D.G. from Hartford County, Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I am hoping you can reply to 2 of my questions. We have 92 units. Our by-laws say we can vote down the budget with a majority vote. I saw a CT 2011 or 2012 blurb that also said budgets can be voted on using majority vote. If we have 92 units, does a majority mean that it has to pass or be declined by 47 or more votes? Who bears the burden of paying CAI fees, the property management company or the condo association? Who pays for the individual fees for board members to attend the local CAI conference, the property management or the condo association?
Mister Condo replies:
D.G., you do need to follow both your condo association guidelines and state law when adopting a budget. In this case, it would appear that the two align and that 47 votes constitutes a majority at your association. Once the majority is achieved the budget would either pass or fail based on the yeas and nays. Some associations have rules about voting by those in attendance (in person or by proxy) versus actual votes. Again, you need to follow the rules as outlined in your documents and state law. It isn’t too common that a budget fails so be sure you are following the correct procedure and I am guessing you’ll be just fine. As for the matter of CAI dues, it isn’t a requirement that either party pay for the membership. However, there are some management companies that prefer to have well-educated Board members at the associations they manage and they include membership in their management fees. The same is true for conference attendance fees. Either way, CAI membership is a great investment for the association as the education and networking offered is superb and can easily pay for itself over and over. All the best!