Conducting regular business meetings for your association is one of the top responsibilities of board members. Regular meetings give association members the chance to hear and understand what’s going on with the association, including important budget and financial matters. Step one to good board meetings is to establish a set of ground rules and abide by them. It’s equally important to preserve a record of those meetings – the minutes – and preserve them as a record of association business.
In Florida, meeting minutes are considered part of the official records of an association, whether it’s a Florida HOA or condo association. Who takes them? What should go into them? Who gets to see them? Read on to learn all you need to know about keeping minutes of your meetings.
When do you need to take minutes?
Minutes should be taken for any official scheduled meeting of the board or of any committee. Committees may include finance, events, capital improvements or more. If a group of people get together for the purpose of conducting official association business, including event planning, the meeting should be memorialized via meeting minutes.
Who should take minutes?
In general, taking and maintaining the minutes is the primary responsibility of the board secretary. Consider the secretary as the keeper of the association's history. This vital role involves documenting all board actions for future reference, ensuring clarity and preventing misunderstandings. By meticulously recording meeting minutes, the secretary helps avoid confusion and disputes. They also authenticate these minutes with their signature, just as a corporate secretary would.
The specific method of minute-taking can differ between associations. In some cases, an on-site staff member might handle the initial recording, which the secretary then reviews, approves, and signs. Alternatively, the secretary may take the minutes directly during the meeting. It's important to remember that minutes should provide a concise summary of motions and decisions made, not a word-for-word transcript of the entire proceeding. In a committee setting, the committee chair can designate someone to take official minutes for each meeting. Those minutes then become part of the committee report to the board as a whole.
What should be included in meeting minutes?
Good meeting minutes start with a good meeting agenda. Check out our guide to creating a meeting agenda that works. “Once you have a solid agenda, use it as your condo or HOA meeting minutes template,” suggests Ivy Montero, vice president at FirstService Residential.
Start with noting the date and the legal name of the association or the official name of the committee, the location of the meeting and the start and end times. Using your agenda as your condo or HOA meeting minutes template takes care of that for you. Make sure to note who attended the meeting and any board members who are absent. (It’s not necessary to include the names of absent association general members.)
As noted above, the minutes should NOT be a transcription of the board meeting. Instead, focus on important actions taken and who took them. Your minutes should include:
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Approval of prior minutes at the beginning of the meeting: All board members should have had the opportunity to review the minutes before the meeting began, so this should take just a few minutes. It’s one of the most important tasks of a meeting, signing off that the official record is correct.
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Officer and committee member reports: Committee reports can be given in alphabetical order or any order the president chooses.
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New business that was discussed and open discussions: Include pertinent details, including the speaker and issue, as well as any dissent, but don’t worry about getting it word-for-word. That’s not important for your meeting minutes.
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All motions and actions that were taken: Include motions that were voted down and tabled as well as ones that were approved.
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Names of those who voted for a motion, dissented, and abstained: Accuracy is incredibly important here. This is the official state record, and you don’t want to attach the wrong name with an action.
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All financial transactions (reserve expenses, opening or closing of a bank account, etc.): Again, this is your official record for all members and financial transparency is part of the board’s fiduciary duty to the association. Make sure it’s accurate. Stop and ask for clarification if needed.
Because they are an impartial record of the meeting, your minutes should use plain text as much as possible under each section header of your condo or HOA meeting minutes template. “Don’t use bold, italics or other colors to draw attention to any particular item, such as green type for yes votes and red type for no votes,” recommends Montero. “Your record needs to be neutral.”
Who can see board meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes aren’t just for your board members. All homeowners have a legal right to see the minutes and they must be maintained on a secure website or available in another fashion. Some associations used to regularly mail copies of meeting minutes to members, but association websites and portals have rendered that largely obsolete.
Because they serve as an official record of your association's actions, meeting minutes are increasingly requested by outside parties, including prospective homeowners, real estate agents, and lenders. They rely on these records to gain insights into the community's financial health and governance practices, especially during real estate transactions. “Think of them as a window into your association, offering transparency to those considering joining or investing in the community,” says Katherine Effron, vice president at FirstService Residential.
While they are important, crafting good meeting minutes for your association doesn’t have to be difficult. Download our Board Member Toolkit to find out more about your roles and responsibilities.
To learn more about how the right property management partner can help your board with this and other board education matters, contact FirstService Residential today.