Robert’s Rules of Order supports the board’s approval of the annual membership meeting minutes. If your association follows Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th and 12th Edition), the general rule is that bodies that meet less than quarterly don’t approve minutes. Given that associations rarely conduct regular membership meetings on a quarterly or more frequent basis, the overwhelming majority of associations (who conduct regular membership meetings less often than quarterly) should have their boards of directors adopt their annual meeting minutes.
There are also good policy reasons below (4) supporting board approval of membership minutes:
- Need for timely record of membership meetings and actions and votes taken;
- For most membership meetings, adoption of minutes from a previous meeting a year ago means that any members who attend the next meeting and who weren’t present at the earlier meeting will then be asked to vote on a record for a meeting they didn’t attend. In an HOA, membership changes frequently as homes sell and new buyers move in. With the lapse of time, memories fade and waiting a year risks inaccuracies and/or disputes over what actions were or weren’t taken;
- Members don’t have a fiduciary duty (or any duty) to ensure the accuracy of what goes into the minutes of the corporation and are therefore less likely to scrutinize the content;
- Need for accurate and up to date disclosure packets for new purchasers.
