It seems to be a common dilemma for HOA board members – having a host of agenda items which results in a lengthy HOA board meeting. And, you may or may not feel you’ve accomplished all you set out to even after a three hour HOA meeting. With effective organization and right decisions, we believe homeowners association board meetings can be kept to one and a half to two hours.
Start With an Annual Management Plan for your HOA
Key Community Management encourages HOA board members to work with their community manager to establish an annual management plan, or create one of their own if they are self-managing. A management plan is a statement of goals and objectives approved by the board. It includes the yearly cycle of tasks that management should perform on the community association’s behalf, or those that the board handles if self-managing. A well thought-out management plan helps everyone to be clear on what is expected. A management plan typically includes tasks that address the community’s governance, business, and operations.
These include:
- Rules enforcement
- Property maintenance
- Services
- Communications
- Finances
- Administration
- Asset protection
- Policy development
Having a plan in place helps to ensure that everything the board discusses points back to the goals for the year. Unexpected maintenance items may certainly arise, along with other special projects due to requests from community members, but at least you will start with a path for moving through the year with purpose and a budget to match.
The management plan should also prioritize all goals and projects so the board, and committee members if applicable, know what to tackle first. Don’t try to save the world in one meeting!
Homeowners Association Board Meetings Are For Making Decisions
All HOA board meetings should have an agenda which is prepared and distributed ahead of time. Here at Key Community Management, we recommend any bids or contracts that are on the agenda to be voted on be provided several days before the meeting as well. All board members would then have equal opportunity to review these items before the meeting.
The goal is to eliminate lengthy discussions at board meetings and to empower board members with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. During a board meeting, the board may have brief discussion about these types of voting matters, but either a vote can be taken quickly or a motion may be made to acquire additional information before the board feels ready to vote. This allows the board to move to the next discussion item and stay on agenda.
If bids or contracts were acquired by a committee, invite the committee chairperson to come to the meeting where you will be voting. They may be able to answer any questions the board has, and this will expedite a decision.
It is also critical for each HOA board member to be active and come to board meetings prepared. Each person has a duty to be involved in all board decisions. Every board member should be prepared to contribute and add value to the board.
For more information on how to be organized by creating a management plan resulting in shorter board meetings, contact me at info@keycmi.com. Or download our free HOA Management Plan template today.