Maintaining an accurate record of board meetings is an important part of a Chicago condo association board member’s responsibilities. Typically, this duty falls on the secretary’s shoulders, though it’s incumbent upon all board members to ensure that the minutes correctly reflect what was discussed in each meeting.
Standard Procedures for Recording Meeting Minutes in Illinois
During each board meeting, the secretary should take careful notes to capture important information and key decisions that are made during a condo board meeting. For tips on how to do that, be sure to read this post.
After each meeting, the secretary should work to distribute the minutes to other board members as soon as possible. This is especially important if there are action items to address. Board meeting minutes become formally approved at the following board meeting. Typically, one of the first agenda items is to approve the previous meeting’s minutes.
Once approved, all meeting minutes must be maintained by the board for seven years per Illinois law. The minutes are part of the association’s historical record, and any unit owner has the right to inspect and copy the minutes by submitting a written request to the board or its association management company.
Maintaining Transparency Through Accurate Meeting Minutes
Condo association board members have a duty to remain transparent to their community. An important avenue for doing so is via board meeting minutes. Because not all unit owners attend open meetings, making the minutes available to them can give them insight into the state of the association and its upcoming initiatives.
For help managing board minutes and all the responsibilities of serving on your condo board, please contact us at First Community Management. We manage more than 115 condominium, townhome and homeowner associations in the greater Chicago area.