heat vs AC in large post war building

Our building switches from heat to AC around May 1 and then back to heat again around Oct 1 (I may have the dates wrong - just an estimate). Very often (like now) as soon as we switch from heat to AC, we hit a terrible cold snap and have no heat. Or in October, we hit a late heat wave and have no AC. I asked our super why we can somehow switch twice a year - but not say 4x a year if weather warrants it - and he said it is "very complicated" and can't be done. Is anyone actually familiar with the actual process? Is it that complicated?? I don't want to start switching back and forth at every resident's whim - but wouldn't a clear policy (ie: under 50 degrees or over 85 degrees) make more sense?