The Big Annual Meeting

Started by BillD16 • 8 replies • 318 views

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BillD16 (Texas)
Posts: 971

Posted:

The Board is beginning to plan for our Big Annual Meeting. For the past couple of years it’s been an on-line event. Someone has suggested that maybe it’s time to go back to holding in-person meetings. Or at least a hybrid in-person / on-line event.

Without saying anything else: what are your thoughts on this? Good idea? Bad idea?

Thanks!

BillD (Treasurer for ~600 single family home HOA in Texas)

HOA Board ex-President
Austin, Texas USA

“You can’t put too much water in a nuclear reactor”

JohnT38 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,631

Posted:

I personally would be OK with this as both a homeowner and a Board member.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

Talk to your local health department regarding the current COVID positivity rate- I think it's based on the number of people being treated in hospitals. If the rate is low, ask for recommendations on large gatherings.

My HOA had its almost annual meeting in February (we were just shy of quorum so we just talked and listened to a presentation by our reserve specialist). Not many people there and everyone had a mask, so i was comfortable.

If you do go in person, I still think you should have an option for virtual attendance, whether that's Zoom, a conference call or both

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

I think a hybrid style meeting, if it can be set up properly - meaning everyone can see and hear, would likely gain the most attendance.

If your State has allowed large gatherings again, I would go back to the in person meetings.

AugustinD
Posts: 3,698

Posted:

If I were on the Board:

In view of surge predictions; a possible "new normal"; the needs of the exhausted health care profession; and the cost-risk-benefit analysis; then I would vote for the online meeting. Safety, especially when low cost, is king.

MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 501

Posted:

I think the in person component would be most dependent on the availability of space. For our annual meeting, we couldn't find space to rent even if we wanted one.

However, our homeowners have requested that we do hybrid meetings in the future on a permanent basis. I have advertised to our community that we'll always have a Zoom link at our annual meetings for the foreseeable future because it allows for so many more people to attend than otherwise possible.

With all of that said, we did electronic balloting this year and homeowners no longer needed to attend or fill out proxies to count for meeting attendance. It was a simple 2 minute ballot to fill out that took hardly any time at all, and their participation counted for quorum purposes. So the only people who came to the meeting were ones who were truly interested in the meeting content. Our attendance was way down.

Ours will probably hybrid for next year.

LoriM15 (Florida)
Posts: 1,009

Posted:

Just the facts - here in Florida we have had in-person meetings only since January 2021. Masks and social distancing the first one, no requirements for our 2022 annual meeting. We also have our monthly meetings only in person.

Obviously people who were not comfortable attending could vote in advance or fill out a proxy. Our balloom is big enough there is plenty of room for social distancing at our sparsely attended meetings.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

We've been having hybrid board meetings for a long time now and so was our Annual meeting in 11/21. The meeting room is large so IF someone wants to attend in person & doesn't feel completely safe, they mask & socially distance. Our high rise HOA has been adhering to our county health guidelines.

Many owners got in the habit of attending by Zoom and still do for safety reasons or simply for the convenience even though the meeting room is an elevator ride-away and and for some, across a large courtyard.

The system in CA must be set up so that not only can owners attending remotely see and hear the meeting proceedings, they must be able to contribute verbally during Open Forum.

Our attendence runs about the same as it did when we had only in-person meetings.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

We are having our first face to face Annual Meeting in over two years on April 21st.

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