Board Meeting Agenda Topics

EdwardD5 (Florida)
Posts: 5

Posted:

In Florida and a member of the HOA board. Members of the board have sent the secretary a list of agenda items. None of them are listed on the agenda for our next meeting. Who, by Florida law decides what issues are on the agenda for a board meeting. While we can bring these issues up as new business, a few of us actually want to get things accomplished and inform our members of the issues that the board is facing and have a lot of the background work done so we can have a good discussion at the board meeting.

LoriM15 (Florida)
Posts: 1,009

Posted:

This is an interesting question. Is the secretary leaving things off the agenda for a specific reason?

FS 720 does not even require the notice for a regular board meeting to include the agenda, although I think most people do include it (FS 718 for condos does require it). However, the statute does require that homeowners be able to comment on every agenda item. So is the secretary leaving things off the agenda so homeowners don't have the right to comment?

Otherwise, the statute is silent about how or what to put on the agenda. I agree with you - transparency is best. We list as many things as we can, including discussion and agreement on contracts, on our agenda so our homeowners know if they want to attend. Even if you bring those topics up under new business, people will still say that you are trying to hide things.

Maybe the rest of the board needs to get involved and take that away from the secretary. In our community, the secretary does not have control of the agenda. Our PM actually asks me (president) what I want on the agenda and I always ask the other board members for input before it gets set. Our PM has many years of experience and she says this has been the way at every association she has been with.

I suspect that your secretary is doing this as part of what they think is their duties. How are the duties defined in your governing documents? Do they say the secretary is responsible for the agenda?

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

I have never heard of a board secretary that has power over the agenda and may include, or not, items on their own.

Our board's agenda is organized a lot like Lori's The president and PM seek agenda items from directors. (in our HOA, Owners may have items on the agenda). The prez &Pm do sometimes send items on our agenda request form back to the contributor seeking further details, clarity or estimated c cost, or draft wording for a motion.

Unless your bylaws or some sort of Board policy in writing state that the sec'y has control of the agenda, The Board as a Body need to tell them to stop rejecting potential agenda items. OR, of course, the Board b vote to removed the person as secretary.

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 4,420

Posted:

Under the governing documents and state statutes, the board's responsible for operation of the HOA. The only way the board can operate the HOA is through board meetings where board members can speak to concerns they have. So of course the board decides, by a majority vote if necessary, the procedure for how items get on meeting agendas. If the secretary won't cooperate on this important matter, the board should replace the secretary. This does cut both ways: Board members need to cooperate and make sure that agenda items relate to the actual obligations of the board as given in the governing documents and statutes. I can imagine a secretary trying to do things right by not putting on the agenda things that are not within the board's authority while the board members get all angry out of ignorance.

MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 462

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By EdwardD5 on 12/10/2022 11:54 AM

In Florida and a member of the HOA board. Members of the board have sent the secretary a list of agenda items. None of them are listed on the agenda for our next meeting. Who, by Florida law decides what issues are on the agenda for a board meeting. While we can bring these issues up as new business, a few of us actually want to get things accomplished and inform our members of the issues that the board is facing and have a lot of the background work done so we can have a good discussion at the board meeting.

Every topic that Board members have should be discussed at the meeting. It is wrong to not include a agenda item for every topic that a Board member has, so it can be heard, discussed, and potentially voted upon.

MarkM19 (Texas)
Posts: 1,459

Posted:

Edward,
I cannot recall where I read about this topic, but I think it was in Ca. Regardless of the State I feel that the best way to handle agenda items is by using this format. The President and the PM work together to come up with items and if someone on the board has something they want discussed we add it. Normally the Pres can add items as part of his duty. If you have a divided board 2 other members must agree that the item should be on the agenda regardless of whether the President agrees so not.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

You won't be able to include EVERYTHING you want on a meeting agenda, but I don't think it should only be the secretary's call. Usually the president and secretary work together on this, with all the board members submitting items they think need to be discussed by a certain deadline.

Current association issues that are time sensitive also play a role. If you're working on next year's budget that takes effect on January 1st, that should take top priority because you have to get the budget out to the homeowners so they'll know what next year's assessment will be.

If the subjects you'd like to discuss are new business, there's nothing wrong with putting them there. I know you may have put some work into it already, but why not do it justice by introducing the subject and give your colleagues the research you've done so they can review it carefully and be ready to discuss it at the next meeting? With the holidays fast approaching, I don't know if anyone will have the attention span to dive into anyway.

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

JohnT38 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,631

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MichaelT21 on 12/10/2022 2:07 PM

Posted By EdwardD5 on 12/10/2022 11:54 AM

In Florida and a member of the HOA board. Members of the board have sent the secretary a list of agenda items. None of them are listed on the agenda for our next meeting. Who, by Florida law decides what issues are on the agenda for a board meeting. While we can bring these issues up as new business, a few of us actually want to get things accomplished and inform our members of the issues that the board is facing and have a lot of the background work done so we can have a good discussion at the board meeting.

Every topic that Board members have should be discussed at the meeting. It is wrong to not include a agenda item for every topic that a Board member has, so it can be heard, discussed, and potentially voted upon.

Only within reason. If there are so many topics that the meeting would end up being a marathon session then the agenda should be limited and any issues that don't make the list can be scheduled for later. Long Board meetings that go on and on are counterproductive and should be avoided.

MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 462

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By JohnT38 on 12/10/2022 2:34 PM

Posted By MichaelT21 on 12/10/2022 2:07 PM

Posted By EdwardD5 on 12/10/2022 11:54 AM

In Florida and a member of the HOA board. Members of the board have sent the secretary a list of agenda items. None of them are listed on the agenda for our next meeting. Who, by Florida law decides what issues are on the agenda for a board meeting. While we can bring these issues up as new business, a few of us actually want to get things accomplished and inform our members of the issues that the board is facing and have a lot of the background work done so we can have a good discussion at the board meeting.

Every topic that Board members have should be discussed at the meeting. It is wrong to not include a agenda item for every topic that a Board member has, so it can be heard, discussed, and potentially voted upon.

Only within reason. If there are so many topics that the meeting would end up being a marathon session then the agenda should be limited and any issues that don't make the list can be scheduled for later. Long Board meetings that go on and on are counterproductive and should be avoided.

We cap our meetings to 90 minutes, and my goal is to spend no more than 3-5 minutes per topic. That gives us time to consider between 18 and 30 topics per meeting. I can't imagine that Board members would have so many topics that they couldn't fit these in a meeting with 18 - 30 slots available for discussion topics.

One strategy that I have employed is I put the lesser important topics lower down on the agenda, so they can be tabled and discussed at the next meeting if desired. So far, the Board has been good to make it through every agenda.

JackS19 (Florida)
Posts: 3

Posted:

Our Covenants require the Board to have a Special Meeting if 10% of the Homeowners request such a meeting and that meeting must be held within 60 days of the request. Only Agenda items requested for the Special Meeting will be discussed.
Also agreeing with a previous writer, our PM ad Pres. decide on the Board meetings' agendas.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Why should solely the president & PM have the power to decide the agenda????

Our written policy on this posit is that those two "coordinate" the agenda, but Diors may submit agenda items on a form with proper details and so may owners, 10 days he'd o the the board meeting.

MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 462

Posted:

I really can't fathom a President or whomever having the power to deny adding an item to the agenda requested by another Board member.

Board member: "I would like to discuss whether we want to install annual color beds at our front entrance monument to beautify the area."

Board President: "That costs a lot of money which we don't have. Thus, I will not put that on the agenda and we will not discuss as a Board."

Just wrong...very wrong. Any idea deserves the opportunity to be heard and voted upon by the Board. Perhaps the Board likes the idea of annual color beds and is willing to cut back on the social budget to fund them, and maybe that idea should be discussed by the group. Oh wait, the President's wife is the head of the social committee and she enjoys her afternoon tea socials with homeowners.

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

This is a hard line sometimes. There are what I call "vanity projects" that an owner may be dead set on. The problem is that if you "read the room" you know it's not going to pass. Plus cause possible embarrassment to the person wanting it on the agenda. At the end of our meetings you could submit an idea for what want to discuss for anyone. However, that did not mean it ended up on the agenda. We would discuss if it should be there or not. Most of the time not due to money.

Look at what your rules state in your Articles or CC&R's. This is how it's to be done.

Former HOA President

MichaelS56 (Minnesota)
Posts: 858

Posted:

So sad that many times a President of a Board decides their ideas are better than the other board members. Controlling the agenda, the amount of time a topic can be discussed are sign of a power grab. As President of our association, all Board members have equal say as to what is on the meeting agenda. There is not any limit on the amount of time that is spend on a topic.

MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 462

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MichaelS56 on 12/12/2022 5:00 AM
So sad that many times a President of a Board decides their ideas are better than the other board members. Controlling the agenda, the amount of time a topic can be discussed are sign of a power grab. As President of our association, all Board members have equal say as to what is on the meeting agenda. There is not any limit on the amount of time that is spend on a topic.

We don't limit time on discussion to be a power grab, but rather to keep the meeting moving forward. It was a suggestion from our property manager on how to run more effective meetings. The discussion topics are sent out ahead of time along with supporting documentation, so a prepared board member should not need to discuss most things for very long.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MichaelS56 on 12/12/2022 5:00 AM
So sad that many times a President of a Board decides their ideas are better than the other board members. Controlling the agenda, the amount of time a topic can be discussed are sign of a power grab. As President of our association, all Board members have equal say as to what is on the meeting agenda. There is not any limit on the amount of time that is spend on a topic.

I agree. Along these lines, I have even seconded a motion I was against just to get it on the table and discussed.