Minutes required to be read?

Started by LynneT • 6 replies • 405 views

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LynneT (Florida)
Posts: 5

Posted:

Our minutes tend to be long and boring and not much in the way of useful information. What exactly is required in terms of reading the minutes at the start of each meeting? Can we give an overview? The minutes once approved are posted and located on our community website; we also now have our meetings recorded on Zoom and post that as well. Thanks for help in FL...

AugustinD
Posts: 3,698

Posted:

Best practices per Robert's Rules is to only record actions taken by the Board. These would be motions; seconds to motions; and the votes on the motion; plus maybe start time; which directors were present (to indicate quorum or not); and time of adjournment. Minutes should not contain discussion of motions nor input from owners who are not directors.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Lynne

You problem is the minutes are to long. They are not word for word what happened. They basically are Motions made and the results. You might have a 20 minute discussion on new clubhouse furniture but if no decision/vote was made the Minutes should read: New Clubhouse furniture discussed. No action taken. No need for anything more.

BenA2 (Texas)
Posts: 1,273

Posted:

Under Robert's Rules you are not required to read the minutes as long as the directors have had a chance to review them. We send them out by email before the meeting. The president asks if there are any changes. If there are not, the president announces they are approved. This is by unanimous consent because if you do not offer any changes you are accepting them as accurate.

If there are changes, you simply ask for a motion to approve them as amended.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

We send the minutes out ahead of the meeting (email).

This allows all to review them.

At the meeting, we simply ask if there are any amendments to the minutes, if not motion to approve.

Takes about 3 min.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

We do as Ben and Tim describe. there is NO need to read the minutes aloud.

BillC17 (Texas)
Posts: 26

Posted:

We have bylaws and a policy manual but there's very little in there about how the board is required to operate. Nothing stipulates Roberts Rules of Order for example. There isn't even a requirement for a majority vote from the board on decisions or policy. Pretty rinky-dink in my opinion but I bet a lot of HOA's are like this.

State law requires the meeting notices and agenda to be published well ahead of time and the meeting minutes to be made public. What I do is put it all on google docs and share the link.

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