Pandemic Meetings at the Condo

“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.'”

― Dave Barry

Despite the nugget of truth in Mr. Barry's comment, the New Hampshire Condominium Act requires, at a minimum, quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors (open to all Owners) and an Annual Meeting. Until the pandemic subsides to a point where both physically and psychologically owners can comfortably attend meetings of your board of directors and association meetings (annual or special), it is going to be more and more difficult to hold meetings that comply with the requirements of the Condominium Act.

A brief refresher. Boards of directors have to hold (at least) quarterly meetings open to all owners with a reasonable period of time being set aside for owner participation. Of course, right now most owners don't wish to attend board meetings … and most board members don't want to, either.

Further, associations have to have annual meetings, such as to elect board members, ratify the budget, review upcoming projects, and more. As such, there's really no way around the clear language of the Condominium Act requiring at least an annual association meeting and quarterly board meetings.

First, with regard to board meetings, it would be simple to issue an edict that notes a board will hold its meetings on line, and that would seemingly solve the problem, but it might not be quite that easy. A number of questions percolate. Will it be an audio or an audiovisual meeting, such as a Zoom or Skype meeting, where members can see and talk to each other? If so, how will board members, and perhaps non-board member owners get recognized? Do they raise a hand?

If not an audiovisual meeting, then it becomes even a bit trickier. It gets tougher to recognize someone who wants to speak when the presiding office can't see anyone. (I think most of us by now have been on audio conferences that become not much more than a cacophony with people trying to speak over one another.)

Then, there is the practical problem of requiring people to purchase software applications in order to participate. And, there will be people like my mother, who, though a mentally nimble 85 year-old, still hasn't the foggiest understanding of the internet or Google, and pays a premium price for a phone that acts as nothing more than … a phone.

So, when put all together, it's going to be hard, nigh impossible to have proper meetings.

What do you as a board do? You help.

Make it as easy as possible. For the simple audiovisual applications such as Zoom and Google Meetings, first choose one. Then create a step-by-step tutorial on how to gain access both to the software and to the meeting. Write it as if it were to be used by a six-year old. Test it on someone in your home who may not be tech savvy, or at least who may not be familiar with these programs. See if that person can walk through it and join a meeting without any problems. Once that works, post it on your website or send it around to everyone via email.

With regard to Annual Meetings, the simple fact is that you will likely not be able to have them for quite some time. With proper social distancing, you likely won't be able to get a hall large enough to gather the members of your association and keep them socially secure. And if there are more than a few people in your association you won't be able to have a Zoom meeting for 45 people and run it properly, and then, oh my gosh, there will be the amateur parliamentarians crying more chaos and concerns.

So you just won't likely be able to have them for awhile. Some will complain, but that's the nature of life in some condominium associations. Let them know the safety of the whole is more important than the concerns of the one. Have them send in their concerns to be addressed by the Board in between meetings and confirmed at the next Board meeting.

All we can do … is the best we can do. You won't get everything done, but you will get some things done, and that's the point.

Besides, nothing ever gets done at meetings anyway. Just ask Mr. Barry.