There are many issues that come up throughout the year in a community association. Most are things that you can’t plan for, emergency issues that require quick-thinking and responsiveness. However, setting a solid agenda for the year that addresses routine maintenance issues can help prevent many emergencies from cropping up.
The first thing to identify when setting up a community association agenda is to establish the essential goals of what you would like to see your Community Association Board of Directors accomplish for the year. Many community associations seek to improve the general well-being and appearance of the association, as well as to make the proper investments to ensure financial stability. But don’t get carried away; your community agenda should only be focused on hitting 3 or 4 major goals. It is essential that you take note of all elements that require ongoing maintenance and provide solutions and suggestions to your fellow board members prior to setting the agenda.
Example of a Community Association Agenda
Once you have agreed upon a set of goals, outline the smaller tasks that need to get done in order achieve these objectives. Each task should be assigned to a board member who is responsible for completing this task, as well as a timeline for when the task should be done by. Tasks should be assigned in logical succession, so that the agenda does not stall out because one task is yet to be finished. An example of a Community Association Agenda might look like the following:
Goal: Improve the Appearance of the Association
- Task: Asphalt repair Assigned to: Alan Due: 2/1/13
- Task: Clean and repair gutters Assigned to: Sherrie Due: 3/15/13
- Task: Powerwash or replace dumpsters (NOTE: many waste management companies will provide this service for free, all you need to do is call and ask) Assigned to: Dan Due: 2/3/13
- Hire janitorial staff for graffiti maintenance Assigned to: Jim Due: 3/1/13
Goal: Improve the Association Infrastructure
- Task: Install swimming pool solar heating panels Assigned to: Jim Due: 2/14/13
- Task: Post community signs including speed, rules and others Assigned to: Sherrie Due: 5/1/13
- Task: Upgrade irrigation equipment Assigned to: Jim Due: 6/1/13
Goal: Invest in Cost-Saving Measures
- Task: Register for fire equipment inspections Assigned to: Alan Due: 7/1/13
- Task: Water management audit Assigned to: Jim Due: 5/1/13
- Task: Evaluate energy saving devices Assigned to: Sherrie Due: 8/1/13
- Task: Install pool-heating solar panels Assigned to: Dan Due: 4/1/13
Once you have assigned the tasks to each board member the next step is to outline a rough budget for each task and make sure your financing is in place to support all initiatives. Another important thing to do is to rank all initiatives in the order that you want to get them accomplished. Projects such as these are notoriously over-budget and delayed on delivery, so be prepared to see one of your iniatives go incomplete come year-end. Of course, as the saying goes, “there’s always next year…”
What iniatives do you want to see completed for your community association? Now is the time to plan!
By SJ Petteruti- Director of Technology, The Management Trust.