Meetings
The short answer: minutes record decisions, not discussion — the motion, who moved it, the vote, and any money it commits — kept with the meeting they belong to, where the next board and the residents can find them without asking anyone to forward an email.
Boards search for minutes templates (about 480 searches a month for the template alone). The template is the easy part. The failure is minutes that live in a secretary's notebook or a personal drive and leave with that volunteer.
What to write down
What was decided, in the words it was decided. What it costs and which vendor, if money moved. What was tabled and to when. Skip the debate; keep the decision and the count. What your documents require minutes to contain is their question, not this page's.
- The motion, in the words it was decided
- Who moved it, and the vote
- What it costs, and which vendor, if money moved
- What was tabled, and to when
Keep minutes with the meeting
In Hoavik the agenda, the minutes, and the packet live with the meeting. A resident can find the next meeting and read what the last one decided, without a forwarded thread.
General information, not legal advice. Your state and your governing documents differ.