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DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
October 1, 1999
Community Associations are operated by a Board of
Directors. The Members of the Association elect the Board
of Directors. The Board Members then elect or appoint the
Officers of the Association. The Officers carry out the
policies of the Board of Directors, perform the duties of
the Bylaws and fulfill the responsibilities as set forth by
the Board of Directors, for the general good and welfare of
the association.
The association has the responsibility of maintaining
operating and managing the association's property and
assets in accordance with the standards set forth in the
governing documents. It is the Board of Directors who
carries out these responsibilities and the Bylaws of the
association set forth how the Board of Directors will
accomplish this.
This article will provide an overview of the function of a
Board. The next newsletter will detail each Officers duties
and how each position will function together in order to
create an effective Board of Directors.
As previously stated, the Bylaws will provide the
guidelines for the Board of Directors to operate. The
Bylaws will state the number of Directors required for the
Board to operate. It will also state each Officers duties
and responsibilities in carrying out their positions. And
finally, it will provide for the structure and means by
which the Board will conduct its business (through
meetings).
Meetings of the Board will include a quorum of the
Directors for the purpose of conducting association
business. A majority of the Board is a quorum, unless the
Bylaws require a higher number. In many instances, Board
Members can participate in the meeting by speakerphone,
though they are not physically present.
Notice of Meetings must be sent or delivered to the Board
Members at least two days in advance of the meeting, unless
the Bylaws require a longer number of days. The general
membership will also be told about the meeting by posting
the notice and agenda at a central location at least 48
hours in advance of the meeting. Emergency meetings are
handled differently and state statutes waive most notice
requirements.
Most Bylaws will provide a set agenda for the Board to
follow in order to conduct their meetings. In some cases,
the Bylaws will refer you to the latest edition of Robert's
Rules of Order for the procedure to follow in conducting
meetings. Parliamentary rules of procedure should be
followed throughout the conduct of the meeting along with
the recording of the minutes of the meeting. Most agendas
will include the following items;
· Roll Call & Est. of a Quorum
· Reading the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
· Treasurer's Report
· Reports of Officers
· Reports of Committees
· Manager's Report
· Unfinished Business*
· New Business*
· Adjournment * Condominiums &
Cooperatives require specific details on these items.
All motions, seconds to the motion and recording of each
member's vote should be included in the minutes. The only
time any Board Members can abstain from a vote is when
there is a conflict of interest in that matter. The
minutes of meetings must be maintained for 7 years and open
to all unit owners for inspection.
The Board should make reasonable rules for unit owner
participation. Participation constitutes the right to speak
on agenda items and to tape or record the meeting. The
Board can adopt rules on the frequency, duration and manner
of statements at a Board Meeting. By allowing the
membership to be apart of the meeting, the Board is
fostering an atmosphere of cooperation in all its dealings
with the owners. In addition, in the future, this will
eventually help in attracting new members to run for the
Board of Directors.
Successful Boards will utilize the resources available to
them, such as the property manager, committee heads,
experts in certain areas, contractors and vendors. They
can all add to a productive and informative meeting.
Overall, there should be atmosphere of collaboration,
cooperation and communication between the Board of
Directors, owners and the outside resources involved.
Copyright 2007© Associated Property Management of the Palm Beaches, Inc.
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