If you’ve never been to an HOA meeting this article will be an easy guide to writing an HOA meeting in minutes. This may seem like a time-consuming task, but it is a requirement for all California HOA meetings to be recorded in minutes and can be helpful in the long run. Writing a meeting in minutes gives HOA members a reference to cite during any confusion, disagreements, or just for recollection.
Who is responsible for writing the minutes?
The HOA board should have a secretary who is responsible for writing and tracking minutes. The secretary can assign an assistant secretary if the secretary cannot make it to the meeting. If the assistant secretary is taking over for a meeting, it should be noted in the meeting minutes and the minutes should be reviewed by the security before posting to the HOA. In some cases, the HOA can have an HOA Management company keep track of the minutes.
What should be included in minutes?
A great reference for what should be included in the minutes, and in what order, is Robert’s Rules of Order Newley Revised. Items that should always be included are:
- The date and time of the meeting.
- A list of attendees. Keep note of board members, guest speakers, lawyers and attorneys, and any other essential personal. It is also important to note members who were not in attendance.
- Approval or disapproval of previous meeting minutes.
- Evaluation of current HOA finances.
- Any motions that were presented. This should include who it was presented by and who seconded the motion. According the Robert’s Rules this should also be the start of the seconded paragraph.
- Any voting that occurred. Make sure to include who voted yay or nay, and the final outcome of the vote.
- Any actions that were taken.
- Any unfinished business from the previous meeting and any new business discussed.
- Any other important actions and activities such as the treasury report and committee report.
- The date and time of the next meeting and the time the meeting was adjourned. According Robert’s Rules this will be the final paragraph.
What should not be included in minutes?
There are some things that should be avoided when writing minutes. Opinions, emotions, and debates should not be included. Also, any chit-chat and side commentary should not be included. The general advice given in Robert’s Rules is that the minutes should serve as a record only of the final form of the key actions.
What to do next?
Minutes should be posted no later than 30 days after the meeting. One should take the time to review, clean-up, and edit the minutes as needed. Using a recording device to record the meeting for reviewing the minutes can be helpful. Remember, minutes should serve as a reflection of key actions from the meeting. It is best to keep it short and to the point.
For more information, assistance with HOA meetings, or anything else HOA related, reach out to Atlantic and Pacific Management.
By Kyle Williams | April 14th, 2020 | Over the Moon Sales and Advertising