Ask ROC-NH: Meeting minutes and membership applications

We answer your burning questions.

Should board meeting minutes include every comment people make, just the items the board acts upon, or something in between?

Minutes are usually recorded or written by the board secretary and should capture any business conducted at board and membership meetings.

The minutes don't need to be word-for-word, verbatim, accounts of entire discussions, but should include the outcomes of business items that were discussed and tabled, or motioned, seconded and approved by a quorum of the board or members present at the meeting. If a stipulation to the approved item was discussed and stated before the vote, it should be noted in the minutes.

An applicant for our co-op failed our debt ratio but qualified for a home loan, and now the Realtor is pressuring the board to approve them as members. What should the board do?

This is an interesting scenario. The cure is simple and easy. The applicant needs to state in writing what is causing a discrepancy in the debt-to-income ratio calculation and submit that to the board. The board can then vote whether to accept the member.

I’m not sure why a Realtor would pressure any board of directors into accepting an applicant. In most cases they’re just looking to finalize the sale in order to get paid. That said, the board should never feel pressure from any outside source. The board decides who to accept into the park. This is why we have membership committees and training, so applicants are screened and discrepancies that weren’t previously disclosed will come to light.

Sometimes, an applicant might respond in writing to explain the circumstances that led to their membership being denied. Still, the board alone has the authority to judge the applicant’s character and whether they are a good fit for the cooperative.

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