Q: I got on the board of my community association with the intention of being involved and serving my community. After a year on the Board, I am now realizing the time commitment is much greater than I had anticipated. Is there anyway I can get paid for my time?
A: Compensation for Board members is not prohibited by Colorado law (See Section 7-128-111 of the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act). However, the bylaws for your community may prohibit compensation. If so, your bylaws would need to be amended to allow Board members to be paid for their valuable time. If Board members are to be paid, be aware that negative political consequences may result based on an appearance or perception of impropriety to the owners. To counter this perception, provide notice of the compensation plan to all owners well in advance of implementation and explain why the plan was created. Also, any compensation should not be in the form of a waiver of assessments. Board members, as owners, are obligated by the declaration to pay assessments like any other owners and waiving assessments would be a violation of the provisions in the declaration regarding the allocation of assessments among owners. Rather, compensation should be based on some other means, such as a flat monthly rate or a certain amount per Board meeting attended.