Take a long day at the office, plus long commutes to and from home, add dinner and a cocktail or two and you have the makings for an ineffective individual. Unfortunately this is the exact scenario that is in place for a typical community association board of directors meeting.
The setting for any board of directors meeting should certainly be at a time and place when people can function at their fullest. IBM doesn’t hold their meetings at night and neither should a community association. Even though it could be argued that a community association is non profit and simply consists of a tract of homes, boards of directors for these communities have immense decision making obligations to their membership.
Despite a real estate market where home values have recently plummeted. a person’s home remains the typical American’s single largest asset. Boards of directors’ meeting agendas are filled with issues that in one way or another require decision making about this asset and the integrity of the community as a whole.
Another obvious challenge with the night meeting dilemma has to do with community managers spending time away from their respective family. Some community management firms allow for time off the morning after a board meeting; however, that manager will still not be at home with his or her family in the evening when needed.
The simple answer for this challenge is to make sure that board meetings commence no later than 4:30 in the afternoon. Before a person runs for a board of directors, they should understand they will be committed to acting as a fiduciary for their community which entails, among other obligations, the need to attend their board meetings at 4:30 or earlier.
Leaving work early to attend a board meeting can turn in to an asset for an employee. Most employees work for companies with cultures emphasizing community involvement; a board member’s superior should thus see this early exit from work on occasion as a positive that reflects well not only on the employee but the company as well.
Homeowners who complain about early meetings should understand that board meetings need to be held at a time when board members can function at their best and thus when they are more apt to render pragmatic decisions. They, too, may work for companies with cultures that encourage involvement in the community and recognize that an employee’s participation in a community association is an activity that should be encouraged, including missing a few hours every once in a while to attend a meeting.
Additionally, more and more community associations are meeting bi-monthly or quarterly. Many monthly meetings are out of habit and not necessity. I served for two years on the Wailea Community Association Board of Directors on Maui. Our nine member board met quarterly and our obligations included 2,000 plus units, seven high end hotels and a retail shopping center. We were able to meet quarterly because we charged our manager with the responsibility of running the day-to-day operations of our association and keeping us informed of issues and actions; we didn’t micromanage and insist on making every single decision. We empowered our manager to work within the parameters we established, and to consult with us only when issues arose that exceed budget or responsibility limitations. Additionally, all of the board members were professionals and understood the necessity to meet during the day. The annual meeting for that community took place late in the afternoon as well.
I would challenge all community association boards of directors to use the logic articulated in this article to reconsider their meeting times if they are starting after 4:30. The same would be said for the need for monthly meetings. Earlier meetings, and meetings that last no longer then one and a half to two hours, will result in more prudent, thoughtful decision-making on the part of a board of directors. Timed agendas, consent calendars and board presidents with leadership skills will help expedite meetings as well.
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