How common is it for HOA or Condo boards in Texas to have secret meetings?

In Texas, property statutes section 209 requires open meetings for property associations and texas property code section 82 requires the same for condo associations.

But the board of my association doesn't care. Even though members complain, they continue to have secret meetings.

in Texas it's a civil matter which means the only way to enforce this is by getting them voted off the board or suing them in a court of law.

Is this a common problem in Texas or is this just my association?

Are you talking about regular board meetings or executive sessions? What do your documents say about meetings (look in the bylaws, which dictate how the association is to be run). In most cases, homeowners shoukd be able to attend regular meetings , while executive sessions are reserves for discussion of sensitive topics like lawsuits against the association, and arent open to homeowners, although they should be announced before being held.

If your neighbors are complaining about secret meetings,why do you keep electing these people? I think i saw another conversation of yours where you said apathy is a big problem in your community. Unless and until that gets resolved, you won't get people on the board who will open things up.

I also disagree that you can't expect board members to understand their duties. Its true some wing it, some don't care and others are lazy or don't want to admit they dont know. But you have bylaws and CCRs for a reason and EVERY homeowner should know how their community is run. Where else do you think board members come from?

If your documents say homeowners have a right to attend board meetings, send a formal letter quoting that section and request the date, time and location of future meetings be announced. If you're ignored or they tell you to kick rocks, you'll have to rally the neighbors together and apply pressure. That may mean legal action, so be prepared to pass the hat and brace for drama. It won't happen overnight so be patient and keep pushing.

It's hard to say how common this is. I don't know how many HOAs are in Texas - I'm sure there are a few, given the size of the state - but how exactly is that going to help what's going on in YOUR community? You don't live anywhere else, so focus on your second question - what do people do about it?

The answer to that comes down to what the community will tolerate and unfortunately, that means going through some drama, and perhaps a lot of it. You have a good starting point - a group of homeowners has gotten together to educate their neighbors and encouraging them to get out and vote. I think you said you're active in that group, so stick with it. Not only do you need to vote these people out, you need a slate of people to run against them (you may to stand up for a spot) and once that's done, you can work on establishing open meetings.

You also asked in another conversation how to rally people and that's the hard part. Some people don't care about any of this, some (like you) recognize that nothing the board does should ever be a surprise to the homeowners who elect and reelect them. If these people think they're doing such a good job, why the secrecy? It's important to know the thinking behind the decisions- doesn't mean everyone has to agree with it, but you want to watch and listen so you'll know they're putting some thought into the decisions instead of going along with whatever one or two people say (which happens more than you think). You won't sway everyone but depending on the size of your community, you may not need everyone. Start with getting enough people to force a town hall meeting to have the board explain itself. If they refuse to call it, that's where you may need to get an attorney to haul them into court - let them try explaining themselves to a judge.

Has anyone asked any board member why they have a problem with open meetings? If they're afraid of people constantly interrupting, they can be addressed with a resident forum at the beginning and end of the meeting. You also need a president strong enough to preside and not be afraid to tell everyone at the start of the meeting that these are business meetings and people need to shut up and let the board get through the agenda (some issues are time sensitive and need a decision that night).

I'm not suggesting running up on them and cussing them out (these days that can end badly because there are too many lunatics with guns). If you're acquainted with one, start with asking about an issue you're concerned about. It might be something relatively simple and you can go from there. Offer to help the board with researching an issue - that could be one way to get to one of those secret meetings and you can gradually bring up the subject of open meetings and why its not as scary as they think. They can at least try a few meetings and see what happens.

Some issues require various approaches and there is no magic formula. I suggest trying out this website's new search feature to see what other posters have done and see what can be adapted to your situation. If it works great. If not, try something else. Education is a huge factor - you have to come up with reasons that speak to people- why should they care about open meetings anyway? There will be different viewpoints, so you'll have to come up with more than one, but that's ok.

In my neighborhood / HOA, I think the mgmt company refers to the monthly “working meetings” as “workshops”. I suspect that this is a dodge.