passing out agenda and financial report at monthly meetings

Started by KateS2 • 20 replies • 2167 views

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KateS2 (Connecticut)
Posts: 41

Posted:

Quite a few residents attended our monthly meeting, and asked if they could get a copy of the agenda and financial report handed to them at the beginning of the meeting. The secretary shouted NO and said you can get a copy of the agenda and financial report before you leave. Does anyone have a different/same meeting policy?

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

No.

If you attend our annual meeting, you get a copy of the:

Agenda
Last years minutes
Presidents Report
Treasurers Report (includes current income/expense, budget and next years proposed budget)
Maintenance Report
Any additional handouts that may be part of the meeting
Ballot

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

hit submit too soon.

You get all of this right after you sign in.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Kate,

In a previous thread, you stated that you were a Board member.
What is the reason ahy your Board chose to give this info out at the end of the meeting?

DouglasK1 (Florida)
Posts: 2,046

Posted:

We bring a few extra copies of both to pass out to homeowners and pass them out at the beginning of the meeting. What good is the agenda after the meeting?

Escaped former treasurer and director of a self managed association.

GeorgeR8 (Arizona)
Posts: 182

Posted:

I send out the agenda, ballot, and info on anything on the ballot at least 10 days before the meeting.

DonA2 (Arizona)
Posts: 170

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By DouglasK1 on 11/18/2015 5:09 AM
We bring a few extra copies of both to pass out to homeowners and pass them out at the beginning of the meeting. What good is the agenda after the meeting?

Exactly. Why would the board chose to give out a meeting agenda after the meeting was held? And the members have every right to see the financial data, it's their money. So why would your board chose to withhold both of these documents until after the meeting?

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Kate

The BOD Secretary was wrong.

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

The ONLY thing we did not give out was the collection reports. That was for board members only. Otherwise we put some copies of the financial report for people on the table. That way they can follow along during the meeting. Even ask questions if they wanted.

Remember the money the HOA board spends is EVERY member's money. The HOA board is to represent the members.

Former HOA President

KateS2 (Connecticut)
Posts: 41

Posted:

Thank you for your response. I told the BOD Secretary and board member they were wrong and the homeowners who attended the meeting should be given a copy of my financial report plus the agenda. They were both adamant that they were only allowed at the end of the meeting and she would make copies then. I gave them the copy of my financial report myself.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Say, Kate, some states require that the board meeting agenda be posted in a public place several days before a board mtg. In CA, it's 4 days. Does CT have such a law??? If you're lucky Bruce of CT will check in an know about your state.

Our board, though does to pass out a copy of the financials (120 pps) at the meeting primarily because they aren't approved till during the Board meeting. Generally, there's little discussion of them except for t occasional anomalies. A recent example was why the electricity bill increased so hugely in august?? Once approved, the "financials" are available to H/Os upon request.

You are talking about board meetings, right, Kate? Not annual meetings of the members??

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Let me see if I understand this situation.

Kate's Association does not normally provide handouts at the annual meeting (perhaps to save money).
I think this is the key point.

Those who desire a copy of the handouts can get them but need to request them.
Once requested, the Association will provide a copy.
Expecting that there is no place to make copies at the meeting, the requested copies are handed out after the meeting.

If an Association is financially strapped (or was financially strapped) I can understand such a policy being adopted. Keep in mind, understanding and supporting such a policy are two different things.

My Association recently spent $200 on handouts for the annual meeting (40 copies for a 130 lot Association). Due to turnout, I estimate that 2/3 of them were never handed out.
An Association never really knows how many will actually show at an annual meeting.
Therefore, you have to make an educated guess based on past history and hope you have enough handouts to cover the meeting. If an Association has had financial issues, spending $200 when $20 would have covered it can be seen as an unnecessary expense.

Again, I don't agree with such a conclusion. However, I can understand why some Association may have made such a policy as Kate's Association.

KateS2 (Connecticut)
Posts: 41

Posted:

I am talking about our monthly meetings not annual. We have probably a handful of homeowners that show up every month. Maybe 8 at the most. The secretary told them they are not to be handed out BEFORE the meeting,(agenda and financial). She will make copies for anyone on the way out. Being the treasurer budget is not an issue to make copies for the same people who only show up. I do believe Roberts Rules also states that homeowners should be given to them BEFORE the meeting. They do not post the agenda on the outside board, only when the next meeting will be held. They want to keep the population down so to speak so no one will show up or ask a lot of questions. I think this is why they don't want them to follow in a meeting.

KateS2 (Connecticut)
Posts: 41

Posted:

Our association is not financially strapped. Maybe I should ask the secretary to EMAIL those who have a computer before the meeting, and make a copy for those who do not.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KateS2 on 11/19/2015 2:06 AM

I am talking about our monthly meetings not annual.

Oh, the monthly board meetings.
I thought that it was the annual membership meeting.
This may change a few answers.

We provide copies of reports at board meetings only if we know ahead of time that you are going to be there.
Otherwise, if you want a copy, it will be e-mailed to you.

I've heard others that simply have a binder with the reports in for every non-board member who shows up to share.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

We have a "summary" financial statement that we hand out at any meeting. If I recall it is about 3 pages where our full financials are some 25 pages (and very small type). The summary is what the MC will send to anyone requesting such at any time. Only the BOD Members get the full financials.

We have only ever had one non-BOD person request the full statement and that was one time only. Even in sales situations, the buyers have been satisfied with the summary.

We would not have the ability to give a copy of the full financial statement at any meeting unless requested beforehand.

KateS2 (Connecticut)
Posts: 41

Posted:

the agenda is one page minutes from previous month is one maybe one 1/2 pages and my treasurers report is one page. there should be no problem copying these pages for 7-8 people

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Kate

Put your foot down and tell the BOD you will have copies of your financial report for distribution to anyone attending the meeting.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

It is possible, Kate, that as you say, the board wants to keep attendance by those pesky Homeowners low and that's why the agendas aren't posted in advance. Again, check CT law to see if advance agenda positing is required as in CA. We also hand out the agenda when Owners sign in.

Since both the minutes from the previous mtg. and the financials are approved at the mtg., they aren't available to owners till the next day upon request.

But you aren't saying the financials, right? Rather, your Treasurer's Report?

How many homes in your HOA, Kate? How many on the board?

AnnH5 (Florida)
Posts: 304

Posted:

If your HOA maintains a community website, why not have a link to the agenda posted before the meeting? It saves on the cost of copies, it creates transparency, and it allows owners better opportunity for participation with their HOA.

You could do the same with financial reports, newsletters, etc. It could be password protected so that the information is available only to current homeowners.

LindaS27 (Colorado)
Posts: 236

Posted:

Our previous boards and MCs were fairly transparent.

This newer board will not give out financials ahead of the meeting and even went 8 months without posting them on the website because they had not been approved yet. And when I requested (mid June)those that are required to be posted to the website by 3/31/xx, the MC was slowly doing that until the board president put a stop to that. The same goes for the minutes and the CPA audit.

No transparency at all

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