Open Meetings Requirement in Texas

I am not aware of open meeting laws in Texas. (In what part of Texas is your HOA? How big is it?)

Your community might benefit from open meetings; why not simply make a motion a the next Board meeting to announce all Board meetings to the Membership and allow open attendance?

Do you have an email list for many members by which you can send such notices? Signs at the entry ways? Web site?

Houston metro area with 934 lots/homeowners.

No notices, no signs at entry way, no web site, mettings held in building behind a locked gate, nothing.

I think current BOD and managemnt company like it this way because they do not take to kindly to someone attending meetings to voice concerns. The neighboorhood is full of chronic deed restriction violators and has really gotten trashy over the past few years. I joined BOD to try to initiate change and hopefully clean up the neighboorhood but it looks like a lost cause at least intially.

Doesn't your association have any documents giving guidelines? Documents such as the Covenants and Deed Restrictions, BY-Laws, Articles of Incorporation or Rules and regulations. The Covenants should define this issue. In Florida, the state has Florida Statutes governing the running of Home Owner Association's. In my association, all members have the right to attend Board meetings, but not speak (unless asked) and to attend all general meetings for the membership where the members are allowed to speak and voice their opinions or complaints.

Look up Texas Statutes, Government Code, 5.551.
Section 0015. CERTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS' ASSOCIATIONS SUBJECT TO LAW.

If your Association meets the requirements listed then it is subject to this chapter in the same manner as a governmental body.

IMO an Association Board should conduct business openly as much as possible anyway. I would worry if mine did not. Where I live, we do not meet the requirements listed in Section 0015, due to population, but we still post board meeting dates and time, and members are welcome to attend. (they usually don't though).

One of our neighboring sub-divisions that is much much larger than ours, does not follow open meeting practices.

Your Board should be running the meetings and not the management company or lawyer. Is your Association still under developer control or are you past that? What do your documents say? What do the other board members want?

I may be way off base, and I apologize ahead of time if that is the case, but:

I think you should obtain a copy of the Management Companies contract with the Association. IMO, you could try using "honey" with this management company to learn as much as you can from them. Sounds like they have been there a while. Once you, and the rest of your board have educated yourselves on the ins and outs of running an Association, you will be better prepared to convince the Management Company of how you expect things to be run.
A 30 year old association should be having regular elections and not go on for several years with only 2 board members followed by an appointment of 3 others. Sounds like you have a lot of work cut out for you. Take baby steps. Start creating a list of the things that need accomplished, and prioritize it. Study your Documents forward and back until you know them better than anyone. Learn the laws that pertain to Associations and be prepared when trying to "sell change".
With the amount of members you have, hopefully you will be able to get help. What % of members would you guess to be upset about not being able to attend meetings? IMO, creating a board that can take control and run their own meetings would be higher priority.

I would like to hear what the 2 exclusions were that the lawyer gave you.

Are you paying for that lawyer. Sounds like he/she is heavily involved. Better check to see if they are cutting their own checks everytime they speak to you. We can't even asks a simple question to ours without a fee.