Bylaws require that an Annual meeting happen on a yearly basis, likely within 60 days of the end of the fiscal year.

We view it as an opportunity to get face time with the owners that we interact with on, what can be, a daily basis. The board is responsible for leading the meeting but we’re happy to partner with everyone to develop an agenda + any resources needed for the meeting, as well as lead the efforts to get notices out as required by your bylaws.

Board meetings are the time when Association business is conducted, including discussion and decision making by the elected board members. Those meetings must be properly noticed to all owners and must be held in “public” spaces to ensure owner notification and participation.

We recommend that all board meetings have the following elements:
  • Agenda with times assigned to each item, including any decisions that the board must make during the board meeting. The bylaws will outline the basic agenda, including “reading” and approving the minutes from the previous annual meeting.
  • A budgeted time for an “owners forum” -- while the board doesn’t need to respond to any owner feedback during the meeting, we do recommend having a dedicated time for owners to ask questions and provide feedback to the board.
  • Financial overview - Roost provides financials to the board for review. We recommend that the entire board, and not just the treasurer, review for any questions or concerns that can be answered prior to the board meeting. We’ll do our best to highlight any inconsistencies or budgeted items outside the normal scope, but happy to discuss with the board any specific questions.
  • As a reminder, unit specific information about delinquent accounts should NOT be discussed during the public meeting. Decisions about sending a unit owner to collections or accepting a payment plan should be reserved for Executive Session.
  • Executive Session -- There are items that are deemed appropriate only for the board discussion (listed below). While this is a private meeting of the board, it still must be announced to the ownership, so we’ll want to make sure that notice is still given out in a timely manner.
Why Minutes Matter

Taking notes of the meetings is important to the history of the building and records actions or decisions made by board members. It is, however, equally important to make sure that any minutes drafted + shared with owners (and prospective owners via resale packages) are appropriate and reflect the actual decisions + actions taken by the board at a specific time frame.Things to consider when drafting and finalizing meeting minutes:

  • Logistics - Record the when, where, and who is attendance. If it is an executive session or special meeting, record that as well.
  • Agenda items - We find it best to just use the agenda to record minutes to ensure nothing is missed. If other items are brought up during the course of discussions, it can be listed as other business or as part of another topic sub-bullet.
  • Owner/Board member discussion/conversation - Only actual votes + decisions should be recorded in the minutes of any meetings.
  • While we understand discussion & back and forth can be helpful for reference in the future, it should not be included in the official minutes of the Association. It should also not be a transcript of who said what and when.
  • Delinquencies/owner debt is NOT to be recorded in the minutes.
  • Minutes should be filed with other board information and Roost can maintain those minutes.
  • Meeting minutes should be distributed to the ownership as a best practice and to encourage sound management and transparency.

Remember that meeting minutes will be included with resale/refinance packages. Those will be reviewed by prospective buyers as they evaluate the structural, governance, and financial health of a building before they buy.