Running Effective Strata Council Meetings.

Most council dysfunction shows up in meetings. Decisions made by email between meetings. Minutes that don't capture what was decided. Items added without warning. Discussions that loop without resolution. The cure is structure.

1. Cadence

Most BC stratas benefit from monthly council meetings during active periods and every-six-weeks meetings during routine periods. Quarterly is too infrequent for anything but the simplest townhouse.

2. The agenda

A working agenda has six standing sections: approval of previous minutes, manager's report, old business, new business, owner correspondence, adjournment. The agenda should circulate at least 7 days before the meeting.

3. The package

The manager's package is the meeting's pre-read: draft minutes from prior meeting, current month's financial statements, action item tracker, contracts up for review, owner correspondence requiring action, major project updates, the agenda.

4. Motions and votes

A clean motion has a mover, a second, specific wording, a vote, and a record. Skipping any of these creates ambiguity in minutes that haunts future councils.

5. The two-hour cap

Productive council meetings rarely exceed two hours. If they routinely do: agenda is too crowded, discussion is unfocused, or decisions aren't being made.

6. Action items

Every action item should be specific, owned by a single person, due-dated, and captured in a tracker that's reviewed at every meeting.

7. Minutes

Minutes should not be transcripts. They are the record of what was decided: date/time/location/attendees/quorum, approval of prior minutes, each agenda item summarized, each motion verbatim, action items called out separately, next meeting date.

Common dysfunctions and how to fix them

"Decisions" by email between meetings

Email is discussion. Decisions go in minutes.

The dominant member problem

One council member dominating discussion is a chair's responsibility to manage.

The tangent problem

"While we're talking about parking, what about the bike room..." Add it to the next agenda.

Closed sessions

Some matters (legal advice, owner discipline, employment) should be discussed in closed session, with separate minutes.

The manager taking over

The manager runs the meeting mechanically; the chair runs the substance.

For the broader council role, see our Strata Council 101 guide.