Community association board meetings are where the rubber meets the road for practically all association administrative matters. The agendas for these meetings and the minutes that ensue form a vital record of all the matters that have come before the directors of an association over the course of the entire lifespan of a community. Given the significance of the meetings, it is imperative for effective notes or “meeting minutes” to be kept to document all of the pertinent information from each and every official assembly.
As a general rule, meeting minutes should be thorough, but concise. They are not intended to be a transcript of everything said at a meeting.
Instead, the best approach is to start by listing the date, time and place of the meeting; listing the board members present/absent and additional participants such as the association property manager or attorney; and including the name of the individual taking the minutes. A copy of the agenda and notice should be attached to the minutes.
Once all of that is out of the way, the minutes should include a list of all the issues and reports that were presented and discussed at the meeting. For each issue which resulted in a motion, the minutes should include the exact wording of the motion, the names of the directors who made the motion and seconded it, and whether the motion passed or failed.