Ensuring that board
meetings run according to plan requires an understanding of what makes a board
meeting productive and trouble-free.
Homeowners
association board meetings commonly run over schedule, get sidetracked, or fail
to cover all of the ground established in the agenda. Ensuring that board
meetings run according to plan requires an understanding of what makes a board
meeting productive and trouble-free.
1.
The Pregame Plan
Preparation
and planning are critical for successful meetings, especially with a full
agenda, or a critical issue that needs to be deliberated. Preparation reduces
problems and surprises.
For most
associations, Texas law requires that a notice of a board meeting be sent at
least 72 hours prior to the meeting. We suggest sending the notice by email,
posting the same notice on the association website, and posting signs in public
spaces so that members have ample opportunity to learn about the meeting and
prepare their contributions to it.
Board
members should receive and review the agenda and other pertinent materials at
least five days before the meeting. The scenario is similar to preparing a
football team to play. Would you provide the players an hour to study the game
plan, or several days?
2.
Execute the Agenda
The president of the board is tasked
with the responsibility of keeping the discussion focused squarely on
association business. Think of the president as a mediator in many respects; he
or she is the guiding force who prevents 30-minute monologues from derailing
the agenda and detracting from the focus of each critical item. The president
is the official who ensures that discussions don’t deteriorate and groups don’t
get mired in gossip sessions. The goal
of focused discussion is to build consensus among all board members on
solutions that address issues in the community.
As a
manager, how do you help prepare the president for their role? We recommend borrowing another concept from
football – the game clock. Enforce time limits on the agenda items to keep
speakers on point and on time. Start times for agenda items and speaking time
limits enable you to give the appropriate amount of time to each agenda item
and finish the meeting on time.
3.
Avoid Penalties - Play by the Rules
of Order
A solid foundation
of procedural knowledge can enhance leadership’s credibility, produce shorter
and more productive meetings, and enable legitimate follow-up actions instead
of questionable or illegal next steps.
So where do community
associations import this foundational knowledge? Interestingly, associations
are subject to the principles and rules of Robert’s Rules of Order. Members who
act contrary to the rules they have adopted can be held liable for their
actions.
It isn’t
just the potential liability that helps to maintain order; it is the power of suggestion.
Because the association has well-conceived regulations in place, order is the
standard expectation of everyone on the board and in attendance. For this
reason, we advise presiding officers to make every effort to learn the
essentials of parliamentary procedure. Association leaders should become
familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order to regulate meeting procedures.
4.
Capture the Minutes – Your “Game
Film”
Football coaches review game film
with their players to show what the team accomplished and what needs
improvement. Similarly, if a board meeting takes place without someone
meticulously recording the minutes, it becomes difficult to operate the
association and improve the community.
According to bylaws, the secretary of
the association is responsible for recording minutes of all meetings, unless the
board arranged for this responsibility to be handled by the community manager
or an administrative assistant. The original copy of all minutes and resolutions
should be signed by the secretary. They should be distributed with action items
and dates for follow-up prior to the next board meeting.
Once your association has assigned the roles
described in this article, it takes just a little bit of practice to get your
board meetings consistently running productively, trouble-free, and on schedule.
by Rob Koop, AMS®,CMCA®, PCAM®
Regional Vice President, CMA
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