Meetings: Community titles
In this section, we look at how to call a general meeting, the procedures to follow, and the agenda items.
General meetings are an essential part of successfully operating community corporations. These meetings provide a forum for body corporate members to select their leaders, adopt and approve their budget, discuss and arrange for maintenance. They can make changes to their insurance, articles, and handle items of special business involving unit improvements and changes. They are also able to address other matters related to the general welfare of the group.
If proper procedures are implemented and followed, meetings can deal with the most controversial subjects and still produce positive results.
Annual and Regular Meetings – all community corporations are required to hold at least one regular membership meeting each year.
Legislation – Community Titles Act
Click on Legislation above, to view legislation on how to call a general meeting.
Annual Meetings: The primary purpose of this annual meeting is to fill the expiring terms of the officers and management committee members, review the common property insurance and maintenance, along with finances, the budget and levy payments. Often, the annual meeting presents the only periodic opportunity that individual members have to review the affairs of their association.
A well-planned annual meeting will maximize the opportunities to provide information to the members of the Corporation and to receive their input, suggestions and complaints.
Extraordinary General Meetings: From time to time, members of the Corporation, or its Officers, may find it necessary to hold an extraordinary general meeting. Generally, these meetings are limited in their scope and purpose, such as repainting of the group.
Management Committee Meeting: If the Community Corporation has appointed a Management Committee then it may meet as it sees fit.
Legislation – Community Titles Act
93—Convening of committee meetings
(1) A meeting of a management committee may be convened by the presiding officer, treasurer or secretary of the corporation or by any two members of the committee.
(2) A meeting is convened by giving written notice of the day, time and place of the meeting to all members of the committee at least three days before the date of the meeting.
(3) The day, time and place of the meeting must be reasonably convenient to a majority of the members of the committee.
(4) The notice convening a meeting must set out the agenda for the meeting.
Next Step – Notice of Meeting & Agenda
Community Titles Act
Section 81 explains who and how a general meeting is called. Section 82 deals with the need for an annual meeting.
Section 81—Convening of general meetings
(1) A general meeting (other than the first general meeting) may be convened:
(a) by the presiding officer, treasurer or secretary of the corporation; or
(b) by any two members of the management committee of the corporation; or
(c) by a member or members of the corporation—(i) the value of whose lot entitlement or combined lot entitlements is 20 per cent or more of the aggregate value of all the lot entitlements; or
(ii) who holds, or who together hold, 20 per cent or more of the total number of community lots in the scheme; or(d) on the order of a Magistrates court.
(2) A meeting (including the first general meeting) is convened by giving written notice of the day, time and place of the meeting to all members of the corporation at least 14 days before the date of the meeting.
(3) The day, time and place of the meeting must be reasonably convenient to a majority of the members of the corporation
Section 82—Annual general meeting
(1) The annual general meeting of a primary community corporation must be held within three months after the commencement of each financial year.
(2) The annual general meeting of a secondary or tertiary community corporation must be held within one month after the annual general meeting of the primary or secondary corporation of which it is a member
What does this mean?
Officers and owners can call general meetings of the Corporation. For owners they need to have 1/5th of the lot owners or the owners of at least 20% of of the lot entitlements.
For owners calling a meeting we strongly recommend that the names, lot numbers and signatures of all owners appear on the meeting notice paper.
