In 2017, New Jersey’s legislature amended New Jersey’s Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act, commonly known as PREDFDA. These amendments have been labeled the “Radburn Amendments”. PREDFDA has always been administered by parts of New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”). To that end, DCA has adopted regulations it claims are necessary to “implement” and/or “enable” relevant owners to “more easily and fully comply with” the Radburn Amendments. These regulations will likely be known as the “Radburn Regulations”.
The Radburn Regulations expressly address how “notice” of “board meetings” must be done. After the “annual meeting” – which the Radburn Regulations now make mandatory – the association has 7 days to “post, and maintain posted throughout the year, an open meeting schedule of the” board meetings. This annual schedule must identify the “time, date, and locations of each” meeting and be posted in at least 1 location identified by the Radburn Regulations. Any changes to the annual schedule of board meetings “shall be made at least 7 days prior to the scheduled date and posted and maintained” like the original schedule. Even if the association posts this “schedule” it still must give “all members” direct notice of every board meeting at least 7 days prior. This individual notice must also be posted publicly and on any “website and included in any newsletter”. Additionally, the association must provide each notice “personally” to every owner “by mail, hand-delivery, or electronic means”. Lastly, this “notice” must include certain details concerning the board meeting’s time, etc. and agenda details that note particular discussion, action, and reoccurring items. The association must even post a notice of “cancellation at the meeting site”, at a location within the association and on the website if a meeting noted on the overall annual meeting has been canceled.
The Radburn Regulations do allow a board meeting to deal with “matters of such urgency and importance that delay for the purpose of providing 7 days advance notice would” likely result in “substantial harm” if that board “meeting is limited to discussion of, and acting with respect to” the urgent and important matter. In that case, notice must be “provided as soon as possible following the calling of the meeting”. That notice must also be posted publicly, posted on any association “website” (and included in any newsletter), and provided “personally” to every owner “by mail, hand-delivery, or electronic means”. The board must make certain records vis-a-vis this meeting and respect other controls.
