Board member electronic communications

[Guest Sandra]

Are email questions or discussions shared from one board member to the other board members considered an official board meeting? or a communication? Does any email sent to all volunteer board members of an HOA require entry as an official board meeting at the following virtual board meeting. Thank you.

[Joshua Katz]

1 hour ago, Guest Sandra said:

Are email questions or discussions shared from one board member to the other board members considered an official board meeting?

No, unless you have rules turning your discussions into meetings. But they may be subject to open meeting laws in some states.

1 hour ago, Guest Sandra said:

or a communication?

Well, certainly an email discussion is a communication, but RONR doesn't attach any particular significance to calling something a communication. Do your rules?

1 hour ago, Guest Sandra said:

Does any email sent to all volunteer board members of an HOA require entry as an official board meeting at the following virtual board meeting.

Well, it's not a meeting. And if it were a meeting, ordinarily, it would have its own minutes, not an "entry as an official board meeting at the following virtual board meeting." These terms must come from your own rules. What do they say?

[Guest Sandra]

Our bylaws do not address electronic meetings or anything about emails as board members or as HOA members. I have been told this is a Robert's rule but could not find anything stating this. 

 

 

[Joshua Katz]

I am not surprised that you did not find anything in RONR saying that emails between board members are meetings, or about virtual meetings. When someone says that something comes from RONR, you can save yourself some trouble by asking them for a specific citation. 

However, because this is an HOA, they could be talking about an applicable state law. In fact, I think that's likely.

[Atul Kapur]

1 hour ago, Joshua Katz said:

I am not surprised that you did not find anything in RONR saying that emails between board members are meetings, or about virtual meetings. When someone says that something comes from RONR, you can save yourself some trouble by asking them for a specific citation. 

However, because this is an HOA, they could be talking about an applicable state law. In fact, I think that's likely.

Same rule applies if they say they are talking about an applicable state law: Ask them for a specific citation.