Board meeting minutes mailed out?

Started by DarylF • 13 replies • 1230 views

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DarylF (Washington)
Posts: 157

Posted:

Does your HOA automatically send out the meeting minutes to everyone in the community after each meeting?

I'm living in my 4th HOA community, the first 3 all automatically sent them out after every meeting to everyone. My current HOA only sends them when specifically requested.

Thanks

BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820

Posted:

my former HOA did not, my current one does not.

GordonD1 (California)
Posts: 131

Posted:

Daryl:

The HOA do not have to mail the meeting minutes out. By law they have to mail them out to the member if it is requested. (The minutes are usually ready 30 days after the meeting).

One of the reasons that you current association don't send the minutes automatically is to save money. You can always suggest to the board of directors to consider doing it or at least
to make sure that the homeowners are aware that they can request the minutes from the management company.

Thanks,

Gordon

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

Daryl,

Gordon hit the nail on the head -- for many assn's it just is not cost effective. If it's not required in the comm. docs. or by state law, most Boards will elect not to do this. My assn has 1,702 members -- I'll let you do the math. On the other hand, if you're in a rather small assn, perhaps the board just never thought to send the minutes each month. Perhaps you could make the suggestion.

DarylF (Washington)
Posts: 157

Posted:

Thanks. After the first three HOA's did it I just assumed it was normal.

Just my $.02, but when my dues are $625/year I REALLY want a couple of dollars of that to go to sending me the minutes so I know how they are spending the rest of it.

I understand a lot of people don't care though, so sending to everyone could be a waste...

AnnaD2 (Florida)
Posts: 960

Posted:

We don't mail them but we DO post them. Each building has a bulletin board right next to the mailboxes where the minutes are posted for two or three weeks. Everyone is aware of where they can go to read them.....if they're interested. Then they get filed in a huge binder and if anyone requests copies from a previous meeting they're easily obtained and copied.

KirkW1 (Texas)
Posts: 1,665

Posted:

Right now it costs about two dollars a home for us to send out mail to the entire neighborhood. Now the cost to email them would be zero and I would gladly email them to anyone who asks.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

Daryl,
Your documents probably do not address this and unless the Bylaws state that they are to be mailed, be thankful that you don't have to add that expense to the budget. E-mail is the way most associations send minutes out. We also post them but going to the meetings to hear them is the most preferred. And I, the Master Gardener will tell you--SAVE THE TREES AND USE CYBERSPACE.

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

Donna,

You say going to the meeting to hear the minutes read is most preferred. But, how many boards have the minutes read? In many instances a board member makes a motion to dispense with reading the minutes, its seconded and that's it. In fact, if you go to a city council meeting you won't hear the minutes being read either.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

Mary, I meant that if you go to the meetings, you wouldn't need to hear what happened via minutes, you would have been there to know what was said. Sorry, should have added that.

JohnK3 (Pennsylvania)
Posts: 967

Posted:

We summarize our BOD meeting actions in our emailed Updates to Membership. The Updates are, in fact, a substitute for Minutes as my hand-written notes only make sense to the writer (me).

EllenS1 (Florida)
Posts: 1,148

Posted:

MaryA,

Our docs do not say we must mail minutes to all homeowners. I see no reason to spend the funds to mail to all owners. If an owner is not interested enough to attend board meetings they can always go to the PM office and examine or copy them. If owners are not informed it's their own fault and the association should not have to pay for their lack of interest.

EllenS1 (Florida)
Posts: 1,148

Posted:

daryl,

$625 a year sounds like a good deal. Having minutes provided won't show you much about how your money is being spent. I'd suggest you request copies of the proposed budget and financials. If you ask for these things to be sent to all owners yours assessments will go up. Think about it. You are free to go the the PM office to examine anything you want at no charge.

EdieL (Virginia)
Posts: 86

Posted:

While our BOD POA is not perfect, the one thing they do is post
our BOD minutes on our web page. They post the draft of the minutes
and then at the next meeting when the draft is adopted they post the
approved.
Edie

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