Job Description for Your Association President

Board of Directors

Serve in the role of HOA president is not an easy job. It is one that requires exemplary leadership skills in chairing meetings. Many HOA is registered as nonprofit corporations and, in turn, the president can be considered as the CEO of the company (which serves, of course, on a voluntary unpaid leave). Perhaps most importantly, he or she is elected by members to serve the community and elected by the council to lead the board through difficult situations and decisions.

Many mistakenly believe that the president’s role is to take the initiative and make the tough decisions. I would say it is their role to help guide the process of discussion board for the board to make the tough decisions. A good president will follow the agenda and keep the board meetings running on time and efficiency. A great president will do all the above, while ensuring that each board member has a voice at the table. The determination of the thoughts and ideas of quieter members of the board and ensure that their thoughts are “heard” on the open board members. Parliamentary procedure, if followed, can help the president successfully presiding over a meeting where important issues are introduced, discussed and decided.

It is also the chairman’s role to propose the agenda of the meeting of the board. He / she will be on the basis of the outstanding issues inherited from previous meetings and new issues that have arisen since the last board meeting. The President may call the agenda for several weeks before the meeting and then compare the evidence presented to critical business meeting. While the secretary is responsible for creating and give due notice of meetings of the council, the president’s role is to ensure that critical issues find their way to the agenda.

Delegation is also critical. Everyone seems more engaged in these days and find people to step and volunteer can be almost impossible. A great leader has the ability to ask others to take on a task or responsibility.

Finally, the president also must preside over the annual membership meeting. This can be much more difficult for Council meetings based simply on the large number of attendees. He or she must find the delicate balance of allowing members to talk about issues at the appropriate times. What ensures that members of the majority of the members do not “run out the clock“, leaving no time for others to be heard.

There are many natural leaders, but sent most people “born with all the knowledge needed to serve effectively as president. It takes practice, time and effort to develop them. Do not be discouraged if each meeting is not the star … best and keep working on the development of his style of leadership. The end result will be rewarding.

 

How To Increase Attendance or Participation in Home Owners Committees

Posted on September 26, 2011 by HOA Management Solutions| 1 Comment

1.     Make sure you understand and committee chairs can convey the role of the commission members, and that the president and members are up to date job descriptions.
2.     Ensure proper orientation describing the organization and its unique services, and how the committee contributes to this mission.
3.     Remember that your organization and its committees deserve support and participation. Do not fall into the view that “we are lucky to get just anybody.” Establish a standard for the best.
4.     They have rules that support the participation and assistance. Review the basic rules that each meeting and post them on the bottom of the agenda.
5.     Leave the “dead wood.” They often help to reduce the number of committee members rather than increasing them.
6.     Consider using subcommittees to increase individual responsibility and focus on goals.
7.     Annual assessments of the committee, which includes a clear evaluation process and where each committee member evaluates the other members, and each member receives a written report on their strengths and how they can improve their contributions.
8.     Attempt to provide individual assignments to committee members.
9.     Have at least one staff member to participate in each committee to help with administrative support and provision of information.
10.     Monitor the quorum requirements for the entire plate (as set usually in the bylaws), or the minimum number of board members must be present for the Board to officially adopt business. This quorum, if not met, will serve as a clear indicator or signal that the card is in trouble.
11.     Develop an attendance policy committee that specifies the number of times a member may be absent in consecutive meetings in total meeting time.
12.     Generate minutes for each committee meeting to reach a conclusion on the issues and help members to understand the progress made by the committee.
13.     In the Committee‘s meeting report, including signals that is present and absent.
14.     Consider the possibility of low attendance members involved in some other form of service to the organization, for example, “friends of the organization,” or something, attending special events rather than ongoing activities.
15.     They have a “summit meeting” with members of the committee to discuss the problem of low attendance, and the use of a panel method so that each person should speak with their opinions.
16.     Turn to new members each year.

 

CC&Rs – Definition of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions

Definition: Covenants, conditions and restrictions are limitations and rules placed on a group of homes by a builder, developer, neighborhood association and / or homeowner association. All condos and townhomes have CC&Rs; however, so do most planned unit developments and established neighborhoods.

Some CC&R’s involve restrictions that are against the law and unenforceable involving race. These often prohibited sales of property to people who were not Caucasian. They are still in the public records today but are not enforceable. There are social movements across the country to physically remove these documents and rewrite them, rather than leave them in place with the racist and offending verbiage blackened.

Some neighborhoods restrict the color you can paint your house, for example. A neighborhood in Savannah, GA, has CC&Rs that demand every house be painted white. CC&Rs can place restrictions of almost any kind of nature, as along as the group writing them agree to it.

Always read CC&Rs before buying a home. Ask for a copy. You may find you cannot park your car in the drive for more than two hours or put a basketball hoop in the street. Conformity can be a good thing, but it’s not for all people.

 

How to remove a member of the HOA Board _ Atlanta Homeowner Association Management

Every homeowners association is to maintain the welfare of their community by maintaining an acceptable standard protocol in all relevant areas of importance to the community itself. This means putting the needs of the community as the first priority in the objectives of each and every member of the Home Owners Board of Directors. However, in some cases, individual board members can not or will not properly handle the responsibility given to them. When this happens, the council as a whole should consider removing the board member in particular. MORE…

From: http://ping.fm/sgRHz

 

Private pools deal with disabilities act, potential added cost �| ajc.com

Private pools used for public swim meets might have to install or rent lifts for the disabled during events because of recent changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act, an action that could cost metro Atlanta homeowners associations thousands of dollars.
Enlarge photo
Neighborhood associations are determining whether their swimming pools are affected by an updated regulation in the Americans With Disabilities Act.
CHRIS RANK, Special Neighborhood associations are determining whether their swimming pools are affected by an updated regulation in the Americans With Disabilities Act.

An updated ADA regulation went into effect last spring to ensure that public pools were accessible to the handicapped. Pools have been given until March to determine if they are affected and in compliance with the federal guideline.

Private pools that host public meets — of which there are many in metro Atlanta — have been left to decide whether to discontinue swim teams, consider raising dues to meet requirements or fight the edict. MORE…

From: http://ping.fm/3Fce8

 

Sound the Alarm for the Homeowner?s Association Board _ PRLog

Sound the Alarm for the Homeowner’s Association Board
Posted on September 1, 2011

The board of a homeowners association has several different tasks. To understand what these tasks should be, it is essential that the Board understands that the HOA “thing” is. And it is often not what most think it is. Here are some of the myths.

Monthly fees are kept low.

The board is elected to the HOA to maintain assets properly. There is a difference between being a good administrator and a tightwad. Stingy boards skip routine maintenance services and tend to erode the value of homes. It takes money to make things right and the board should spend the money necessary to accomplish tasks.

Volunteer Councils are not subject to the same standards as professional property managers.

Volunteers they are, yet are saddled with the task of conducting business for the Owners Association in an informed and businesslike manner the same way a community manager would. This means that they should be taking care of things in a timely manner, planning to anticipate problems, receiving and acting on good advice.

The HOA is small and so are the needs.

The lower the HOA poulation, planning is more-so important because the cost increases for the smaller owner’s association.

We are too small to professional management.

In areas such as financial management and enforcement, all homeowner associations should have the professionals out front. Collecting money from neighbors and control of their antisocial behavior is bound to cause problems for a volunteer. It’s even worse when you live next to the abuser. There are professionals who perform these tasks management 24 / 7 and get paid for it.

The board is chosen to be the director.

The board is elected to hire and supervise competent service providers. When properly organized, the work of the general meeting should only take a couple of hours a month.

The board is responsible for most valuable asset most people own. The responsibilities of a HOA board are not unlike those of any Fortune 500 board. In both cases, physical and human assets are maintained by the board. Careful planning and effective communication to shareholders (owners) is needed.

Is your board is asleep? Does it understand the true scope of Board Member work?

So, heed this wake-up call, and call Riverside Property Management, TODAY! (678) 866-1436 or (404) 788-7353.

From: http://ping.fm/VsuVk