Question: Current committee members block owners from joining. The same members are on the committee year after year. How do we break this cycle?
If someone self-nominates for the committee at the AGM, is it valid for that nomination to be seconded from the floor? Unfortunately, some committee members continually block owners from joining even though our committee is under 12 members.
The same members are on the committee year after year. The committee requests nominations be submitted two months in advance so they can strategise how to prevent members from joining. How do we break this cycle?
Answer: The only way to get onto the committee is by the sheer weight of votes.
Committee nominations from the floor are completely valid. You cannot be excluded from nominating just because you haven’t completed a nomination form. The exception to this will be if there has been an OC resolution in the past specifying that committee nominations must be made in a particular way (i.e. via submission of nomination forms). However, such resolutions are rare.
It sounds like the only way to get yourself onto the committee is to rely on the sheer weight of votes. Even if your nomination is accepted at the meeting, the existing committee members could use their voting power to adjust the agreed number of committee members to exclude you. Try to gather support before the meeting (either through proxies or getting other owners ‘on your side’ to attend) so your faction can outvote the other when it comes to determining committee numbers and members.
Callum Wilson The Strata Shepherd E: info@thestratashepherd.com.au P: 0431 925 908