R.R. from Du Page County, Illinois writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Our board is calling a special meeting at 3:00 p.m. instead of the usual evening time. A good amount of the homeowners may not be able to attend, which is why I think they are having it early. Can they do that?
Mister Condo replies:
R.R., while I tend to agree with you that holding a meeting at an inconvenient hour for most unit owners is an unconventional and questionable way to keep unit owners from attending the meeting, it is not inherently disallowed unless the association’s governance documents state that meeting are to be held at a specific date and time. For instance, some documents require Board meetings to be held the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m.. Even then, a savvy Board could pass a resolution changing the meeting time to allow for a different time. The real question is why are they trying to suppress attendance. When Boards behave in such a way as to cause the unit owners suspicion, it isn’t uncommon for the Board to be voted out or even recalled. I hope that isn’t the case at your association but it does merit consideration. Keep in mind, even though the meeting may be held at an odd hour, all of the rules for holding meetings still apply. The agenda must be published, Minutes must be taken, votes must be recorded. The time of day doesn’t matter as much as the agenda and actions of the Board. Good luck!