Condo Media - September 2012 - 20

HOMEOWNER’S CORNER

by Linc Cummings

Annual Meetings
Six Reasons Why You Must Attend
1. Required First and foremost is that the governing documents of almost all associations require an annual membership meeting be held for owners to select their leaders, approve budgets, adopt policies and approve changes to their enabling documents. Owners are expected to attend. It is also an opportunity to publicly recognize the positive contributions people have made to the association during the year. No decisions can be made, however, without a quorum. Be involved in your community governance. 2. Learn The association leadership generally reports on the state of the association, activities of the various committees, accomplishments during the year and plans for the future. Management and staff report on their functions. Often these are accompanied with photos, videos and PowerPoint presentations. If you haven’t been attending the board meetings, this will catch you up on what has been happening, what has been accomplished and what is planned. Become informed. 3. Socialize There is nothing better than seeing all your neighbors and catching up on their lives. Although this is not part of the agenda, it always happens. And it builds lasting relationships. The annual meeting is the only time each year that all members are expected to attend. Have fun. 4. Vote All governing documents require membership votes to elect board members and many require approval of the annual budget, policy resolutions and

Plan and Execute
It takes nearly six months to plan and execute a good annual meeting. Some of the basic steps are: Board Election • Appoint a Nominating and Election Committee • Nominating petition and election procedures • Call for nomination • Nominations received and qualified • Candidate biographies and statements verified • Board and Nominating Committee meet candidates • Official ballot, proxy and absentee ballot issued • Meet the Candidates meeting • Votes and proxies received • Votes tabulated • Election results announced Meeting Preparation • Volunteers, staff and management coordination • Room set up, including audio/visual • Registration • Program • Refreshments Annual Report • Appoint an ad hoc Annual Report Committee • Review association plans, activities and performance • Coordinate management company support • Prepare written annual report • Prepare presentation and handout materials Annual Awards • Appoint an Awards Committee • Include required funding in the budget • Establish awards categories • Publish ground rules • Solicit award nominations • Receive and evaluate nominations • Prepare appropriate recognition materials Announcements • Publicize the annual meeting ... repeatedly • Recap the annual meeting after the fact A quorum almost always is achieved if these steps are followed and the membership is kept informed. Controversial issues, such as increasing assessments or reducing amenities, also encourage attendance. The four words that best define a good annual meeting are: inform, motivate, recognize and celebrate.

CONDO MEDIA • SEPTEMBER 2012

Condo Media - September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2012