BILL REQ. #: H-3422.1
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/21/14. Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
AN ACT Relating to the approval of minutes from annual meetings of homeowners' associations; and amending RCW 64.38.035.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 64.38.035 and 2013 c 108 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) A meeting of the association must be held at least once each
year. Special meetings of the association may be called by the
president, a majority of the board of directors, or by owners having
ten percent of the votes in the association.
(2) Not less than fourteen nor more than sixty days in advance of
any meeting of the association, the secretary or other officers
specified in the bylaws shall provide written notice to each owner of
record by:
(a) Hand-delivery to the mailing address of the owner or other
address designated in writing by the owner;
(b) Prepaid first-class United States mail to the mailing address
of the owner or to any other mailing address designated in writing by
the owner; or
(c) Electronic transmission to an address, location, or system
designated in writing by the owner. Notice to owners by an electronic
transmission complies with this section only with respect to those
owners who have delivered to the secretary or other officers specified
in the bylaws a written record consenting to receive electronically
transmitted notices. An owner who has consented to receipt of
electronically transmitted notices may revoke the consent at any time
by delivering a written record of the revocation to the secretary or
other officer specified in the bylaws. Consent is deemed revoked if
the secretary or other officer specified in the bylaws is unable to
electronically transmit two consecutive notices given in accordance
with the consent.
(3) The notice of any meeting shall state the time and place of the
meeting and the business to be placed on the agenda by the board of
directors for a vote by the owners, including the general nature of any
proposed amendment to the articles of incorporation, bylaws, any budget
or changes in the previously approved budget that result in a change in
assessment obligation, and any proposal to remove a director.
(4) Except as provided in this subsection, all meetings of the
board of directors shall be open for observation by all owners of
record and their authorized agents. The board of directors shall keep
minutes of all actions taken by the board, which shall be available to
all owners. The secretary or other officers specified in the bylaws
must provide each owner of record, for approval, the minutes from the
annual meeting described in subsection (1) of this section by means of
any of the delivery options available under subsection (2) of this
section not less than fourteen nor more than sixty days after the
meeting. Each owner of record must respond within fourteen to twenty-one days of receiving the minutes, indicating whether he or she
approves the minutes and delivering his or her response to the
secretary or other officers specified in the bylaws by means of any of
the delivery options available under subsection (2) of this section.
Upon the affirmative vote in open meeting to assemble in closed
session, the board of directors may convene in closed executive session
to consider personnel matters; consult with legal counsel or consider
communications with legal counsel; and discuss likely or pending
litigation, matters involving possible violations of the governing
documents of the association, and matters involving the possible
liability of an owner to the association. The motion shall state
specifically the purpose for the closed session. Reference to the
motion and the stated purpose for the closed session shall be included
in the minutes. The board of directors shall restrict the
consideration of matters during the closed portions of meetings only to
those purposes specifically exempted and stated in the motion. No
motion, or other action adopted, passed, or agreed to in closed session
may become effective unless the board of directors, following the
closed session, reconvenes in open meeting and votes in the open
meeting on such motion, or other action which is reasonably identified.
The requirements of this subsection shall not require the disclosure of
information in violation of law or which is otherwise exempt from
disclosure.