September 2009 Developments - 59

The secretary’s position is often as important as the president’s in many instances because this position must maintain all corporate records, ﬁlings with the state and federal government, and the minutes of all board meetings. The secretary must also attest to the validity of certain documents, such as signing approved minutes and any amendments or resolutions. The “members at large” must also be kept informed and be prepared to make decisions based on information provided by the manager, president, treasurer, or secretary. Their involvement is to assist in making informed decisions and not to discuss alternatives or unscheduled, unprepared-for topics that the president has not included on the meeting agenda. Having everyone on the same page will not only make a resort run smoother but also will help everyone better understand and carry out their responsibilities. We typically set our board meeting to one hour, starting with the discussion of the pre-meeting packet, which includes an agenda, minutes from the previous meeting, a manager’s report that answers all of the past business questions and sets the business plan for the resort for the upcoming month, all bids requiring approval placed in a matrix format under a set of identical speciﬁcations, any communications, and the ﬁnancial report. Responses to old business and new business should be covered in the managers’ report. A phone call to each board member two or three days prior to the meeting to ﬁeld any questions about that packet’s information will eliminate any “surprise” questions, and the gathering will be smooth and professional and the group will accomplish all you intend. With all this, as you prepare each new board member, you’ll see how much easier your meetings will go and what greater progress you’ll get from the group as a whole. Dennis DiTinno is CEO of the Liberté Management Group and a 27-year veteran in community and resort management; his ﬁrm currently manages nine resorts on Florida’s West Coast and he has consulted internationally. His e-mail is liberteceo@tampabay.rr.com. Budgets & Policies New member orientation packages should include narratives of budgets and overviews of past meetings where certain decisions have been made by the Board, so as not to re-invent the wheel and to continue the long-term goals of previous boards. Annual contracts and responsibilities of the management company and its staff—plus insurance liability policies—are also important documents to include in the orientation package. Lastly, an information packet for the actual board meeting is essential; typically, you send this out at least seven days prior to the meeting. What’s included in that packet may vary. We have created entire scripts for each member, when many required decisions were needed to comply with certain legal procedures. A clear agenda also keeps the meeting on-track in terms of schedule, guiding the discussion within a set framework and accomplishing much more than non-prepared meetings. September 2009 • Developments 59

September 2009 Developments

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