Last week, I talked about Manager’s Reports and my process for tracking items for my boards. This week, I wanted to build on that and explain how I use that Manager’s Report to create my meeting minutes. Basically, it is a cut and paste process in Word. I have a folder for each year with all reports and minutes in it. You could, of course, split this into 2 folders within the main year folder but I find it helpful to view the year at one time. The naming convention always starts with the 2 digit year, the document name and the month.
I open both my current report and last month’s minutes. I save the current manager’s report as next month’s Manager’s report. My format is 08_ManRep_06.doc which is then saved as 08_ManRep_07.doc [year/document type/month].
Then I copy the content from 08_ManRep_06.doc and paste it into the 08_Mins_05.doc and save that as 08_Mins_06. Now I have 2 Manager’s Reports and 2 sets of Minutes open. I close both last month’s minutes (used just to capture formatting) and next month’s manager’s report [08_ManRep_07.doc] which I will come back to update at a later time thus eliminating confusion.
I update information in the new minutes document by recording members and guests present, time meeting called to order, and the meeting date. Remember, this information is all there since this it is a copy of last month’s minutes so it takes very little time to update all this. Then I proceed to the change the wording to record the actions taken by the board, purge info only items and any repetitive general information I’ve provided in the report. The goal is to cut down on the length of the minutes while still addressing business discussed, motions and reports and following the Manager’s Report format for consistency.
There is a fine line between overstating and simply recording the most basic information. It is important to remember who may be reviewing your minutes since the entire audience could include owners, buyers, realtors, lawyers, etc. Since Roberts Rules of Order provides a basic guideline for managing meetings and recording minutes, their website is a helpful guide. Check out their FAQs at: http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#15
Here is what they say about minutes: “Not only is it not necessary to summarize matters discussed at a meeting in the minutes of that meeting, it is improper to do so. Minutes are a record of what was done at a meeting, not a record of what was said.”
Minutes (other than Executive Minutes) should be readily available in a separate minute book. Never keep in the minute book as permanent records. Of course, laws governing associations differ state to state so it is vital that you are aware of the current laws governing your association processes.
I try to immediately go back to the Manager’s Report for my upcoming month, change the dates, update as much information as possible and make my “to do” list. Of course, if there are priority items from the meeting, I’ll complete those before working on minutes but I seldom wait to create my “to do” list. This entire process takes less than 30-45 minutes and is one of the most important tasks I use to stay organized and on top of things.
Next blog, I will talk about communicating with vendors and using technology to help you stay on top of those all important “to do” lists.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Your questions can also help me direct my blog. We often work in isolation so this is a way we can also share things that work for each of us. Please email me at Gayle@campro.us if you have anything to share.
Gayle J. Hasley,
Community Association Manager
Community Association Homeowner
info@campro.us
www.campro.us
