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Meeting Minutes and why we need them

Minutes should reflect what was done at a meeting, not what was said. The minutes may list the name and topic for any speaker, but not a summary of the person’s remarks. Minutes should state:

  • Type of meeting (Regular or Special)
  • Name of Group (Association Board or Association Committee)
  • Date, Time and place of meeting
  • Those present
  • Those absent
  • Call to order – by whom; time
  • Previous meeting minutes approval
  • Financial/treasurer’s report (either presented or recevied – the board does not adopt or accept the report unless its an audit report)
  • Manager’s report – (presented or received)
  • Committee reports – (presented/received)
  • Motions: name of motion maker, wording, disposition (pass or fail)
  • Time of adjournment
  • Action items (if necessary)

Community managers, should NOT be required to take the minutes at a board meeting. It is the manager’s responsibility is to concentrate on the dynamics of the meeting in order to assist when needed. To free the secretary and the manager to concentrate on the board’s discussion, many community associations use a tape recorder to back up note-taking or hire a stenographer to come in and take notes. If a meeting is taped to assist in preparation of the minutes, the tape should be erased when the minutes are approved.

Action Item Lists
An action item list is a list of actions to be taken before the next meeting as a result of decisions made at the current one. An action item list contains the decisions to be implemented together with the names of those assigned implementing responsibility.

Items that should NOT appear in meeting minutes:

  • Discussions surrounding board decisions or conversations
  • Statements for which the community association could be held liable
  • Specific homeowner collections or violations
  • Un-business-like comments, e.g., personal attacks on board, committee, or audience members, etc.

We have included a sample meeting minute template and examples of correct and incorrect minutes for to help you in your task.