Academy/Minutes & Official Records
What minutes should contain
Robert's Rules gives minutes a fixed skeleton: four elements every set of minutes needs, no matter how the meeting went.
Minutes should record four things: the type of meeting, date, and place; who presided; every motion in the mover's own words, who made it, and whether it passed or failed; and the time of adjournment. Votes are recorded as a result, not a headcount, unless a count, ballot, or roll call was used.
The skeleton every set of minutes needs
Under Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, the parliamentary authority most associations adopt by reference in their bylaws, minutes open the same way every time: the kind of meeting (regular, special, or emergency), the date, time, and place, and confirmation of who called it to order and who presided.
The body of the minutes records each main motion made during the meeting: its exact wording, the name of the member who made it (not the member who seconded it), and whether it was adopted or lost. Minutes close with the time of adjournment.
| Element | What goes in the minutes |
|---|---|
| Opening | Type of meeting, date, time, place, who presided |
| Each motion | Exact wording, mover's name, result |
| Closing | Time of adjournment |
What does not belong here: who said what. Minutes record what the board did, not what members argued about, no matter how heated the meeting got.
How to record a vote
An ordinary vote is recorded as a result, not a count. Robert's Rules' own sample minutes handle it in five words.
"The motion was adopted."
Source: Recording votes in meeting minutes, Jurassic Parliament
A specific count, or a list of who voted which way, goes in the minutes only when a count was ordered, the vote was taken by ballot, or the vote was taken by roll call. An abstention is recorded the same way, as part of the result, not as a comment on why.
What varies by state
Some states require more than the Robert's Rules default. Florida law, for example, requires every director's vote or abstention to be named.
"A vote or abstention from voting on each matter voted upon for each director present at a board meeting must be recorded in the minutes."
Source: Florida Statutes Section 720.303, Florida Legislature
Check your own state's community association statute and your bylaws before assuming the Robert's Rules default applies. Where a statute sets a stricter rule, the statute wins.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
The board votes on a motion to approve a new landscaping contract. No one asks for a count. How should the minutes record the vote?
A director makes a motion and another director seconds it. Whose name does Robert's Rules put in the minutes?
A heated debate breaks out before the board votes on a new parking rule. What should the minutes include from that debate?
- Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, Frequently Asked Questions, The Robert's Rules Association
- Recording votes in meeting minutes, Jurassic Parliament
- Florida Statutes Section 720.303, Florida Legislature
Minutes & Official Records
Next up: what minutes should not contain, and why "not necessary" and "improper" mean the same thing here.
Whether minutes must name how each director voted, or only the result, varies by state and by your parliamentary authority; Florida requires per-director votes and abstentions, and other states may not.