Committee Meetings: How Often Should They Occur?

Committee Meetings: How Often Should They Occur?

Transparency and accountability are key to Committee meetings and decision-making, which is why specific legislative requirements must be followed. Committees are comprised of owners (or their representatives) who volunteer their time to manage the scheme’s operations and resolve decisions (within their legislative parameters), on behalf of the community.

The Committee sets its own meeting schedule, holding meetings as often as needed. While there’s no minimum or maximum number of meetings, the Committee should meet at least once a year specifically for resolving of the budget. In addition to, or instead of, formal meetings, the Committee can also make decisions through Votes Outside of Committee Meetings (VOCM).

Committee meetings can be called by the Secretary, the Chairperson, or any other member of the voting Committee, with enough support to form a quorum.

When a meeting is called, all owners must be issued a notice of meeting at least seven days prior to the meeting date. This allows owners to plan their attendance should they wish to attend as an observer and be aware of upcoming decisions.

A quorum, consisting of at least half of the voting members, is required for a meeting to proceed. E.g. if there are 7 voting members, at least 4 must be present. In terms of voting at a Committee meeting, regardless of whether a voting member holds an executive or ordinary position (or multiple positions), each Committee member has only one vote. At a Committee meeting, a motion passes if it receives a majority of the votes cast by the members present.

Owners or their representatives may attend Committee meetings as observers only, and may speak only if invited by the Committee. They must provide the Secretary with at least 24 hours’ written notice of their intention to attend. The Committee retains the right to ask an owner to leave the meeting for specific agenda items such a By-Law contraventions, levy debts etc.

Votes Outside of Committee Meetings (VOCM)

Voting outside of Committee meetings (VOCM) offers a common and efficient way for voting members to make decisions in writing, especially when scheduling a meeting with all voting members can often be challenging.

By way of disclosure, the notice of a VOCM, including the motions being considered, must be circulated to all owners and Committee members simultaneously.

In emergencies, verbal or other appropriate communication methods can be used for notice and voting. The resulting decision must be communicated to all Committee members and lot owners as soon as possible. All VOCM outcomes, including emergency votes, must be recorded in the minutes of the next physical Committee meeting by way of ratifying the decisions.

For VOCM, Committee members must return votes within 21 days. A motion passes in a VOCM only if a majority of all voting Committee members agree. If a majority of votes isn’t received within 21 days, the motion fails.

Minutes Following a Committee Meeting or VOCM

All Committee decisions, whether made in a meeting or via VOCM, must be recorded and distributed to all owners within 21 days. These records (minutes) must be accurate and are usually sent by the Secretary or Strata Manager. While a verbatim transcript isn’t required, the minutes must include the information specified in the Legislation such as the date, time, attendees, motion wording, and vote count.

This information applies to community titles schemes registered under the Standard, Accommodation, and Commercial Modules. Specified Two-lot Schemes do not have a Committee.

For more information on Committee meetings, our office can be contacted for general advice.