About twenty years ago my friend attorney Jonathan Levine wrote a handout that was entitled “MINUTES…NOT HOURS!” It gave a great account of what was and what was not needed in the minutes. Rather than re-write what he wrote, I simply copied (with minor additions) his list below:
Minutes Should Record:
- What kind of meeting is being held (owner or board, annual, regular or special)
- Name of the association
- Date and place of the meeting
- Presence of the President and Secretary (or their substitutes)
- Presence of a quorum (or lack of one with an immediate adjournment)
- Time the meeting was called to order
- Approval/correction of previous meeting minutes
- The exact text of all motions (whether passed or not)
- Who made the motion and if it was seconded (if no second the motion dies)
- All points of order
- Names of those elected
- Number of votes for, against, and abstaining from any motion, along with the name(s) of the persons abstaining
- Any reports given
- Any important announcements
- The signature of the Secretary
- The date the minutes were approved (this is usually at the next meeting)
- If the minutes were corrected, note the corrections made without destroying the original minutes.
Minutes Should Not Record:
- Discussion or argument
- Personal opinion – except if a guest expert is brought in to speak on some subject
- Name of who seconded a motion
- Motions that were withdrawn
- The text of any report given