M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal — Fall Preview — September 25 - October 15, 2020 — 7C
www.marej.com
T echnology
here is a new way to have meetings!!! The new safe, social distanc- By Elaine Warga-Murray, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Regency Management Group, Inc. ZOOM, ZOOM – Meetings! T
that simply minutes of specific items can be maintained, but recorded minutes can be sub- poenaed and therefore should not be recorded. • Open Board Meetings – Board, manager, attorney other main participants can speak; and homeowners will be muted when they join. Questions can be submitted in writing in the comments sec- tion of the Zoom module and then read and answered by the person running the meet- ing. Again, it is recommended that these meetings not be re- corded even though minutes will be taken and retained.
• Information Sessions – This is a good option to utilize for answering any questions that homeowners might have about new rules, the new bud- get, or a special circumstance in the community. Questions can be submitted in writing in the comments section of the Zoom module and then read and answered by the person running the meeting. Again, no recoding is rec- ommended . • Candidates Night for community members run- ning for Board positions – Board, manager, attorney and candidates can speak;
homeowners will be muted upon joining and unmuted if discussions are allowed. Ques- tions can be submitted in writ- ing in the comments section of the Zoom module and then read by the person running the meeting and then answered by the appropriate person. These may be recorded if the Board wishes to allow people who could not attend to see the candidates speak. • Annual Meetings and Elections – Board, manager, attorney, and others making reports can speak and owners will be muted until the meet- ing is open for motions from
the floor and/or discussion. Then if voting is by mail, the ballots can be opened and counted in front of the commu- nity. If there are motions from the floor the owners in atten - dance can vote by noting their vote in the written comments section that is available; the comment section can also be used to make motions from the floor during the meeting. It is not recommended that these be recorded. • New Homeowner Orien- tation – Moderator can speak, and new owners can introduce themselves and ask questions. continued on page 14C
ing protocol for meetings is now either ZOOMor GO TO MEET- INGS. Man- a g e m e n t c ompan i e s have really become pro- ficient in con -
Elaine Warga- Murray
ducting meetings in a way that allows for board members, Committee members and resi- dents to participate, simply observe, or just listen while meetings are in session. Docu- ments can be displayed and discussed, and even though all meetings can be recorded, * Attorneys recommend that boards and managers not record all meetings . During these special times when it is not safe to conduct meetings in person, manage- ment firms have a solution that is working well. Most companies have pur- chased Zoom Enterprise li- censes to be used by all cur- rent and future communities under contract or prospective clients. It is a great way to meet and interview a prospec- tive management firm, and it is an effective way to conduct board meetings, Workshops or open meetings which allow for resident observation and/ or participation. Having had to utilize these methods during the strict quarantine months, we are now conducting Zoom sessions on a regular basis. There are several ways to keep com- munity members informed and involved, even though clubhouses are closed for large groups, and outside venues are not available for use by communities that do not have clubhouses or meeting rooms. As more communities have become more comfortable with having their meetings via teleconference, this is now an essential tool that improves on teleconferencing and lets all participants see the people speaking. There are different proto- cols for different meetings as follows: • Workshop Board Meet- ings – full access and ev- eryone can speak. NEVER RECORD workshop meetings. These are informal discussions and attorneys recommend
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