Welcome back to our two-part series on committees. In the first post, we talked about how committees can benefit an HOA and how to organize them effectively. Today we are going to highlight the various types of committees and hopefully help you identify which are best suited to your needs.
There are eight popular types of committees to consider, and which type works for your HOA depends on the needs of your community and your board’s goals. Here is a quick overview of those eight committee types.
- Communications committee – this is a great way to keep the community informed through something like a monthly or quarterly association newsletter.
- Community awareness committee – this is an effective way to develop a relationship with local law enforcement or introduce a neighborhood watch program or a citizen-on-patrol (COP) program. Because the committee and the association can’t ensure security, don’t refer to it as a security committee.
- Financial committee – a committee to help manage the HOA finances, budget, reserves, and investments is a good way to help the board track and administer reserve study recommendations, and/or develop and recommend the association’s investment policy and reserves.
- Architectural control committee (ACC) – one of the best ways to maintain property values in a neighborhood is to have an ACC who keeps the land and structures in accordance with the covenants, conditions, and restrictions established in the governing documents.
- Special committee – this type is used for covenants, governance, and hearings committees, and assisting with the governing process of the association.
- Landscape and maintenance committee – similar to an ACC, this type of committee oversees the “look and feel” and sustainability of the community’s landscaping.
- Committee for nominations – just like it sounds, this committee is responsible for developing the criteria and the slate of board candidates annually.
- Social committee – this committee plans community events like community garage sales, seasonal festivals, etc. Many times this committee and its members are considered to be the “glue” holding the community together.
So, there you have it! Committees can be formed to do just about anything your association needs help with, and while the above list isn’t comprehensive, these are the types we see used effectively most often. Before creating a committee, make sure you double-check your CC&Rs to make sure you go about it correctly. If you have questions about creating and maintaining committees, we would be happy to walk you through the process! Just contact your Spectrum Community Manager for help—our goal is to help you when you need it.
