Board Special Meeting Requirements

Linda the specifics for your Association should be spelled out in your CC&R's (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions) but generally the Board can call a special meeting or is required to if presented by a petition signed by a certain percentage of homeowners. Most documents allow the homeowners to notice, call and run a special meeting if the Board fails to within X number of days after being presented with a valid petition.

Linda, read your Bylaws. Our's state a special Board meeting may be called by the President or any two Directors.

If by chance your docs don't specify on the subject, check your State docs that govern hoa's. Our specifications were actually copied from the State specs.

Linda,
A couple of things strike me, they may or may not be applicable.

There could be some confusion about your document require ref. general (members) meeting and Board meeting. The documents usually spell out procedures for Members Special Meetings, the may refer to Special Board Meetings in a General sense. To me circumstances set requirements fot the Board to set Board Meetings. Most documents state that the Board is required to meet X times a year, and go on to allowed for the board to set up as many meeting as they want provided noticing is provided.

The requirement you state that dictates Roberts Rules of Order be followed and even refers to the Revision number, needs to be addressed. It is common that some form of order for all meetings is provided, RRO is a good one, but only has a reference. An HOA will never have the parlimental expertise to provided all of RRO.
I believe that at each meeting there should be an announcement at the start of the Meeting a general statemment as to the reference the meeting will be held under, as a guideline only, unless you are so large you can afford to hire a parlmentarian. I think your restriction is out of line and an amendment made to get rid of it and conduct your business as the board proclaims, as long as some procedural rules are referenced. The board can also name someone to serve as a consultant and resolve conflicts.

I would be interested in seeing the verbiage of the Hawaii state law that requires HOAs to use Robert's.

Mary,
You made be right about the states requiring adherence to RRO, my experience is otherwise. I also tell you true, that if anyone thinks associations documents are clouded and confusing, try making complete sense of RRO as applied to an association. Any organization that is ruled completely by the word of Roberts Rules would have to have a Professional Parliamentarian on the payroll, and they cost more than lawyers, (maybe) Of course, pray tell, who is going to enforce this adherence.

As of lately these meetings are closed due to the fact that no meeting notice was posted to our association website that list the full schedule of board meetings. I am concerned that we, as a board, have failed to meet the Hawaii Law 421J-5 Which reads all meetings of the board of directors, other than executive session, shall be open to all members to provide input on the matters being discussed. To date I have refused to vote on any matters at these special meetings; but I wish I could get more members of the board to understand the problem they are creating. All they are concerned about is getting the business of the association completed without having to deal with the members. Boy what a way to run an association.

Linda,
I hope you realize what this site can do for you. You are going to get some opinions you don't expect and it appears you have a thick skin which all BOD should have. They are exposed to ridicle all the time, no matter what they do. Let me suggest to you that you back off your position of being overtly anti board. I hope you can see if you want change you will not get it by always assuming you can change the board by telling them how wrong they are. Look at your association not as a picture of an improperly held board meeting but as where do I want us to be next year or the next five yeasrs. Don't win the battle and lose the war. Persist in your desires to right the ship, but do it little by little, and accomplish what needs to be done day to day. You as a member of the Board are obligated to contribute your time and knowledge in the betterment of the association, not to make things the way you want them or think they should be. You are probably right about the methods the board uses to run the board business. Being right around the old HOA will get you a cup of coffee for four bucks at Starbucks. But effecting a positive change over time will give you a better place to live. So a lot of your replies here will ask questions and justification for your posts. When this happens as it is happening now, more of the big picture opens up. Think about it, most of your fellow members are in this for the long run, mortgages run average 30 years. Your association is operating and like all the rest could and should be fine tuned all the time. but the day to day stuff goes on, if you are at loggerheads with the board or not, business has to get done. Work for change, don't expect change will come easy or quick. Too many of us are right fighters and we forget, this makes the opposition wrong, you want change, so get a little support so you can make change, be the best damn board member you can do and build support and respect. You can make a difference, a huge difference, make sure when the dust clears you and you supporters are the ones left standing, and all you have done is for the association. A big order? Damn right it is, and most throw their hand up, resign, and say to hell with it.
Nearly all the replies you get here will be from folks that have been down the road, take what helps.

You are welcome and hang around and read some of these posts, they is a lot of smart folks posting here, and of course, ask us some more stuff, this site is full of stuff and this is the wall of the barn. Throw enough bulls--t against it and some is sure to stick. Hang in there.