Guidelines for Taking Committee Meeting Minutes

WHY: Washington state law requires that minutes be taken at all Board, Foundation and Committee meetings.

WHAT: Meeting minutes are written documents that reflect what happened during a meeting. They do not need to and should not reflect everything that was discussed in a meeting, but they should provide information on the key items discussed, any decisions that were reached, and the next steps for individuals or teams to take. For Board meetings, the minutes should show that any actions taken by the Board were authorized by the Board and that the Board exercised due care in carrying out its responsibilities.

HOW: A secretary for the meeting should be determined prior to the start of the meeting. Developing a good agenda prior to the meeting will help the meeting go smoothly and make taking minutes easier, and good minutes will help your group manage itself effectively.

 Meeting minutes should include the following:

 ·      Name of the body meeting

·      Date

·      List of attendees, with their leadership positions noted, where applicable

·      Location of the meeting

·      Time the meeting was called to order

·      State that the agenda was reviewed and approved

·      State that the prior meeting’s minutes were reviewed and approved

·      State that the agenda was discussed

·      List any other key items that were discussed

·      Document any tasks assigned to members at the meeting, action items identified, and progress on action items from previous meetings

·      Document any decisions made, and, if there’s a vote, the tally of the vote

·      Document the agenda, date, and time for the next meeting

·      Time the meeting was adjourned

·      Any supplementary documents that were provided at the meeting should be attached

·      “Minutes submitted by:” and the name of the person who prepared them

WHEN: The meeting minutes should be prepared timely and emailed to the people who attended the meeting for their review. The minutes should also be sent to cowlitzmg@gmail.com so they can be posted on the Foundation’s member website. This allows all members to view the minutes and it is our means for saving meeting minutes permanently, which is required by law.