“A camel is a horse designed by a committee,” or so the joke goes.  “A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours” is another knee slapper.  People love to poke fun at committees — they are the brunt of many punchlines.  If committees are such a joke, why do we have them?

All joking aside, the Farmcolony Board of Directors is currently reviewing the community’s committee structure and the necessity of our existing committees, which today numbers fifteen committees.  The board wants to know, are all of these committees necessary or do they create cumbersome paperwork for the association by requiring minutes and records? 

The board is beginning its review of existing committees with a survey of the membership.  The survey is asking members which committees they think are necessary to the operation of the farm.  Responses are due by March 31 and will then be tallied and discussed.

Farmcolony, like every homeowners’ association (HOA), is managed by a board of directors that is in charge of maintaining the community.  HOA board members are not community management professionals. They are homeowners who volunteer their time to serve their community. With work, family, and other personal responsibilities, board members don’t have the time to manage every aspect of maintaining a community. To help them get things done, they turn to committees made up of volunteer homeowners to take on some of the more basic tasks of maintaining the community while they focus on bigger HOA dutieslike preparing a budget or planning improvement projects.

It is up to board members to determine what committees are needed and form committees that utilize the skills and talents of its members that can help them accomplish important community tasks.  For instance, a person with landscaping expertise can be a great help to a HOA landscape committee. Committees also help foster community engagement. Residents who participate in HOA committees get to know each other on a more personal level.  In well-run communities, important issues are first worked through and refined by committees.  While committees act at the direction of the board, board members retain legal responsibilities.

HOA committees can be categorized into three general types:

• Executive. Executive committees are committees that are exclusively made up of HOA board members.
• Standing. Standing committees are committees that have constant tasks to fulfill. As the name suggests, these committees exist for an indefinite period of time.
• Ad Hoc. Also known as special committees, ad hoc committees are assembled for a specific purpose and disband after that purpose is achieved.

The committees under survey are standing committees created to fulfill a specific task for the board. 

There are many types of committees that fulfill different purposes in a community based on work load and what needs to be done.  Here are a few of the most common types of committees created in HOAs, according to experts at Texas-based Spectrumam Property Management Company:  

• The architectural control committee maintains property values by keeping the land and structures in accordance with the covenants, conditions, and restrictions established in the governing documents.  Committee members review design applications from homeowners and see whether they comply with the architectural guidelines stated in the governing documents.
• Landscape and maintenance committees oversee the “look and feel” and sustainability of the community landscape.  The Maintenance Committee ensures that both the community’s properties and homeowners’ properties are well taken care of. The landscape committee makes sure that homeowners’ lawns and gardens comply with the landscaping rules in the governing documents.
• A nominations committee develops the criteria and the slate of board candidates annually.
• A finance committee helps the board of directors when it comes to planning the annual budget, tracking monthly expenses, managing HOA reserves and investments, scheduling audits and reserve studies, and other financial management tasks.
• HOA special committees are formed to address short-term or specific issues. They are temporary and exist to serve the HOA board with a certain community matter. For example, the HOA may set up a special committee to oversee a new project. The committee will then disband following the completion of the project.
• HOA communications committee ensures that residents are always informed when it comes to community news or updates. Committee members may be in charge of the community newsletters, email blasts, HOA website, and HOA social media accounts.
• Finally, the social committee creates community events for holidays, community garage sales, seasonal festivals, etc. The community may also have fixed events such as a holiday party or summer festival.  They are considered to be the “glue” holding the community together.

Though these are the most common types of committees that boards can create, this is not a complete list. Committees are formed by the board to fulfill different purposes based on what needs to be done.

HOA committees can benefit a community tremendously.  They can help the board of directors gather information, make policy recommendations, and find solutions to ongoing problems.  They can help foster community engagement among members. They also save the association time and money by drawing on the special skills and talents of residents to help maintain the community.  When HOA boards and committees work together, the community can function properly and seamlessly.  And that’s no joke.