Question about Committee Members

Alan,
You may be new, but you are wise beyond your years. My last board in Ca. had a large number of committees and volunteers. You describe the situation perfectly. They can become very powerful. First the committees all serve at the pleasure of the board. Many times, they are very helpful to communities. They can also become vigilantes and very political.

You mentioned that you are new. Do you have support of other board members? This is important because as a new board member you may need to tread lightly at first until you find your place and others with common interest. If I were you, I would try and get on one of the most aggressive committees as aboard Liasson. If this is not possible, I would try to attend the next meetings of these committees. As a board member you should always be able to attend. It is important to make sure your assumptions are correct.

If the board supports their suggestions without questions, you may have an uphill battle.

Mark said:

First the committees all serve at the pleasure of the board. Many times, they are very helpful to communities. They can also become vigilantes and very political.

Well said especially the vigilantes and political portion. A good BOD will not allow this to happen.

With MarkM ^ MichaelS, each committee should have a board liaison IF no board members serves on it.

What works best in my HOA and has for several years is that committee members must apply again once a yer at Annual meant time. They are then re-appointed by the Board at the organizational meeting that follows the annual election. The committee motions and votes and nominates a committee chair. the Board approves the chair. (We've never turned down any committee member nor the chair they desire.)

There is no conflict of interest when a director also serves on one or more committees.

Meanwhile,
What size is your HOA?
How many and what are the names of the committees?
Do any how budgets?
Do any have decision-making authority?
Do you have a Community Manager (PM)?

I agree with some others that committees can be a huge help to the Board or to the PM is you have one. They also can be a huge PITA if not supervised by a board member or the board.

These rules (among others) for committees have worked for us, I think. A committee must have 3 members. Only one member--the chair--may interact with the PM. Our treasurer chairs the Finance Committee. Every committee has a "charter" approved by the Board which specifies its purpose, that it must meet (usually monthly), that it must vote on recommendations that it makes to the board.

With at least one other, do tread very lightly while you're new. Read as much as you can of your governing documents and observe and learn for a few months. Might be a good idea to attend committee meetings to show the board and committees that you're working hard to get up to speed.