§35-8A-303. Board members and officers.

(a) Except as provided in the declaration, the bylaws, the articles of incorporation in subsection (b), or other provisions of this chapter, the board may act in all instances on behalf of the association. In the performance of their duties, the officers and members of the board are required to exercise (i) if appointed by the declarant, the care required of fiduciaries of the unit owners other than the declarant and (ii) if elected by the unit owners other than declarant, ordinary and reasonable care.

(b) The board may not act on behalf of the association to amend the declaration specified in section 35-8A-217, to terminate the condominium described in section 35-8A-218, or to elect members of the board or to determine the qualifications, powers and duties, or terms of office of board members as provided in section 35-8A-303(f), but the board may fill vacancies in its membership for the unexpired portion of any term.

(c) Within 30 days after adoption of any proposed budget for the condominium, the board shall provide a copy of the budget to all the unit owners, and shall set a date for a meeting of the unit owners to consider ratification of the budget not less than 14 nor more than 30 days after delivery or mailing of the budget to the unit owners. Unless at that meeting a majority of all the unit owners present in person or by proxy or any larger vote specified in the declaration reject the budget, the budget is ratified, whether or not a quorum is present. In the event the proposed budget is rejected, the periodic budget last ratified by the unit owners shall be continued unit such time as the unit owners ratify a subsequent budget proposed by the board.

(d) Subject to subsection (e), the declaration may provide for a period of declarant control of the association, during which period a declarant, or persons designated by him, may appoint and remove the officers and members of the board. Regardless of the period provided in the declaration, a period of declarant control terminates no later than the earliest of (i) 60 days after conveyance of 75 percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant; (ii) two years after all declarants have ceased to offer units for sale in the ordinary course of business; or (iii) two years after any development right to add new units was last exercised. A declarant may voluntarily surrender the right to appoint and remove officers and members of the board before termination of that period, but in that event he may require, for the duration of the period of declarant control, that specified actions of the association or board, as described in a recorded instrument executed by the declarant, be approved by the declarant before they become effective.

(e) Not later than 90 days after conveyance of 25 percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant, at least one member and not less than 25 percent of the members of the board must be elected by unit owners other than the declarant. Not later than 90 days after conveyance of 50 percent of the units which may be created to unit owners other than a declarant, not less than 33 1/3 percent of the members of the board must be elected by unit owners other than the declarant.

(f) Except as otherwise provided in section 35-8A-220(e), not later than the termination of any period of declarant control, the unit owners shall elect a board of at least three members, at least a majority of whom must be unit owners other than declarant. The board shall elect the officers. The board members and officers shall take office upon election.

(g) Notwithstanding any provision of the declaration or bylaws to the contrary, the unit owners, by a two-thirds vote of all persons present in person and entitled to vote at any meeting of the unit owners at which a quorum in person is present, may remove any member of the board with or without cause, other than a member appointed by the declarant.

(Acts 1990, No. 90-551, p. 858, §3-103.)