Generally, committees assist the board by conducting research, identifying options and alternatives and communicating their findings to the board, typically through a presentation by the committee chairperson. 

Committees also complete tasks not requiring board action, such as drafting new forms or non-substantive form revisions, community newsletters and general information flyers and communications on social media accounts and planning social events. 

While committees can advise and assist the board, they cannot make decisions for the community such as imposing new rules and/or fees.  For example, the finance committee can create a proposed annual budget for the community, it cannot be implemented without board approval.  

The exception to this rule is the architectural control committee, which is usually granted special authority by the HOA’s governing documents to approve or deny improvement requests from homeowners, independent of the board of directors. That being said, the architectural control committee’s authority lies only within the boundaries of the governing documents.