This article discusses whether a strata manager chair council role is permitted, clarifying that a strata manager may provide guidance but cannot legally preside as chair of a Council of Owners meeting.
Question: Does the STA allow the strata manager to officiate at a Council Meeting as Chair or Facilitator? I would have thought that Schedule 1, Bylaw 6, (4) would rule that ‘illegal’.
Answer: We aren’t all gifted with the expert skills of meeting procedures and chairmanship.
You have referred to the correct Schedule 1 Governance by-law concerning who shall preside at the Council meetings.
Living in a strata scheme can become a daunting experience for a new owner. Just to get a Council elected some owners volunteer to help satisfy the minimum numbers for a quorum.
Then they are asked to fill a position on a Council. It has been my experience whilst previously living in a strata scheme for 27 years that most people have the best interests at heart but we aren’t all gifted with the expert skills of meeting procedures and chairmanship.
Some strata council’s do require some guidance and it is not uncommon for the strata manager to attend to offer guidance to the council on the limits of what they can or cannot do.
This may extend to guidance on budget expenditure and what was approved, acquiring quotes for any special projects and written notices for breach of by-laws.
I cannot comment on your particular strata scheme but in most cases where the strata manager attends a council meeting it is to ensure that the owners are properly briefed or to take instructions.
This post appears in Strata News #529.
Shane White
Strata Title Consult
E: shane.white@stratatitleconsult.com.au
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