Planned Development Services

Arizona’s Open Meeting Law is important for the health of your Homeowners Association. Associations must follow basic rules to ensure meetings are in fact “open” to all members.

Why do we have this law?
To protect the public from “secret” decision making and protect public officials from being excluded. It also builds trust between the homeowner and the HOA board.

 

What does the Arizona Open Meeting Law require?

The law requires the Board to provide proper notice, 48 hours in advance of a meeting (Emergency meetings are the exception). Notice must include meeting location and time of the meeting.  Meeting notice may also be reported by newsletter, e-mail blast or other reasonable means.  A meeting agenda must be available for homeowners at the meeting.

The law also requires minutes to be recorded for all sessions. Lastly, the law allows for members to attend and speak during sessions. Boards can place time restrictions on this opportunity to speak, but they must allow time to speak on the issue at hand before taking any formal action.

 

Are there any online resources to help? 
There are resources online to help you and your board understand more about “Open Meetings.” You may find them on the Arizona Ombudsman Citizens Handbook (under open meetings) or Chapter 7 of the Arizona Agency Handbook.

Ready for the next session on Open Meetings? Click here for Part 2 of this series.

Thank you to Mulcahy Law Firm for contributing to this article.