COLUMN: Barbara Holland

Q. There is absolutely no homeowner interest in serving or participating on our board of directors.

Nobody wants to be president, and the general attitude is "not me."

I am starting to think that maybe the association is doing too good of a job and the members are just complacent.

Can the leadership of the association be turned over to a management company for a fee?

A. I have several suggestions that may be of assistance to you.

Since your association is small -- only 61 units -- you probably could schedule your board meetings once every 90 days, which is the minimum required by state law.

Establish a time limit for board meetings not to exceed two hours. This will require knowledge of meeting management, how to manage time properly for the board to complete its agenda and have a homeowner forum.

Most governing documents allow the board to delegate much of its functions to a management company. Obviously, the board has a fiduciary responsibility to its membership, and proper checks and balances should be in place to ensure the management company is properly performing its duties.

Such duties may include obtaining bids for contract work, monitoring contractors, writing violation letters, preparing operating budgets, reviewing architectural requests, providing recommendations to the board, preparing the

agendas and writing newsletters.

The board cannot delegate all of its duties, but there is certainly much that the management company

can do to reduce the

workload.

Questions for Barbara Holland may be sent to Association Q. & A., P.O. Box 7440, Las Vegas, NV 89125. Her fax number is 385-3759.

Barbara Holland, Certified Property Manager, is president and co-owner of H&L Realty and Management Co. She is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management and is the author of two books on the subject. Holland is a past president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.

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