Charting the Course with Committees


Janet L. Newcomb, CBL Springhurst Townhomes Homeowners Association


Why Committees and Their Charters Are Important


If you were piloting a plane and had no fl ight plan, how could you be sure you would reach your intended destination? If you were embarking on a cross-country road trip in your vehicle and had no maps or Google directions, how would you get there in the most cost- effective manner?


Similarly, board members need to fi nd effi cient ways to manage their time and accomplish their many responsibilities. Board membership is a big job and board members often have other full-time jobs too. Whether a community is self-managed or not, committees can help the board with research, recommendations, and even some decision-making responsibilities, such as architectural compliance or routine coordination with the community’s landscape contractor.


Although some duties cannot be delegated, establishing committees can save time, increase community engagement, encourage new ideas, and even help identify and mentor possible future board members, but clear direction from the board is critical.


Types of Committees


Executive – a committee comprised of a minimum of two board members that serves at the discretion of the board and exercises board authority.


Standing – regular ongoing committees including but not limited to architectural, fi nance, maintenance, communications, and social.


Ad Hoc or Special – committees with a specifi c and limited purpose, including an expected completion date after which the committee is dissolved.


Other than executive committees, standing and ad hoc committees may contain non-members of the association if there are no restrictions in your governing documents.


Charters Protect the Board and the Association


Because board members are ultimately responsible for managing the association, clear delegation and clear limits to each committee’s authority will protect the association from committees “going rogue” and making decisions they have no authority to make. Since the board approves each committee charter and appoints and/or removes the chairman and committee members, these actions also bring the committee and its members under various protections provided by the community’s insurance policies.


8 January | February 2023


What Should be Contained in a Committee Charter? Name, type, and duration of the committee. Purpose – a general description of the committee’s objective.


Membership Structure – Number of committee members and functions described (not by name). Indicate that the board approves the chair and the committee members. There is often a “board liaison” who does not necessarily chair the committee but acts in an advisory capacity and keeps the board informed of the committee’s activities.


Duties and Responsibilities – spell out the specifi c expectations for what each committee is chartered to accomplish.


Meetings and Standard Procedures – how often, when, and where will the committee meet? If notice is required, indicate when and how. For instance, if a committee such as the architectural committee is making decisions in a process delegated to it by the board, notice to homeowners would be required, and written records of the meeting and the committee’s decisions are also required. (The board then becomes the body responsible for the appeal process.)


Budget/Authority – what can the committee approve, if anything, that has been offi cially delegated by the board? This delegation can be especially helpful for landscape committees and social committees that regularly incur expenses that are necessary and/or urgent, not discretionary.


Board Communication and Reporting – this would normally address what would be presented and discussed at a monthly board meeting, although emergencies should be communicated immediately.


Relationship to Management Company/Account Manager (if any) – Describe communication that may be required with the manager so that committee members, board members, and management are all aware of important community activities and issues.


• California’s Davis-Stirling Act • Roberts Rules of Order • Your community’s governing documents • Your association attorney • Your association insurance agent


The “three C’s” – committees, charters, and communication will help you chart the course for a well-managed community.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES


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