Whether an ad hoc or annual meeting, an HOA board has quite a bit to discuss and address. One-off meetings may center around reviewing committee reports or handling grievances within the association. Annual meetings are for the heavier topics such as strategic initiatives that the HOA is expected to undertake.
Either way, there needs to be a map of sorts that helps to guide the HOA meetings so they stay on track. Let's say you live in Florida, for example. Did you know as of October 1, 2023, there is a legal requirement that speaks to being specific with agenda discussion points?
Below is a look at board member meeting agendas to shed more light on the matter.
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What Are Some Typical Elements of a Board Meeting Agenda?
Agendas for board meetings may take different forms, but what's important is addressing the key details as planned. Maybe you want to go over a point from a previous meeting in the next executive session or maybe it's time to introduce board members.
The template above will help you to cover all the necessary bases. In any case, here's a look at some of the common agenda items for HOA meetings:
- Call to order - This is the first item for good reason. it will be the indicator that the meeting is officially underway. The call may be based on a specific start time or the satisfaction of a quorum.
- Open forum - This time is for guests or members to express any issues or concerns they may have. Of course, the handling of these will depend on how on-topic they are.
- Approval of the minutes of the last meeting - Going over the last meeting's minutes is a task that should be allocated a few minutes. You don't want it to detract too much from the current business, so handling it concisely is highly recommended.
- Report presentation - The big ones, such as the financial reports, are usually a good place to start. Once these are out of the way, perhaps specific committee reports are a good place to go next.
- Old business - This is different from the discussion of the previous meeting's minutes in the sense that this is actually time that is allotted to addressing any lingering or open concerns that may have been tabled last time but not addressed because of time or some other constraint such as a lack of available data.
- New business - This is where all the new items that the board received for discussion will come up. Perhaps during the open forum of the previous meeting, something was brought to light that needs to be talked about. Alternatively, it may be about updates to governing documents, projects, etc.
- Adjournment - While some of the previous items mentioned may not necessarily be in the order listed, the call to order and adjournment steps will remain first and last, respectively for obvious reasons.
Special Items That HOA Board Members May Deal with Annually
As indicated before, an annual board meeting is a bit different as it's a special occurrence that will usually have more of a strategic focus. If you are organizing an annual meeting, here are a few extras that may come to the table:
- Presentation of the annual budget
- Elections
- Proposals that may require approval from the homeowners association board
- Strategic discussions about major projects that are slated for the year ahead.
- Introduction of any new board members.
Why Should You Use an HOA Board Meeting Agenda Template?
We gave you a well-curated and reusable template, but why should you use it? Here are a few good reasons.
Time Management
Meetings can easily run way over the allotted time if people are not kept in check. Who knows? Maybe the open forum would run on forever, or maybe the meeting wouldn't have a proper starting indicator to get going. The point is that the meeting needs to start and end as close to the expected time as possible.
Legal Requirement
According to provision 720.303 of the Florida Homeowners Association Act, "Notices of all board meetings must specifically identify agenda items for the meetings..." Sure, not every state will have such a requirement, but the point is that it may be mandatory
Scope Creep Prevention
Apart from going over time, it's very easy to go off-topic. Having an agenda prevents meeting attendees from doing just that.
Why You Might Want to Discuss Implementing HOA Software in Your Next Meeting
One of the items you may want to put forward for discussion is the implementation of HOA software to make managing things easier. DoorLoop has a professionally designed and easy-to-use option that offers a free website with a resident portal for payments, requests, and more.
Payments can be automated for rent, fines, dues, amenities, maintenance, and more. It also helps that all the necessary accounting tools for records are present, as well as shareable reports. Integrations with QuickBooks and bank accounts are also present.
How many users are supported? It's only limited by the imagination. Invite as many as are necessary. Management of architectural and maintenance requests submitted is also built into the system.
Communication should be a breeze too considering that there are email, phone, text, and portal message options.
The Bottom Line
Meeting agendas are necessary to keep meetings on topic and on time. Depending on your location, being specific in preparing one may also be legally required as is the case in Florida. Download our free and customizable meeting agenda template to keep your HOA in check.
Also, consider our proprietary software solution to centralize the management of different HOA elements. Schedule a free demo today to see what it can do for you!