Successful Strata Meetings: A Guide to Chairing with Confidence
Successful strata meetings are the backbone of any well-run strata corporation. Chairing a meeting can be daunting, whether you’re a manager or a council member in a self-managed strata. While surprises are inevitable, solid preparation and clear documentation can significantly reduce stress and pave the way for efficient, productive meetings.
Types of Meetings
A strata typically hosts a variety of meetings throughout the year, with council meetings, annual general meetings (AGMs), and special general meetings (SGMs) being the most common. Each type of meeting comes with its unique challenges:
- Council Meetings: The most frequent type of meeting focuses on operational decisions. They usually run for about two hours and cover old and new business, financial approvals, and correspondence reviews. Keeping the council focused and on track is critical, mainly when guest speakers are involved; otherwise, costly time overruns can occur.
- Annual General Meetings (AGMs): Typically held after the strata corporation’s fiscal year-end, AGMs address more significant owner-based decisions such as budget approvals, bylaw amendments, and council elections. These meetings require extensive preparation, from creating budgets to drafting resolutions. They also provide the additional challenges of public speaking, managing a large group of participants, and, occasionally, hosting guest speakers.
- Special General Meetings (SGMs): Similar to AGMs, these strata meetings address matters requiring owner votes, such as bylaw changes or financial decisions. Preparation and the ability to handle various owner questions are crucial to success.
The Shift to Virtual Meetings
Since the pandemic, many councils have embraced virtual meetings. With the rise of virtual platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, hosting meetings has become easy and convenient for many. However, mastering technology has become essential for facilitating these meetings effectively. Careful moderation is needed when hosting large-scale meetings such as AGMs or SGMs. In participant-heavy meetings, it may be beneficial to source administrative help from the brokerage or fellow council members.
Keys to Success
Even large-scale strata meetings can feel manageable with proper preparation, solid documentation, effective note-taking, and templates.
Preparation
Preparing and sending the agenda packages in advance is the first step in ensuring the meeting’s success.
- Prepare AGM agendas before the fiscal year-end to ensure accurate financials and thorough resolutions.
- For SGMs, allow at least 6–8 weeks for preparation and review. These meetings are critical, and errors in the packages can result in voiding essential votes.
- Council meeting agendas benefit from an ongoing approach—starting early and storing relevant documents in a centralized location for easy access.
- Sending meeting agendas in advance gives participants ample time to review the contents. For council meetings, aim for at least a week ahead to give participants time to review and prepare.
- Review agenda packages thoroughly to anticipate and address potential questions, especially those related to financials or quotes.
- Ensure guest speakers are reminded of strata meeting details well in advance.
Documentation
The Strata Property Act outlines many of the required documents for AGMs and SGMs. However, adding budget notes can significantly reduce the number of questions on this critical topic. These notes should outline the various line items and the reasoning for the changes.
- Resolutions should be written clearly and concisely. Complex resolutions may require additional information through a preamble or extra documentation.
- Council meetings require comprehensive documentation, including correspondence, financial statements, and materials for informed decision-making.
- Any topic that requires a decision should have some backup documentation, such as quotes or requests for renovations.
- StrataPress’s correspondence tool makes printing out correspondence sent between specific dates easy, alleviating the need to search through large correspondence folders.
Minute-Taking
Effective minutes focus on decisions made, actions taken, and essential directives.
- Tools like Fathom, an AI-powered platform, can assist with note-taking.
- Draft minutes should ideally be completed within a week of the meeting.
- A point person on the council should review the draft minutes before making them available to owners.
- Always set clear deadlines for council review and adhere to timelines specified in the Strata Property Act.
Templates
Using templates streamlines the process of creating agendas, minutes, and reports, saving time and maintaining consistency.
- Many brokerages provide templates, but resources like CHOA can also be valuable.
Successful strata meetings hinge on preparation, organization, and clear communication. Even the most complex meetings can run smoothly by leveraging tools, templates, and proper planning. With these strategies, managers and council members can confidently approach meetings, ensuring productive outcomes for their strata communities.
Written by: Jaclyn Jeffrey
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