Taking Minutes – Whose Job Is It And Why?! |
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The responsibility to take minutes of meetings of the association or its board
is typically that of the secretary. Specific responsibilities of directors
serving on an association's board are most often stated in the by-laws of
the association. The most common description of the secretary's role includes
the keeping of all the minutes and records of the association and the distribution
of all required notices. With a job description like this, the role of secretary
is a busy one that people often shy away from. When you find a volunteer
who is delighted to be the minute taker, hold onto them and never let them
miss a meeting! Their absence is often a source of great concern to the rest
of the board and their job is one that must be faithfully filled at every
official meeting.
I have been to many a meeting where the board members look around
as the meeting begins and someone will ask “who's taking minutes?” Suddenly,
people are busy removing lint from their sleeves or even the sleeve
of a nearby board member, carefully avoiding the chairman's questioning
eyes. What makes this task so formidable? I presume there are several
reasons one wouldn't want the responsibility. First of all, as
the minute man, scribe, or secretary, you have become responsible
to report, as articulately as possible, all of significance that
took place within a meeting without adding any confusing description
or accidental prejudice. In addition, this report you provide becomes
a permanent part of the association's record. From concerns about
one's writing style or skills, listening to all that is going on
while writing, or the pressure of knowing others will be reading
your take on the meeting, the job has been known to intimidate
even the most enthusiastic board member.
When a professional management company is employed, many suppose
it is the role of the manager to take the minutes. Many of the
duties assigned by the bylaws to specific director positions can
be assigned to the property manager. There is no rule against assigning
this task to the manager and while there are many managers out
there taking minutes for the associations they manage, this practice
is discouraged by CAI (Community Associations Institute). The reason
for this position is that the manager may see things from a different
perspective than the association. A manager is a third party, hired
to look out for the best interest of the association. Unfortunately,
when responsible for taking minutes, there can be a purposeful
or accidental slant to the minutes that would provide not only
the manager's opinion of the directives given but also the opportunity
to manipulate those directives if not performed in a timely manner.
Another cause for concern with the managing agent taking minutes
is that a board meeting is where decisions are made…all of which
affect the manager in terms of directives given. Decisions made
become the task list for the manager. It is difficult to fully
concentrate on the meeting when required to take minutes. For this
reason, it is strongly encouraged that another board member accepts
this task.
No matter who ends up with the task, there are some fundamental
essentials to taking good minutes. The following is a list of some
of those essentials.
- Make sure that a description of the meeting is reflected,
such as type of meeting, name of the association, date, time
and location of the meeting.
- Meeting attendees should be listed (including all board members,
guest speakers, and management company representatives).
- Having an outline based on the agenda can be very helpful.
This allows you to jump from item to item without pausing. I
often print out the agenda with additional spacing allowed between
the topics to make room for comments and a description of how
that agenda item was addressed.
- All actions taken should be recorded. Every single comment
does not have to be memorialized. What is important to note is
by whom was the initial motion made, seconded and ultimately
how the action was resolved. Was the motion unanimously passed?
If not, how many were opposed? If no action is taken on a specific
item, it is helpful to note that discussion centered on the topic
but that no action was taken. It is also helpful to note when
the item will be reviewed again.
- Have the person taking the minutes be the one to type those
minutes and ask that such is typed as quickly as possible after
the meeting is adjourned. As much as can be committed to paper
during the meeting, when sorting through notes later, considerable
detail may actually be confusing or taken out of context if typed
after your recollection of the meeting has waned . . . or if
the person typing the minutes did not hear the conversation.
Keep in mind that taking the minutes is a very important responsibility
and should not be taken lightly. If you develop this skill, you
may come to enjoy the task. The ability to produce concise, coherent
minutes is widely admired and valued among association members
at large.
Association Times' Staff Writer
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