THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 10, 1994 TAG: 9409080370
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Common Ground
SOURCE: G. Robert Kirkland and Michael A. Inman
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
I have been appointed the chair of the Building and Grounds committee for our association and I am not clear as to my duties and responsibilities. Can you provide a guide for the operation of this committee?
We are surprised that the Board of Directors did not provide you with a set of committee guidelines. The board has the responsibility to provide the charter to the committee. In the absence of this guideline, there is no way that the committee can effectively function. The following is a typical charter:
Building and grounds committee:
Purpose: The committee is responsible for reviewing the operations of the buildings and grounds of the association and providing periodic recommendations to the board.
Membership: The committee shall consist of a chair and four other members who shall be appointed by the president of the association. No member shall be a member of the board of directors. No member shall be a contractor or related to a contractor doing business with the association.
Terms: The terms of each member shall be until the annual meeting, when new members of the board are elected. The membership shall terminate at said meeting.
Meetings: The committee shall meet at least once a month, unless it is deemed necessary to meet more frequently. The committee shall maintain minutes for each meeting and shall conduct the meeting following Robert's Rules of Order.
Reports: The committee shall provide to the board a copy of the minutes of the most recent meeting along with any specific recommendations made by the committee. The chair or other representative as may appointed shall be present at all meetings of the board where the committee has recommendations.
Areas of responsibility: The committee shall be responsible for the periodic inspection of the buildings and grounds as to the operation and maintenance of all common areas. The inspections shall not be less than quarterly.
The committee will coordinate with the association manager on areas of responsibility and may bring to the manager areas of concern or requests for information. These guidelines should provide you with a simple format. Take these guidelines and meet with your committee members and the board.
Discuss any additions or deletions. Once these issues are resolved, the board should adopt the charter by policy resolution. When the board has adopted the resolution, the president should appoint the committee.
Remember, all committee members serve at the pleasure of the president. It is incumbent on you to fulfill the charter given you. Some of the ways this can be accomplished include:
Contract review
Budget input
Performance reviews of contractors
Solicitation of ideas from the community
Your committee will be its most effective when it functions as part of the team. The committee, the board and the manager are all committee to the same goal, the success of the community. Good luck in fulfilling the new job. MEMO: G. Robert Kirkland, president of a Virginia Beach property-management
consulting firm, and attorney Michael A. Inman specialize in Virginia
community-association issues and are affiliated with the Southeastern
Virginia chapter of Community Associations Institute. Send comments and
questions to them at Real Estate Weekly, 150 W. Brambleton Ave.,
Norfolk, Va. 23510. To submit questions by phone, call 446-2033; fax:
446-2531. by CNB