Shortly after an HOA meeting is concluded, one of the participants will provide the leadership and the surrounding community with a copy of the HOA Meeting minutes. Those minutes will provide an accurate yet succinct summary of everything that went on during that meeting. Those who were not present at the meeting will get a sense of what was really important at that meeting, what meaningful discussions were held and what significant decisions were reached.
At least, that’s how it should be. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way: Different HOAs have different standards and practices for their minutes. To put it another way: Some meeting minutes are better than others!
With that said, there are a few basic facts and tips that you can keep in mind to ensure that your meeting minutes are truly effective.
1. Minutes are meant to provide the community with an official record of actions taken by the Board during a meeting; they are not a full transcript of that meeting! They are a reflection of what was done, not necessarily every word that was said. In other words, minutes are usually going to be brief.
2. If you end up with bad minutes, it could very well be because you had a bad meeting. The minutes are only going to be as good—as organized and as meaningful—as the meeting itself. If your minutes are bad, it may mean that the board needs to do a better job running an efficient, parliamentary meeting!
3. While a set of minutes does not have to include every bit of discussion from the meeting, it should include all motions put forth—including those that are not approved.
4. All financial transactions—including opening a bank account or expensing money out of a reserve account—should be noted in the minutes; you can bet that this information will become important during any future financial review or audit!
5. Finally, if there is no quorum present, then there should also not be any minutes taken—because this is not a legal meeting!
For more information on how to take proper HOA meeting minutes, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team today!
