HOA Meetings, The Beating Heart of Your Community

HOA board meetings, including general (open) session, executive session, and special/emergency, annual are essential for addressing community business, ensuring transparency, and handling confidential matters effectively.

Homeowners Associations (HOAs) comprise a Board of Directors responsible for managing the community. A key component of effectively managing a community is regular meetings of the Board of Directors. These meetings are vital for the success of a community since they provide a platform for discussion and decisions that shape the community’s future. Board members can ensure the success of a community.

Types of HOA Meetings

Several types of HOA meetings help ensure the organization is functioning correctly. We will briefly will describe the different types of HOA meetings and their importance.

General Session (Open Meeting)

General sessions, also known as Open Meetings, are the most common homeowner association Board of Directors meetings, usually held monthly, quarterly, or as needed. This is the forum during which the board conducts the business for the association. Some of the business reviewed includes items such as general operations, financials, and budget. It is common, or in instances required, for homeowners to be invited to speak, ask questions, share concerns, or provide input on community matters during and open forum portion of the meeting.

Executive Session (Closed Meeting)

An Executive session, also known as Closed Meeting, is a meeting of the association’s Board of Directors not open to the general membership. These meetings are typically held to discuss sensitive or confidential information, such as personnel matters, contract negotiations, or legal issues. Closed meetings are not open to the public, and minutes from these meetings are not typically available for public viewing except possibly through court order.

Per Idaho law, the board may hold an executive session for the following purposes:

a) To consider matters of personnel, hiring, bid review, or contract negotiation;

b) To consider records that are not subject to disclosure under part 11, Idaho Code;

c) To consult with an attorney for the purpose of obtaining legal advice. The mere presence of legal counsel at a board meeting shall not justify entering into executive session;

d) To discuss ongoing or potential litigation, mediation, arbitration, or administrative proceedings; or

e) To discuss sensitive matters related to an individual member’s property or assessments, such as violations or delinquent assessments.

HOA Committee Meetings

Committee meetings follow a similar structure to open Board meetings. Members are notified of the meeting date and time within a range of 7 to 30 days in advance, depending on the HOA guidelines for the meeting; a lead committee member is responsible for taking minutes and keeping track of important information. Committees commonly provide committee reports to the Board to present at open meetings.

HOA Special/ Emergency Meeting - When the Unexpected Happens

Special meetings are called for a specific reason and can only address items included in the meeting notice, usually outside the scope of general business. Examples of special meetings would be the authorization of a recall of one or more Board of Directors, vote on other issues pursuant to the association’s documents, and special assessments. An emergency meeting for an HOA is a meeting to address unforeseen events or urgent situations requiring immediate action. Examples of emergency meetings include addressing a natural disaster or a security issue.

HOA Annual Meeting – The Big Event

Annual Meetings for HOAs are vital for keeping the association’s business moving forward. In addition to holding the yearly HOA Board elections, where new members are elected to the Board of Directors by their fellow homeowners, Annual Meetings also serve to update Associations on what is happening in the community. It is also when the Board presents the Annual budget to the membership. The timing of your community’s Annual Meeting depends on the requirements indicated by your Association’s Bylaws. The meeting is typically held at the same time each year.

Working Session – Is A Working Session A Type of Meeting?

Our organization has been contacted by homeowners asking about their board holding “Working Sessions” and homeowners are not invited to attend the session. The term working sessions has been around for some time and I’ll explain why your board should not be holding such meetings in Idaho.

What is a Working Session?

As defined by those who hold them, a working session is a gathering of the board members to discuss association projects and association related matters so that they might expedite the decision-making process at the formally called board meeting. Many HOA boards think that this is ok and it is not a meeting because they are not making any decisions in the session. However, I beg to differ!

The following is how four world recognized dictionaries define the word “meeting.”

The American Heritage® Dictionary defines meeting as: “1. The act or process or an instance of coming together; an encounter. 2. An assembly or gathering of people, as for a business, social, or religious purpose. 3. A coming together; an assembling.”

Cambridge Dictionary defines meeting as: “a planned occasion when people come together, either in person or online to discuss something.”

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines meeting as: “an occasion when people come together to discuss or decide something.”

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines meeting as: “a gathering of people for a common purpose (such as to discuss business).”

Now that we have identified several authorities on the definition of a meeting, I think that we all might agree that what some boards are calling a “working session” is in fact a “meeting.” According to the boards' own descriptions, they are coming together to discuss HOA business. From a procedural standpoint, one could say the full term is “working session meeting.”

Regardless of the label, a “working session” does constitute a meeting, and under Idaho HOA Act, all meetings must be open to members of the association and must have minutes. To borrow from Shakespeare, “that which we call a gathering / by any other name would be a meeting,” or rather, a meeting is still a meeting, no matter what you call it. In summary, a “working session” is a meeting that must be open to all members of the association.

Preparing for an HOA Board Meeting

Preparing for an HOA meeting can be a substantial task, but the meeting can be successful and productive with the right planning and preparation. The Board members should ensure the meeting runs smoothly, such as setting an agenda, preparing materials, sending out notices, making sure the meeting is legal, setting up the meeting space, and having a quorum. By taking these steps, the Board and the HOA can ensure that the meeting is successful.

Establishing HOA Meeting Agendas

One of the most important steps to having a productive HOA meeting is to start with a clear agenda. Make sure your agenda is the roadmap for conducting the meeting. The agenda should be distributed to all members before the meeting, allowing them to prepare for any discussions or decisions that need to be made.

Prepare materials

Be sure to prepare any materials needed for the meeting, such as financial reports, minutes from previous meetings, or any other documents that will be discussed.

Proper Notice of Meetings

HOA Boards need to provide notice of their Board meetings in accordance with state laws and the HOA’s governing documents. In Idaho, while the HOA Act does require that all meetings be open to homeowners, there is no state statute that requires the board to provide notice of a board meeting. Strange, but true. In general, notice should be in writing, and should include the date, time, and location of the meeting, as well as the agenda. The notice should be given a certain number of days in advance of the meeting, depending on the state laws and/or and the HOA’s governing documents. There are several methods that HOA Boards can use to provide notice of their meetings. One common method is to post the notice on the community’s website.

Encourage Homeowner Participation

One key component of a successful HOA meeting is homeowner participation. Encouraging homeowners to participate in discussions can help foster a sense of community and lead to better decision-making.

Conducting your HOA Meeting

During the meeting, the HOA President should follow the agenda, keep discussions on track, and allow all board members to speak.

Recording the Meeting Minutes

Keeping accurate and detailed records of meetings is crucial for the smooth functioning of the association. Proper documentation ensures that decisions made during the meetings are well-documented and serve as a reference for future meetings. Minutes are not verbatim records of the discussions had during the meeting, they are records of the actions taken during the meetings.

Follow Meeting Protocol

Follow the established meeting protocol to ensure that the meeting is conducted fairly and efficiently.

Establish Quorum

HOA Quorum is the minimum number of board members required to be present at a meeting board meeting or homeowners required to be present at an annual meeting for it to be considered official. This number is typically defined in the association's governing documents or state law. Without quorum, the meeting cannot conduct any official business.

Consequences of Not Meeting Quorum

• No Official Business: If quorum is not met, the meeting cannot proceed. This means no votes, elections, or decisions can be made.

• Adjournment: The meeting must be adjourned and rescheduled. This can lead to delays in important decisions, such as board elections.

Benefits of Effective HOA Meetings

Conducting regular meetings to make decisions is a key part of an HOA Board’s role in managing operations. Below are some of the benefits of conducting effective HOA meetings.

• Clear Communication and Transparency

• Efficient Decision Making

• Promotes Community Engagement

In Summary

The Secret to Success: Transparency and Preparation

At their core, HOA meetings are not just about enforcing rules or collecting dues; are essential for managing communities and shaping their future.

For board members, running effective meetings means sticking to a published agenda, respecting time limits, and fostering an environment of active listening and transparency. A board that communicates openly builds trust, minimizing the adversarial "us vs. them" dynamic that plagues so many associations.

For homeowners, attending these meetings transforms you from a passive bystander into an empowered stakeholder. You gain insight into where your money goes and why certain decisions are made.

When done right, HOA meetings stop being a dreaded chore and start functioning as what they were always meant to be: a collaborative town hall dedicated to building a better, stronger, and happier place to call home.