GraceH (Virginia)
Posts: 224
Posts: 224
Posted:
I have been reading some of the previous threads and have come across that term Town Hall Meeting several times, with no explanation. Is this the same as a special meeting of the members?
A service of:
Community123.com
Professional websites for HOAs & condos, since 2004
Professional websites for HOAs & condos, since 2004
🎁 1st year FREE for HOATalk members! →
What is a Town Hall Meeting?
Started by GraceH • 16 replies • 4476 views
💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.
Create Free Account →
⚡ Takes 30 seconds
Already a member? Log in
MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491
Posts: 4,491
Posted:
In our organization, it's what we term an "informal" meeting of the residents and the board, structured in a way that it's more of a "dialog" and not a "working" meeting.
We take questions from the floor and it's basically an informational meeting.
We capture all the ideas and suggestions in those big easel-type sheets, taping them to the wall as we move from topic to topic.
Then the board can use the discussion and input to formulate strategic direction for the community.
It helps us set priorities and it helps the residents feel involved and heard.
We take questions from the floor and it's basically an informational meeting.
We capture all the ideas and suggestions in those big easel-type sheets, taping them to the wall as we move from topic to topic.
Then the board can use the discussion and input to formulate strategic direction for the community.
It helps us set priorities and it helps the residents feel involved and heard.
GraceH (Virginia)
Posts: 224
Posts: 224
Posted:
Wow, the Board does that?
A few home owners and my self have been asking the board to do that and the closest we came was a joint Condo and HOA Board Meeting.
Is it called a Town Hall Meeting everywhere?
Thank you for your help Michele.
A few home owners and my self have been asking the board to do that and the closest we came was a joint Condo and HOA Board Meeting.
Is it called a Town Hall Meeting everywhere?
Thank you for your help Michele.
DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671
Posts: 5,671
Posted:
Grace,
Town Hall meetings are normally not considered "proper meetings of the Board" State Statutes and laws plus the associations own documents will have the meeting structures dictated within them for how the meetings are to beconducted according to the documents. Town Hallers are usually informal and have much audience participation which Board and Member meetings do not allow. Association meetings are usually called to conduct association business, do budgets, have elections and pass amendments plus the day to day operations of running the associations.
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
Town hall meeting are held throughout the country and have no real relationship to associations. Obama holds town hall meeting frequently. In his case he announces I am going to be at a specific place at a specific time and will enter into a dialog with anyone attending. Then, under certain guidelines he talks to individuals, Sarah Palin did it and Bush, remember Joe the Plumber?
However the specific Town hall meeting mentioned on this site is simply a group of people getting together and talking about specific issues. If you have a bone to pick with your management or your board or any other issue you want to bring to the attention of the Community, you can hold a Town hall meeting. Let's say you are going to get a big assessment for some questionable work that the Management Company wants done. Any information that you can find is questionable and not distributed to the owners are prescribed. So you go to the Board and present your concerns and your evidence of (say) a better way to do the job. The Board decides this is a management co decision, you disagree and state chapter and verse of your covenants. Board says too bad, that is how it is going to be.
You and some supporters get together and reserve your community building. You all set your agenda by agreement, print out notices get organized and go door to door, put up posters and announce a Town hall Meeting at a certain date and time and notice your announcement that a concerned owners group is conducting the meeting. You set up a area with a head table, get a mike and your selected conducts the meeting. If you have an ex-judge or a skilled member that shows he can control the meeting you introduce him. He talks about the meeting and presents the issues and controls the answers and opinions. It is a loosely structured meeting but, with skilled leadership and a good secretary at the end of an hour or so a consensus can be reached. You thank the members for coming and participating and say your group will go back and make a position paper and bring that to the next Town hall for approval of action points. Strictly a democratic process tried and tested over the years. With good strategy and lots of behind the scenes preparation wonders can be worked. It opens a lot of closed doors, builds loyalty and concern in the association and rights many a wrong.
It will backfire if you don't prepare and know your issues.
However the specific Town hall meeting mentioned on this site is simply a group of people getting together and talking about specific issues. If you have a bone to pick with your management or your board or any other issue you want to bring to the attention of the Community, you can hold a Town hall meeting. Let's say you are going to get a big assessment for some questionable work that the Management Company wants done. Any information that you can find is questionable and not distributed to the owners are prescribed. So you go to the Board and present your concerns and your evidence of (say) a better way to do the job. The Board decides this is a management co decision, you disagree and state chapter and verse of your covenants. Board says too bad, that is how it is going to be.
You and some supporters get together and reserve your community building. You all set your agenda by agreement, print out notices get organized and go door to door, put up posters and announce a Town hall Meeting at a certain date and time and notice your announcement that a concerned owners group is conducting the meeting. You set up a area with a head table, get a mike and your selected conducts the meeting. If you have an ex-judge or a skilled member that shows he can control the meeting you introduce him. He talks about the meeting and presents the issues and controls the answers and opinions. It is a loosely structured meeting but, with skilled leadership and a good secretary at the end of an hour or so a consensus can be reached. You thank the members for coming and participating and say your group will go back and make a position paper and bring that to the next Town hall for approval of action points. Strictly a democratic process tried and tested over the years. With good strategy and lots of behind the scenes preparation wonders can be worked. It opens a lot of closed doors, builds loyalty and concern in the association and rights many a wrong.
It will backfire if you don't prepare and know your issues.
GraceH (Virginia)
Posts: 224
Posts: 224
Posted:
Thank you both for your response.
Okay, we have started what we call Residents Meetings. Each one seems to be getting more participation. Our pm sought legal council to try to put a stop to the meetings. However, the attorney sent me a letter stating "the Boards concerns" and said that I had the right to organize such meetings.
Okay, we have started what we call Residents Meetings. Each one seems to be getting more participation. Our pm sought legal council to try to put a stop to the meetings. However, the attorney sent me a letter stating "the Boards concerns" and said that I had the right to organize such meetings.
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
Grace,
Just a suggestion, nothing more, but think again about your name for the meetings. Try and diffuse the name that it is not Residents vs Board or could be labeled that way. I am sure you can come up with something, but "Residents" are really represented by the elected members of the Board and your group are concerned with certain issues of how your management works. The management companies or manager is not elected by the members. The Boards postion in all this is up to them, they are residents also. Townhall Meetings seems to work. Then under that umbrella you can put out a specific agenda. Just a suggestion and it may not fit in your association.
You will continue to be tested, by all sorts of actions, stick to your guns and get more people.
Once you get a large power base, a recall is very possible, if needed. A good heart to heart talk with your opposition is never to be ignored. IMHO.
Just a suggestion, nothing more, but think again about your name for the meetings. Try and diffuse the name that it is not Residents vs Board or could be labeled that way. I am sure you can come up with something, but "Residents" are really represented by the elected members of the Board and your group are concerned with certain issues of how your management works. The management companies or manager is not elected by the members. The Boards postion in all this is up to them, they are residents also. Townhall Meetings seems to work. Then under that umbrella you can put out a specific agenda. Just a suggestion and it may not fit in your association.
You will continue to be tested, by all sorts of actions, stick to your guns and get more people.
Once you get a large power base, a recall is very possible, if needed. A good heart to heart talk with your opposition is never to be ignored. IMHO.
GraceH (Virginia)
Posts: 224
Posts: 224
Posted:
Robert,
Thank you again for your words of wisdom!
Thank you again for your words of wisdom!
DonaldM3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 132
Posts: 132
Posted:
Our community did something a little different some time ago. A group of us were very unhappy with the way business was being conducted in our community and formed a rogue committee; we called ourselves "The Committee For The Betterment of [insert Community Name]". Robert is correct that the name is important or it can easily become us [residents] vs the board and when that happens the board will only dig their heels in deeper and it can cause more problems in the community than help. You have to constantly attempt to stay above the fray and not let it get personal (not always easy for some).
We were fortunate to have our webmaster, who is a Homeowner, on the committee. Our web site was fairly new and we, to a small degree, ended up high jacking it or a part of it. This gave us a platform that we otherwise would not have had. It took some time and sometimes contentious teeth gnashing but the board members, who were, at the time, in violation of our CC&R’s, came around and changed their modus operandi. We are, I feel, a much better community because of those efforts.
Robert, as usual, offers some very worthwhile points!
We were fortunate to have our webmaster, who is a Homeowner, on the committee. Our web site was fairly new and we, to a small degree, ended up high jacking it or a part of it. This gave us a platform that we otherwise would not have had. It took some time and sometimes contentious teeth gnashing but the board members, who were, at the time, in violation of our CC&R’s, came around and changed their modus operandi. We are, I feel, a much better community because of those efforts.
Robert, as usual, offers some very worthwhile points!
SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202
Posts: 5,202
Posted:
Roberts Rules talks quite extensively about Mass Meetings and their structure. They are specific in nature and usually result in a resolution or concensus on a certain subject. They are announced as being held by "sponsors" and they are led by a chairperson, elected at the beginning of the meeting. Many times, the results are an issue that is formulated to being in front of the board. Other times, these Mass Meetings are the prelude to a more formal establishment of an organization.
I'd be real careful that your town meeting not be confused with a Special Meeting and that it not be a complaint meeting, but rather an think-tank type meeting where real discussion and problem-solving can take place. So instead of complaining about dog do-do, it would be a meeting about how the community should look.
Remember: results of the Town Meeting or Mass Meeting has no power. It's function is to formulate ideas to take to the board, where it can be presented as an idea for consideration.
I'd be real careful that your town meeting not be confused with a Special Meeting and that it not be a complaint meeting, but rather an think-tank type meeting where real discussion and problem-solving can take place. So instead of complaining about dog do-do, it would be a meeting about how the community should look.
Remember: results of the Town Meeting or Mass Meeting has no power. It's function is to formulate ideas to take to the board, where it can be presented as an idea for consideration.
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
Donald,
Are you sure you don't live in my condo? We had no web site and the same problems you describe so we set up a website. Man, what a deal that was, I thought we would have to cart a couple off to the hospital. You would have thought we were the worst kind of traitors. It was all defensive reactions because the powers knew change was coming, that's all. It is now a Community web site and hopefully it will have a wide open Blog on it soon. Right now it is edited to some extent. For a condo of 65 units we average I guess 30 to 40 hits a day, and some days triple that. But we have also put up a lot of good info for owners, we have our Master Deed and By-laws, financials, minutes, any reports or special stuff, there is just a bunch of good stuff. On our public part, we have a series of pictures (slide show), soothing music, weather reports, they have really done a great job and getting better. I keep saying "we" when I should be saying "they."
In any event as you described your problems, how about a comment on this:
Associations have personalities, some good some bad. When a Bad personality (and maybe that is a good name for some of our posters when they describe their Boards, etc.)has been around for a while, they become very defensive. That defensiveness, that concrete layer you have to penetrate, will show signs of cracking when pressures are applied. As these cracks widen things look brighter and momentum builds and change starts to take place, and the personality changes until the old is out and the new is in, then a brand new personality appears. Of course, experience tells us this new personality can change over time into a bad personality, unless there is a little watchdogging by the members.
Would you agree with that given your experience?
Are you sure you don't live in my condo? We had no web site and the same problems you describe so we set up a website. Man, what a deal that was, I thought we would have to cart a couple off to the hospital. You would have thought we were the worst kind of traitors. It was all defensive reactions because the powers knew change was coming, that's all. It is now a Community web site and hopefully it will have a wide open Blog on it soon. Right now it is edited to some extent. For a condo of 65 units we average I guess 30 to 40 hits a day, and some days triple that. But we have also put up a lot of good info for owners, we have our Master Deed and By-laws, financials, minutes, any reports or special stuff, there is just a bunch of good stuff. On our public part, we have a series of pictures (slide show), soothing music, weather reports, they have really done a great job and getting better. I keep saying "we" when I should be saying "they."
In any event as you described your problems, how about a comment on this:
Associations have personalities, some good some bad. When a Bad personality (and maybe that is a good name for some of our posters when they describe their Boards, etc.)has been around for a while, they become very defensive. That defensiveness, that concrete layer you have to penetrate, will show signs of cracking when pressures are applied. As these cracks widen things look brighter and momentum builds and change starts to take place, and the personality changes until the old is out and the new is in, then a brand new personality appears. Of course, experience tells us this new personality can change over time into a bad personality, unless there is a little watchdogging by the members.
Would you agree with that given your experience?
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
Susan,
Astute Susan.
Nothing beats hard work and preparation.
Robert could be referenced as the authority of how the meeting will be conducted, but with the caveat that it is really a non structured meeting with protocol rules announced at the start of the meeting.
Astute Susan.
Nothing beats hard work and preparation.
Robert could be referenced as the authority of how the meeting will be conducted, but with the caveat that it is really a non structured meeting with protocol rules announced at the start of the meeting.
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
Hey,
I see I typed Robert instead of Robert's it should be.
I heard this the other day, what do you think. There is some kind of court ruling that typos are excusable under the Law?
Some typos can be fighting words, but reason should prevail and if a typo is questioned, could you legally talk your way out of it?
I see I typed Robert instead of Robert's it should be.
I heard this the other day, what do you think. There is some kind of court ruling that typos are excusable under the Law?
Some typos can be fighting words, but reason should prevail and if a typo is questioned, could you legally talk your way out of it?
RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164
Posts: 5,164
Posted:
I want to keep these remarks separate.
My opinion, Town Hall Meetings have all the powers of the constitution. All power rests with the people and when the people decide what to do and how to do it, use the democratic process to get it done................that's real power.
I know you are saying this meeting does not covey any authority, and it doesn't, but power it already has.
My opinion, Town Hall Meetings have all the powers of the constitution. All power rests with the people and when the people decide what to do and how to do it, use the democratic process to get it done................that's real power.
I know you are saying this meeting does not covey any authority, and it doesn't, but power it already has.
DonaldM3 (South Carolina)
Posts: 132
Posts: 132
Posted:
Robert,
In general, yes, but I’d take some issue with some of your specifics; that is, I think, fodder for another thread.
In general, yes, but I’d take some issue with some of your specifics; that is, I think, fodder for another thread.
MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043
Posts: 7,043
Posted:
Grace,
IMO, a town hall meeting would be more akin to a workshop rather than a special meeting, because no actions will be taken. The members would have the opportunity to voice their opinions on any issues that are being discussed. The board can use the information gathered to formulate policies, procedures, etc. I would think this type meeting should be organized by the BOD; however, if they choose not to do this a group of members could get together and organize it. Anything discussed in a town hall meeting is not binding -- it's only an information gathering process and a time to express one's opinions on a particular topic.
IMO, a town hall meeting would be more akin to a workshop rather than a special meeting, because no actions will be taken. The members would have the opportunity to voice their opinions on any issues that are being discussed. The board can use the information gathered to formulate policies, procedures, etc. I would think this type meeting should be organized by the BOD; however, if they choose not to do this a group of members could get together and organize it. Anything discussed in a town hall meeting is not binding -- it's only an information gathering process and a time to express one's opinions on a particular topic.
GraceH (Virginia)
Posts: 224
Posts: 224
Posted:
Thank you all for your help!
I added another thread. Please, if you can help with that, we would really appreciate it !
I added another thread. Please, if you can help with that, we would really appreciate it !
🎯 You've read this entire discussion
Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:
- ✓ Ask follow-up questions
- ✓ Share your experience
- ✓ Get expert advice
- ✓ Access 350,000 discussions
Create Free Account →
⚡ Takes 30 seconds
Already a member? Log in here