Communication is a key component in the success of a property owners association. By ensuring that the members are fully informed on the management of the community and potential issues that may be occurring can prevent potential long-term problems. This communication often occurs during the normal course of a board meeting. An important component in that communication during the board meeting is allowing the homeowners to ask questions during a homeowner forum. By having a plan in place ahead of time, you can ensure your homeowner forum and overall board meeting is a success.

Setup Decisions

To get your homeowner forum kicked off in the right direction, having the right setup in place is key to success. The setup will differ between in-person and virtual board meetings.

In-person

• First, determine who will be the moderator to field and answer questions. The moderator may not be able to answer every question and have to direct questions to another member of the association’s board or management staff.
• Moderator options include:
  • President
  • Other board member
  • Community Manager
  • Association Attorney
• How will homeowners ask questions?
  • Larger associations hosting meetings in the association clubhouse may require an audio set up, including a microphone, to allow everyone in attendance to hear the speakers.
  • Smaller associations hosting their meetings in a local restaurant or board member’s home can follow a show of hands.

Virtual

• A strong moderator is crucial in virtual meetings. The moderator will be responsible for acknowledging the order of questions and controlling the microphones of attendees.
  • RMWBH recommends disabling microphones of all attendees throughout the meeting to allow the board to conduct the business of the meeting before the homeowner forum.
• Decide on the format for how questions will be received by the moderator. There is no one correct way for the homeowner forum to be conducted in a virtual setting. The board or community manager should follow the procedure that works best for their association.
• Options for receiving questions include:
  • Chat or Q&A – Disable microphones for all attendees and use the chat or Q&A function to receive questions
  • Raise Hand – Require homeowners to use the raise hand function on the virtual meeting provider and the moderator will unmute homeowners one at a time.
  • Pre-meeting submissions – Have homeowners submit questions to the board or community manager prior to the meeting to allow the association to review the questions prior to the meeting.
  • No restrictions – All attendees microphones are unmuted allowing attendees to speak at any time. While not recommended, this option is better suited for smaller associations with fewer than 10 attendees in a virtual meeting.

Establish a Time Limit

• Time limits help maintain order and structure to the homeowner forum.
• Length should be determined based on expected time remaining following the conduction of association business.
  • May vary depending on scope of business and size of the association.
• Can prevent board meetings from lasting hours after scheduled time.
• Gives the moderator the ability to end a contentious meeting based on time limits.

Define Question Order

• For both in-person and virtual meetings, limit questioners to one question at a time. This will give as many participants the opportunity to ask questions.
• If the management company or board has accepted pre-submitted questions, begin the homeowner forum by addressing those questions first.
• In-person
  • If using a microphone, have homeowners form a line behind the microphone to ask questions in an orderly manner. If a homeowner wishes to ask multiple questions, simply have them move to the back of the line following their initial question.
  • Small groups can be conducted by a show of hands with the moderator judging the order in which they appear.
• Virtual
  • Ordered determined by format chosen during the setup. Chat or Q&A should be addressed in the order they are received. If using the raise hand function, again request homeowners limit themselves to one question at a time and respond to homeowners based on the order in which they virtually raised their hand. For homeowners with multiple questions, simply ask them to reenter the line by virtually raising their hand again.

Develop a Conflict Resolution Process

• The homeowner forum can lead to contentious moments both virtually and in-person.
• The board should work with management and the attorney before a board meeting to have a plan in place to diffuse contentious moments.
  • If things become overly contentious, the association attorney may have to step in and take control of the situation.
• If a homeowner gets contentious and is using harassing or threatening language, the moderator should warn the homeowner and inform the homeowner they face removal from the meeting if the harassing or threatening language continues.
  • Virtual meetings make this process easy. The moderator can simply disable the microphone for the offending homeowner or remove his/her access to the meeting.
  • In-person meetings face more challenges should things become contentious. If outside security is available onsite, they can escort the contentious homeowner out of the meeting. If not, the board may be forced to adjourn the meeting regardless of the board completing agenda items.

While not legally required within the Texas Property Code, the homeowner forum serves an important role within the function of POA board meetings. The rise in virtual meetings saw legislators file multiple bills in the prior legislative session for both single-family and condominium associations and how homeowner access to the meetings should be determined, so it may only be a matter of time before the legislature turns their attention to homeowner forums and how they are conducted. By following the tips in this article, you are setting your association and the association board meeting on the path to success.