reserve updates are required by law (in CA) and since the association's reserve specialist prepared the study now being used by the association, the board reviewed and approved the proposal, 4-0, by to update last year's study at a cost of <$___>.

9.  NEXT MEETING DATE. The next monthly Board meeting is scheduled for at 6:30 p.m.
10. MEETING ADJOURNED: 7:45P.PM

Read more: Sample Minutes http://www.davis-stirling.com/tabid/2500/Default.aspx#ixzz3gFuIGYBa
from Davis-Stirling.com by Adams Kessler PLC.

Have the managers provide a written report (which helps them track the issues). A manager report would be similar to our maintenance Officer's report. I've attached a copy.

Then simply state that a written report was provided and is included as an attachment to the minutes.


When a new issue is brought to the Board's attention, it should be listed under new business and mentioned that it has been assigned to xyz manager for action.

This removes the resolves the issue for the Board (i.e. it doesn't have to be brought up again on the minutes) and the manager now tracks the problem in their managers report.

Minutes in general:

This is from the Fairfax County Community Association Manual (which is currently being re-written, so there is no link I can provide)

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.

Hope this helps,

Tim

I'm the Secretary of my HOA. We keep our minutes short. The details of what the "managers" (we have committees) do is contained in their written reports they submit every month to the board. The minutes simply record that "the report of the Landscape Committee was accepted by the board. It is attached to these minutes."

The minutes really only need to include what was DONE at the meeting, e.g. motions made and how they were disposed of. The minutes do not have to recount what was SAID during the meeting.

Having said that, for some of the issues we deal with I will include a brief overview of the situation as it relates to items on the agenda (unfinished business, new business). It's technically not required to be in the minutes, but it's the only way some of our members would ever hear about some of the things going on here. I limit it to one or two sentences at most.

It seems to me, Patric, that you should write up a" Job Description" or a charter for these VMs, which would include the board's expectations, budgets and their uses if any, etc. The each basically is like a one-person committee.

I d know it's difficult to ask volunteers, especially is you really value them, to submit monthly reports. You don't feel like you want to drive them away!

But, especially if any has decisions-making authority or can spend HOA funds, you need an accounting. Probably not in your state, but in CA, such committees must write reports to the Board.

Yes, HOA minutes are very serious documents and it sounds like your board needs to do a better job with them.
If no one on the board can keep proper minutes, that's another Owner volunteer that some boards use.

Someone mentioned a 1-page limit but that might be realistic if there are a lot of agenda items. But, see the sample above....