Page 12 - NJ Cooperator Fall 2020

12 THE NEW JERSEY COOPERATOR —FALL 2020 NJCOOPERATOR.COM Call for a free Quote 888-315-7773 or www.denalipm.com Looking for a company that takes as much pride in your property as you do? Tired of being overcharged and underserved? With decades of experience, our team of certified managers and financial staff are committed to providing reliable service to properties of all sizes. Your Home is our Priority! Superior Service * Transparency * Communication * Technology understood by new members. “Th ey need members, which is held at least annually— to respect the confi dentiality of fi nancial and which may be easier \\\[to attend\\\] this Requirements (or the lack thereof) are set member ‘bootcamp,’ for instance. Board documents submitted by purchasers, or year because it will be done virtually. I fi nd at the state and local level. any other shareholders and unit owners, that this helps to orient the new member as well as any other matters that may come to thinking about the fi nancial health of attorney and principal of the Van Duyne before the board. Documents or other in- formation don’t get shared with a neighbor New board mem- or any others outside of the board.” Smaller Properties Not all communities have the where- withal or resources to provide a profession- al level of training to new board members. well, to learn about Smaller associations and corporations may how it all works. have to call upon existing board members We also encour- to provide a more personalized level of ori- entation to new ones. Anne S. is the president of a 56-unit co- op in Upper Manhattan. She has served on We hope to cre- the board for about a decade. Th e tight-knit ate an onboarding community has a live-in super and a man- aging agent, but in an eff ort to keep costs not had the time for down, they don’t have the manager conduct this as of yet.” a formal orientation for new members. In- stead, Anne herself orients newcomers on advice for those contemplating board ser- the building’s specifi cs and makes use of vice, Anne adds, “Honestly, I was out of my and understands the governing documents role. Check us out online—chances are that outside resources to give them a more gen- eral understanding of how co-ops are run. “I usually have a long conversation much to learn. I found it took me a year of Administrator may require the association with whoever is joining the board to talk just listening to understand what was going to submit a copy of the certifi cation of each about our ongoing projects, the roles on on.” Now, as the board president, she’s do- the board, and the requirements to partici- pate,” says Anne. “We do also require that for freshman board members. new board members attend the CNYC”— Council of New York Cooperatives & Con- dominiums—“workshop for new board activities in the United States, there’s not board members do go through an educa- the co-op over time. bers are encour- aged to speak with current and former board members as age questions, and pause in our meet- ings to explain stuff . manual, but have As a point of personal experience and association, on a form prescribed by the leading source for the tools that new board depth for the fi rst year. We were negotiat- ing the roof replacement, and there was so chapter to the best of his or her ability. Th e interested. ing her best to shorten the learning curve sociation at the time the association regis- State Requirements? As with most issues governing business much in the way of national uniformity. tional seminar of some sort. We off er a new Sheila van Duyne, a community law tional events and classes.” Law Firm in Reno, Ne- vada, points out that in arsky, an attorney with the law fi rm Phil- her state, “New board ips Nizer, which has offi ces in both New members need to com- ply with NRS 116.31034 believe orientation and training is a good and certify that they idea, though. Good management compa- have read and under- stand both their gov- erning documents and read NRS 116.” Nevada Revised Stat- ute (NRS) 116.31034 for resources related to multifamily board states, “Each member membership: of the executive board On our website, njcooperator.com, you can shall, within 90 days access our archives, watch informative vid- aft er his or her appoint- ment or election, certify in writing to the Administrator, that the member has read members need to be successful in their of the association and the provisions of this we have covered the topics in which you’re member of the executive board of that as- ters with the Ombudsman pursuant to NRS 116.31158.” “Typically,” says Van Duyne, “new members are encouraged to attend educa- On the other hand, “New Jersey does not require such training,” says Scott Piek- York City and Hackensack, New Jersey. “I nies are helpful in this regard. I also rec- ommend to new people that they regularly Th e New Jersey Cooperator .” NJCooperator.com You’ve already come to the right place Th e New Jersey Cooperator! eos, and register for upcoming events. Th e New Jersey Cooperator is recognized as a n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for Th e New Jersey Cooperator, and a published novelist. WHAT NEW BOARDS... continued from page 11 “Honestly, I was out of my depth for the fi rst year. ... I found it took me a year of just listen- ing to understand what was going on. —Anne S.