One HOA email address and no CC messages.

Generally our emails are directed to our property manager because they're requests for things like maintenance. We have security officers so they get emails about things like a junk car left in the parking lot (the officers are off duty cops so they can arrange to have it towed). Everything else is sent to the board, which has the one email you mentioned. I think the current board takes a look - I've been out of that loop since stepping down, but I served with them, so I know the president takes a look.

"Too many emails" is subjective- you may think they're excessive, but your colleagues may not. Personally, i dont think 20 emails a month for a community of 150 homes is excessiv, but have you looked at them to see if there are any patterns?

Having one central email for the board is a start, but sone of this may be a matter of educating the homeowners. You don't have to provide a detailed response shortly after they hit "send" - some things do require research so they get a complete and accurate answer and so they have to wait. You should send an acknowledgement of receiving the email the same day (that can be automated) and perhaps an estimated response time, say 5-7 business days (not counting weekends and holidays).

If your management company has an on call manager for emergencies, that's who should be contacted and homeowners should be told what's considered an emergency. If you have people who don't understand or care about the ground rules, remind them and deal with their correspondence in the appropriate manner going forward. Remind everyone of the ground rules once a year posting them on the community website is even better.

Finally, I think CCs to the board is helpful regarding follow up on meeting decisions and action plans to ensure everyone knows what's going on and what's expected of them. They may not read the email the same day or care about it the way you do, but there have been dozens of conversations on this website about board members freezing out one by not keeping them in the loop, or board members going behind everyone's back to tell the property manager to do sonething. In your former treasurers case, her problem was being lazy - the emails that discussed something SHE was interested in got her attention, unlike mundane things like - preparing a budget or being able to discuss it in an informed manner.

Wendy,
I would start by looking at the contract you have with your PMC. You are obviously a Portfolio account meaning you only get X number of hours of this managers time monthly. Different managers handle business differently. Our last PMC only worked on our property 2 1/2 days a week 20 hours a week. They worked Tuesday and Thursday and 1/2 day of Friday. If an email came in on Friday after lunch that our Clubhouse burned down, they would not see the note till Tuesday morning. That is one reason why they are no longer our PMC.

Regarding emails if I were you, I would want the board to be copied on all PMC emails. This does not mean they must act on them, but they should be aware of them. IMO it is hard to keep them accountable if you are unaware of the problems and the response times.

As a volunteer and a board member being aware is part of the duty. Most if not everyone with a computer probably gets 20 Junk emails a day much less a month. If I were your president, I would just have that as an expectation that you will be copied on emails. I would advise members to read and be aware and then setup a folder for board emails. I would also advise them not to feel the need to reply to most. It is the PMs job to handle the day-to-day issues. It is the boards job to know what is going on in their HOA. If a board member does decide that a note needs attention, I always remind our board to start by saying they are not speaking for the board they are speaking for themselves.

First, in North Carolina by statute, board meetings do not have to be open to owners. Second, North Carolina statutes have no such email restrictions. Third, it is not cool that you ignore the recent Ca appeals court ruling that considered 4910 (b) (1), and other statute sections, and ruled that, under certain conditions, non-emergency board business may be discussed by email in California.

I mention California law when replying to poster from another state so they can check their own restrictions. Not a hijack.

Clarify for me, Wendy: Are they emails among you & the other two directors, which was my first impression? And are they mainly from you to the other directors? Or, as Shelia surmised, from owners to the Board?

I'm guessing that they're emails of all kinds to you--as president-- that you fwd. to the Board?? If that's the case, 20 a month for an HOA of very little complexity--a playground-- seems like a lot. But please clarify.

TerriS6, you can and have quoted other state's statutes in this forum.

My wish is that the threads you start become flooded with posts by people not in California; who post their own reflections on their states' statutes; and who often get things egregiously wrong resulting in people like me (uh huh) informing them they are wrong about their own state.

Sure, you might take something from their posts.

And to spice up today's hijacking:

Seventeen-year-old Peter Park has not graduated from high school or college. He recently earned a J. D. and passed the toughest bar exam in the country (in California). See https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/08/teen-passes-bar-exam-youngest-attorney-california. Peter Park has taken a job as a deputy District Attorney with a city in California.

So yes, even certain non high school graduates can figure out the law.

-- Co-hijacker ElleN