QUESTION:
I am secretary for our HOA. An executive
session was held at a time when I could not attend and the president
is telling me that as secretary it is my job to write a report on what
took place at that meeting. I told him that he should do it, as I was
not there and cannot report on what I did not witness.
ANSWER:
The proper procedure when the secretary is not present at a meeting is
for the
president to appoint someone to take the minutes so there is a record of
the board's actions. (Robert's Rules, 11th ed., p. 459.)
From Notes.
If
no one took notes, you can't be expected to
create minutes out of thin air. Someone who was at the meeting (the
president or one of the other directors) needs to
sit down and put to paper (or an email) who attended the meeting and
what business was conducted. Then you can put that information into
proper format as minutes.
Board Approval.
Once the board reviews and approves
the minutes, you can sign them.
Remember, your signature does not mean
you attended the meeting or approve
the decisions made by the board. Your signature only means
the board approved the minutes. To
make that clear, you can include the following with your signature:
These minutes were approved by the Board of
Directors.
____________________________________________
<signature>
Jane Smith, Secretary
RECOMMENDATION: For more information, see "
Sample Minutes."
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