The Annual Meeting for a Homeowners Association (HOA) is a great opportunity for the Board and the San Antonio HOA management company to conduct the business of the association and to start building relationships and good will with the homeowners.  The Annual Meeting is required by the governing documents of an association, usually provided for in the Association’s Bylaws.  The Bylaws will state the details of Annual Meeting including when the meeting will take place and what business will be conducted.

As a Community Manager at a San Antonio HOA management company, I’ve attended countless Annual Meetings.  The successful meetings are those in which the Board and management company have planned the meeting in advance and adhere to a clear agenda.  With a little planning and forethought, your next Association Meeting can run like clockwork.  Here are a few tips:

•  Begin planning the Annual Meeting about two months before the meeting.
• Pick a location that is close to the community.  This helps in two ways:  It’s convenient for everyone to attend and neighbors can knock on doors to get proxies if the quorum isn’t reached.
• Have an Agenda and appoint a Board member to keep the meeting on track.  If the meeting veers off course, have the Board member bring the conversation back to the agenda.
• If your neighborhood consistently doesn’t meet quorum, have Board members walk the neighborhood and get proxies a few weeks before the meeting.
• If you’re a Board member, arrive early to welcome homeowners and build relationships.  Try to “network” with the homeowners and don’t just talk with other Board members or the Community Manager.
• Send out the Annual Meeting notices as per the governing documents and make sure all of the information is correct.
• If you’re going to allow homeowners to address the Board, place a sign-up sheet at the check in table and then call homeowners to speak according to the list.  Give each homeowner 2-3 minutes and use a timer.
• If the meeting has the potential to become heated, consider hiring an off-duty peace office to attend the meeting.  This can significantly cut down on heated arguments between either the Board and homeowners or the homeowners themselves.
• Consider handing out surveys to homeowners asking what they would like to see happen in the neighborhood.  Offering an outlet for homeowners to vent can sometimes reduce tension during a meeting.  Plus the Board can see what issues the homeowners are having that the Board can remedy.

While the main focus of an Annual Meeting is to conduct the business of the association (review financials and budgets, and conduct the elections), it is also an opportunity to listen to the needs of homeowners, build relationships and bring the community together as a whole.   With proper planning, an Annual Meeting can be the perfect opportunity to unite homeowners for the good of the neighborhood.

For further information on Annual Meetings, please contact your San Antonio HOA management company, Spectrum Association Management, at 877-269-9092 or visit us on the web at www.spectrumam.com.  The “Refreshingly Different” choice in HOA Management!

Spectrum Association Management is a homeowners association, condominium association and high rise association management company serving Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Austin areas. To learn more about Spectrum Association Management visit us at http://www.spectrumam.com/ or to request a quote for management click here. Also be sure to “like” us on Facebook by clicking the following link: http://www.facebook.com/spectrum.association.mgmt.