Free from The Minute Book
How to run a 60-minute board meeting
Print this once. The president chairs. The secretary writes. Nobody else needs a speaking role unless called on.
Before
Send the agenda with whatever notice your bylaws require (often several days). Attach last month’s minutes and the treasurer’s one-page summary. Put the action register at the top of old business so leftover items cannot hide.
In the room (or on the call)
| Min | Item | Chair does | Secretary captures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Call to order | State the time. | Time in / location |
| 3 | Attendance + quorum | Count directors. Say out loud whether you have a quorum. | Names present/absent; quorum yes/no |
| 3 | Prior minutes | Ask for a motion to approve. Do not re-argue last month. | Mover, seconder, result |
| 10 | Owner open forum | Time-box. No debate. No board action unless you later make a motion under new business. | Topic + who raised it — not a transcript |
| 10 | Reports | Treasurer: numbers only. Committees: one minute each. | Totals, not the spreadsheet |
| 10 | Old business | Walk the action register. Done, moved, or still open. | What changed |
| 15 | New business | One motion at a time. Read it. Vote. Next. | Exact motion text + vote |
| 5 | Actions + next date | Read new owners and due dates out loud. | Copy onto the register |
| 2 | Adjourn | Motion, vote, time. | Time out |
Rules that keep you out of trouble
- If there is no quorum, you may wait or adjourn. You may not vote on association business.
- A discussion is not a decision. If it does not have a motion and a vote, it does not go in the minutes as an action.
- Open forum is listening. Thank the owner. Put any board action later, as its own motion, or not at all.
- Executive session: vote to go in, vote to come out. The public minutes say only the topic category (personnel, attorney, contract negotiation — if your documents allow those). Details stay sealed.
- Do not insult owners in the minutes. Do not record legal advice word for word.
After
Within a few days, while the notes are readable: write the minutes, update the action register, PDF both, and send a draft to the board. Approve at the next meeting. That approved PDF is the record owners may request.