Organizational meetings
Your board just got elected. Here is what the first meeting is actually for.
An organizational meeting is the new board's first meeting after a director election, usually used to elect officers such as president, secretary, and treasurer, and handle initial housekeeping like signing authority. It is common board practice, not a rule found in Robert's Rules or the statutes researched here, so check your bylaws for any specific requirement.
What actually happens at this meeting
Right after the annual meeting elects new directors, often that same day, the board convenes to organize itself. The main item is electing officers: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, or whatever titles your bylaws use. Some boards also assign committee chairs, update bank signing authority, and set the year's regular meeting calendar at this same gathering.
Think of it as setup, not deliberation. The board is not usually voting on association business yet, it is deciding who holds which job so the rest of the year's meetings have a chair, a minute taker, and someone who can sign checks.
Is it actually required?
None of the three state statutes researched for this course (California, Florida, Washington) require an organizational meeting by that name. Whether yours does, and by when, depends entirely on your association's own bylaws. Some bylaws set a firm deadline for electing officers after the annual meeting; many say nothing at all and leave the timing to the board.
Before you tell a new director "we have to do this within X days," open the bylaws and look for the officer-election clause. If it is silent, there is no fixed deadline to enforce, only the practical need to have a president and a treasurer before the next bill comes due.
The normal meeting rules still apply
Calling it "organizational" does not exempt it from ordinary meeting mechanics. You still need a quorum to transact business, notice still has to go out the way it would for any other board meeting, and the agenda still has to be adopted by the board, not just handed down by whoever chairs it.
"Meetings of a small board (where there are not more than about a dozen board members present)..."
Source: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th ed., Frequently Asked Questions, Robert's Rules Association
Most HOA boards fit that small-board description, which under Robert's Rules means the chair can join discussion and vote on every motion, not just step in to break a tie. That relaxed style only applies, though, if your governing documents actually adopt Robert's Rules as your parliamentary authority in the first place.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
A new director insists Robert's Rules gives the board exactly ten days to hold an organizational meeting and elect officers. Is she right?
The outgoing president says he will set the agenda for the new board's first meeting himself, since he chaired the last one. Under Robert's Rules, is that correct?
You are chairing your nine-member board's first meeting after being elected president. Under the small-board rule, you may...
Sources
- Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th ed., Frequently Asked Questions, Robert's Rules Association
Board Meetings
Once your officers are elected, the next question is who actually controls what goes on the agenda. See who controls the agenda.
This page is general education, not legal advice. Meeting requirements vary by state and by your association's own governing documents. Confirm specifics with your CC&Rs, bylaws, and a licensed attorney in your state.