Meeting outside

Can a board open meeting be held outdoors?

I held a few in our swimming pool. Which was behind the clubhouse. It was hot and most of the people were in the pool anyways. Unless your documents dictate where/when to have meetings you could have them in a tree at 3 am.

I ask because the Board wants to have regular monthly meetings for both the Board and the Committees (even though the Committees - Architectural and Social only make recommendations to the Board. They cannot not make any decisions. My concern is he gazebo only sits 4 people and it is getting darker earlier and it will be getting colder.

We have 50 houses. No we only have a small common area that has a gazebo. The board is saying that we need to tell the members that meetings will be every month and because the gazebo is ours that that would be the meeting place. Our documents do not say where the meeting places our. Our arc committee has been doing their review and recommendations by using email and now they are being told they have to do this review at a open meeting. Every committee member has now quit which is what I knew was going to happen.

We were advised not to have board meetings at someone’s house as of a member may have a problem with the person where the meeting is being held and therefore preventing them from coming to the meeting.

Board Meetings can occur wherever the Board wants since your docs don't indicate a location. I don't know if MD requires open meetings (open to the members) or if this is just a desire of your Board to have them.

That said, since you're in MD, it's obvious that monthly meetings outside will only be possible certain times of the year . . . not really possible in winter, might be uncomfortable in summer, could be weather dependent.

If not held in a Board Member's home, they can be held anywhere else. Locations we previously considered (some for use for free and others required a fee) . . . local municipality meeting room, library, school, firehouse, other HOAs w/ clubhouse, restaurant, etc. It doesn't need to be complicated.

Karen,

Almost ALL boards meet at Board member houses!

Carry-on.

We meet at our local community college for free each month. We were doing it at a Board member's home (president) but she was crazy. Wanted to not advertise her address and instead have homeowners email her with the reason why they want to attend Board meeting and she would then decided to disclose or not disclose her address. She also had meeting space on the upper floor, so those homeowners with mobility issues would have issues climbing the stairs.

The college is a neutral, equally offending place in town Everyone is on equal ground and there's even security in the highly unlikely event a homeowner wants to start something.

This is what happens when Board members do not know state law and your own governing documents. Makes for a messy and uncomfortable situation, especially since I'm 33 years old and she is probably 30+ years my senior. Oh well!