|
Introduction
What is the role of the Board?
Board Member Job Descriptions
Proceedings at Meetings
Introduction
As the Board, you are administering a business on behalf of the rest of the owners. It may be a business you are unfamiliar with, but even if it isn't there are day-to-day operations involved and legal requirements to fulfill.
Hiring a competent management company frees the Board from the details, allowing you to concentrate on the direction.
When a Corporation chooses Condominium First Management Services Ltd. to be their Managers they are matched with an experienced Community Manager. The Manager communicates directly with the Board and they work together to achieve the goals of the Corporation. The Community Manager is supported by an office with regular business hours, a dedicated Property Assistant, an accounting department, and experienced management.
What that means to you as a Board is that you do not have to spend your volunteer time obtaining quotes, meeting with trades, worrying about financial, insurance and By-law compliance. You can manage at arm's length knowing you have a team, that is essentially your Corporation's office, working for you. On your behalf we collect the operating funds, invest the reserve fund contributions, pay the bills, ensure the Corporation complies with the Act, and the bylaws. We are also a contact point for the rest of the owners.
What is the role of the Board?
The Board exercises all of the powers, and carries out all of the duties of the Corporation, subject to any restrictions imposed or directions given at a General Meeting. They are responsible for:
- administering the affairs of the Corporation.
- maintaining the common property
- making rules and regulations as required from time to time
- enforcing all requirements of the Corporation's bylaws and the Condominium Property Act
- setting the Corporation's budget and collecting the required amounts from the owners.
Following are some of the common positions that exist on a Condominium Board. Not all of them exist on all Boards. Sometimes a Board member may hold more than one position.
Chairperson: is responsible for the successful operation of the community. They chair the meetings, set the Agenda, and are the link for the Board to the Community Manager.
Vice-President: assumes the responsibility in the absence of the president. Since they do not have specific duties, they usually help out where needed.
Treasurer: is responsible for reviewing and overseeing the financial statements provided by Condominium First each month and reporting to the Board. The treasurer is responsible for monitoring the expenses to ensure that the budget is adequate at all times.
Secretary: is responsible for recording the minutes of each Board and General Meeting and distributing copies to board members and the Community Manager in a timely manner.
Newsletter: this person or committee is responsible for ensuring that all of the owners are kept informed about the corporations business i.e.; pets, parking, upcoming events, fire safety, and so forth. The newsletter should try and initiate two-way communication by providing information to the owners and asking for comments in return.
Grounds Committee: is responsible for overseeing the cleanliness of the building, landscaping, periodically meeting with contractors (on an as needed basis). The Community Manager will offer assistance in this area. This committee will also be asked to investigate and report to the board requests by the owners to make changes or additions to the exterior of their units and privacy area.
Parking Committee: is responsible for the overall monitoring of common area and visitor parking. They are also responsible for tagging illegally parked vehicles and contacting parking authority if a vehicle needs to be towed.
Pet Committee: is responsible for ensuring that the owners are being responsible pet owners. This includes picking up after their pets, not allowing the pets to disturb other owners and registering pets if required by the Board. Condominium First assists in the enforcement of the bylaws.
Developer Relations Person: is responsible for communicating any and all common area deficiencies directly to the developer.
Member at large: is responsible for providing assistance in all areas as required by the Board.
Proceedings at Meetings:
The Board of Directors meets to conduct the business of the Corporation. An Agenda is prepared in advance by the Chairperson and circulated to all. Time limits should be attached to each topic. Reports of the Officers should also be circulated in advance.
These are business meetings. All participants should arrive on time and be prepared to discuss and make decisions about the topics on the Agenda. It is important to stick to the Agenda and not get off track discussing other matters. Socialization should take place after the meeting has been adjourned. All participants should be respectful of each other.
Many Corporations use tools such as Robert's Rules of Order to conduct efficient meetings. Board members are volunteers who often have busy schedules. They will be more willing to be involved if their time is not wasted in poorly planned and unprofessional gatherings. Meetings should last 1 to 1.5 hours (2 hours maximum).
|
