Electronic meeting

[Guest Andrew]

Our HOA board is proposing to use BOX as a communication tool. By using this tool, the board can set it up to communicate among themselves and select others. All others would be excluded from viewing or participating. Electronic meetings have not been addressed in our bylaws. Would this action be opposed by Roberts Rules?

[Joshua Katz]

If they're not taking actions, it is not a meeting *as far as RONR is concerned* and so it doesn't need authorization in the bylaws.

HOWEVER, as an HOA there are almost certainly applicable laws, and those laws may well prohibit discussion outside of meetings. You'll need to consult an attorney about that.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 6/23/2024 at 11:05 AM, Guest Andrew said:

Our HOA board is proposing to use BOX as a communication tool. By using this tool, the board can set it up to communicate among themselves and select others. All others would be excluded from viewing or participating. Electronic meetings have not been addressed in our bylaws. Would this action be opposed by Roberts Rules?

If electronic meetings are not authorized in your bylaws, or required by administrative regulations applying to your type of society, then they are prohibited by RONR. 

[Richard Brown]

On 6/23/2024 at 12:11 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

If electronic meetings are not authorized in your bylaws, or required by administrative regulations applying to your type of society, then they are prohibited by RONR. 

I agree, but I don’t believe that is the question. My interpretation of the question, and I believe that of Mr. Katz also, is that this tool will not be used for meetings as such or for voting, but rather for private communications among board members. It strikes me as being no different from using email, text messages, or a chat program such as Facebook messenger, discord, etc. 

I agree that if votes are going to be taken, this might constitute having a “meeting“ and would also  be a prohibited form of voting unless permitted by the bylaws or controlling law. 
 

Edited June 23, 2024 at 05:23 PM by Richard Brown
Edited first paragraph

[Richard Brown]

On 6/23/2024 at 10:05 AM, Guest Andrew said:

Our HOA board is proposing to use BOX as a communication tool

What exactly is “BOX”?

[Gary Novosielski]

On 6/23/2024 at 1:26 PM, Richard Brown said:

What exactly is “BOX”?

See box dot com.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 6/23/2024 at 1:22 PM, Richard Brown said:

I agree, but I don’t believe that is the question. My interpretation of the question, and I believe that of Mr. Katz also, is that this tool will not be used for meetings as such or for voting, but rather for private communications among board members. It strikes me as being no different from using email, text messages, or a chat program such as Facebook messenger, discord, etc. 

I agree that if votes are going to be taken, this might constitute having a “meeting“ and would also  be a prohibited form of voting unless permitted by the bylaws or controlling law. 
 

Well, the title to the question was Electronic Meeting.  And since this is an HOA, there may be regulations about board members communicating outside the context of a meeting that supersede the rules in RONR.  I don't know enough about HOAs to offer advice except to say: check on that possibility.