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Typically, the board of a condominium association meets at a consistent time each month, or perhaps even twice a month, to discuss important community business. A key requirement of each meeting is the taking of minutes. Condo board meeting minutes help ensure an accurate record of the key actions taken at the meeting; they create transparency and accountability; and, in many states, they are actually required by law.
For those who are unused to taking meeting minutes, it’s important to have a clear sense of what this important document should include. With specific questions about condo meeting minutes, check in with your community management company. We invite those in the Carolinas to contact Kuester Management Group; our team boasts a wealth of experience providing HOA Management in Charlotte NC, Huntersville NC, Myrtle Beach SC, and HOA Management in Fort Mill SC.
Who Should Keep Condo Meeting Minutes?
One of the first things to consider about condo meeting minutes is which Board member is assigned to take them.
In most associations, it falls to the secretary to serve as the designated minutes taker. Should the secretary be unavailable to attend a meeting, most governing documents permit an alternate meeting taker to be appointed.
Alternatively, some associations actually hire a professional secretary to record meeting minutes. You might also check with your property management company to see if they can appoint someone to sit in on your meetings and record the minutes.
Finally, note that Board members are always welcome, even encouraged, to keep their own notes during meetings and discussions. This simply ensures that they have their own record of key information, particularly since it can take some time for the official meeting minutes to be produced.
What are the Best Practices for Keeping Meeting Minutes?
When it comes to taking effective meeting minutes, there are a few best practices for secretaries to keep in mind.
Do Some Prep Work
Before the meeting begins, the minutes taker should have their template ready to go, ensuring they can easily fill in important details as the meeting progresses. Go ahead and note the date, time, and place of the meeting. Also, fill in the name of each attendee as they arrive. This is a good way to ensure you do not accidentally record someone as present if in fact they are absent.
Follow the Agenda
The minutes serve to provide an official record of decisions made and major issues addressed, not necessarily every side discussion that unfolds over the course of the meeting. A good way to keep the minutes well-organized and on track is to align them closely with the meeting agenda.
Specify Action Items
Over the course of the meeting, some action items may arise, including specific steps that different Board members or condo owners are meant to take. Ensure that each action item is denoted in the minutes, along with the anticipated due date.
Record Votes
In addition to action items, it’s important to denote each and every vote that is taken within the meeting, briefly detailing the matters discussed and the outcome of the vote. It is typical for minutes to denote which Board member puts forth different motions, along with which Board member seconds the motion. It is not customary to denote the positions each individual voting members takes on a particular motion or topic.
Keep it Short
The best minutes are quite brief, offering a simple synopsis of ideas and action steps taken that might guide decision-making later on. As you take notes during the meeting, you may find yourself recording a lot of information that can ultimately be excised from the official minutes, simply for the sake of brevity.
Remain Objective
Finally, remember that the minutes taker’s job is to provide an objective account of the meeting. Refrain from editorializing, criticizing, or filling the minutes with your own personal opinions or commentary.
Template: What Should Condo Meeting Minutes Include?
As for the specific items that should be included in the meeting minutes, here is a very basic template to guide your minutes-taking efforts.
Also be sure to check with your state law (if you leave in Carolinas here are resources to state law in SC and NC state law) to see if your condo association is legally required to provide any further information in the meeting minutes.
Condo Meeting Minutes: Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using either a Google doc or something similar, making it easy to edit, access, and share the document digitally.
Are Board meeting minutes signed?
Generally speaking, the Board secretary is required to sign the minutes in order to make them “official.”
What should not be included in the meeting minutes?
Abstain from including personal opinions and editorializing, along with any side chatter that is unrelated to the meeting agenda or to any motions/action items taken.
What is the best time for a Board meeting?
Given that most, if not all Board members will have full-time day jobs, serving the condo association on a strictly volunteer basis, it may be best to hold Board meetings on weekday evenings. Of course, you can always check in with your Board members to determine which time works best for everyone.
How do you prepare for a Board meeting?
The minutes taker should be ready with both their meeting minutes template and a copy of the meeting agenda. The agenda should provide some advanced notice about what the issues and topics that will come up during this particular session.
How do you start a Board meeting?
Typically, the moderator (usually the president) will call the meeting to order at the specified start time, then verify that there is a quorum before proceeding with business. The first business of the meeting will usually be to approve the minutes from the previous meeting.
Should names be mentioned in minutes?
Include a roll call of members present and absent, and the names of the people who make and second motions. There is no need to include names indicating who said what during your Board discussions, however.
How are condo association minutes approved?
Typically, each meeting will begin with a vote to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Note that, in order for this to happen, there needs to be a quorum present. Individual bylaws may provide further instructions or parameters for the approval of condo meeting minutes.
Who gets to see the condo association’s meeting minutes?
Typically, meeting minutes should be accessible not just to Board members and members of the association itself, but also realtors and potential owners who want to get a good sense of how the condo association is run.
How long should meeting minutes be maintained?
The meeting minutes provide an important, official history for your HOA, and thus should be kept safe for a good long while. Check with local laws to see if there is a required timeline for maintaining meeting minutes. Your association bylaws or other governing documents may also provide some clarity.
