The Importance of Minutes

The practical aspects of how best to conduct the day-today management of the Island is determined by the elected EIVT trustees, voted in by residents, in conjunction with their appointed managing agent/property manager. The main mechanisms for achieving this are through routine site inspections, carried out by the property manager, and instructions given to him/her by trustees – following decisions discussed and agreed at Board meetings. Both site inspections and decision must be recorded to provide transparency to residents and to ensure there is an audit trail of decisions taken. 

I advocate that all important decisions should be determined by the holding of formal Board meetings and, more importantly, duly minuted.

Minutes should also contain an Action List in the form of an annex, listing what decisions have been taken/arrived at and showing clearly who is responsible for implementing them.  The action list not only apportions responsibility/accountability but also focuses peoples’ attention and acts by way of a performance indicator for both trustees and property managers alike.  Any items not actioned by the time of the next meeting are brought forward for future action – thereby providing an ‘audit trail’ of decisions and actions! 

The convening of meetings, sending out the Agenda and the taking of minutes should be the responsibility of the property manager (acting as Secretary) in close liaison with the chairperson of the EIVT. Minutes of all such meetings and also of AGM/EGMs should be retained and, in the interests of transparency, published or made available for viewing by all/any members on request!