As a board member, you are a leader in your community. You organize vendors, plan meetings and events, communicate with homeowners, and oversee the finances of your association. There is certainly a lot that needs to be accomplished!

To assist with some of these time-consuming tasks, boards can use committees. While there are limitations on what committees can and can’t do, if you understand the ropes, committees can be a huge asset to your association. This week, we’re going to give you the ins and outs of the types of tasks you can assign to committees, the restrictions of committees, how to create committees, and how to solicit for new committee members.

Committee Functions and Restrictions

Generally, a committee will assist the board by researching and communicating their findings to the board, such as information for upcoming capital improvements. They also complete nonessential tasks that do not require board action, such as drafting community newsletters and planning social events.

As a rule of thumb, committees can advise and assist the board, but they cannot make decisions for the community. So, while a committee can help create a proposed annual budget for the community, the board has to approve and implement the budget. A notable exception to this rule is the architectural control committee, which is usually granted special authority by the HOA’s governing documents to approve or deny improvement requests from homeowners, independent of the board of directors.

Committees can also either be permanent (called “standing committees”) or temporary (called “ad hoc committees”), depending on the job that needs to be done. Researching the best material for the new deck by the duck pond would be a one-time job for an ad hoc committee, while planning and hosting all community social events would be an ongoing job for a standing committee. 

Creating Committees

A board can create a committee by passing a resolution, but before doing so, you should check your governing documents (usually the bylaws) to see if any committees are required to be formed and what qualifications, if any, there are for membership.

Boards should also be aware that state law dictates certain requirements for HOA committees, and that these laws will trump any requirements or restrictions in your HOA’s governing documents where conflicts occur.

According to Texas law, management committees can be formed to assist in managing the association, but these types of committees must have at least two members, and a majority of members need to be board members. In Arizona, all committees are required to have at least one board member, except for advisory committees.

If you want to make sure that your committees are following state law and your governing documents’ requirements, reach out to your HOA’s attorney or your management company.

Committee Charters

Apart from ensuring you follow state law when creating committees, we also recommend writing and approving a committee charter. This document will contain the guidelines and goals for the committee, how and when the committee should meet, any requirements for joining the committee, the tasks the committee needs to complete, and how the committee should complete these tasks.

A charter will be a helpful rulebook for new committees and new members of existing committees; it will keep everyone goal-oriented and avoid any confusion about which tasks committee members have the authority to carry out and which tasks they don’t.

Depending on how well-established a certain committee is and how clear its purpose, either the board or the committee can draft the charter for the board to approve.

Getting New Committee Members

Soliciting for new committee volunteers is a lot like soliciting for a new employee. A detailed description of the role should be sent to your members and should include a list of tasks the volunteer in this role is required to complete, meeting times, the number of hours a committee volunteer is expected to dedicate to the position per week (or month), how long the committee term will (or can) last, and any required or preferred skills.

Along with this role description, your board should also send out a profile form for candidates to fill out that asks them to explain why they wish to volunteer for the committee and why they believe themselves to be a good fit for the role.

Lastly, talk about open committee roles at board meetings, community events, and annual member meetings—and have the applications on hand. Discussing the roles face-to-face can be a great way to draw interest and gain volunteers.

Thanks for joining us for this installment of our HOA news! We hope this information about committee creation and purposes is useful to your board and association.