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Does RONR discuss the budget process in organizations? Specifically down to a level of who needs to be approving, who needs to be emailed, who needs to be notified for budget approval? If there is no specific rules in our by laws and no specific rules in RONR, and the assembly voted on a budget in September, can a member make a motion to reform a budget committee to over turn the budget if they believe it was not emailed out for approval before the vote? If they can, is this a motion to reconsider? Would they need 2/3 vote?

~Webster's New World Robert's Rules of Order Simplified and Applied, 2nd Edition~ What does the unqualified motion to adopt a budget mean? Does it authorize "the person responsible" to approve the bill and further authorize the treasurer to write the check? Does it depend on how the motion to adopt the budget is worded? For example the US House 'appropriates' funds thusly: RONR 11th edition refers to adopting the budget as if we should already know what this means.

I am parliamentarian for a group whose annual meeting is in a few weeks. One of the tasks of the annual meeting is to approve the annual budget. Due to some difficult and quite unpredictable economic challenges, the officers feel there's a good chance that whatever budget they propose will not reflect reality. They simply can't predict what income they will have this year. My advice to them at this point has been to do the best they can with the information they have, and be upfront about the challenges when they present the budget. They always have the option of calling a special meeting of the membership in early 2020 to approve a revised budget, once the economic situation (and any necessary adjustments) becomes more clear. Are there other thoughts on how to proceed?

I have a different angle on this. Our Property Owners Assoc requires that the membership vote on a budget. Our first budget failed and a second was created per our bylaws. The second was approved by the Board to go to the membership for a vote. The vote was taken and the proxies were counted and the results announced at a Special Meeting of the Membership called to ratify the results of the vote. If the membership voted to adopt this budget does the Board need to approve it? This was asked by a member after the meeting as the Board announced the vote which was the purpose of the Special Meeting. Others are of the mind that if the Board had to approve it, then they could just as well NOT adopt a membership vote?

I managed to simplify my question. This is the relevant line from our current constitution (church) C12.05. d. The Congregation Council shall prepare an annual budget for adoption by this congregation, (emphasis added) shall supervise the expenditure of funds in accordance therewith following its adoption, and may incur obligations of more than $ 10, 000 in excess of the anticipated receipts only after approval by a Congregation Meeting. The budget shall include this congregation's full indicated share in support of the wider ministry being carried on in partnership with the synod and churchwide organization. My question: Can the Council-prepared budget be amended from the floor by a congregation member, following appropriate procedures? Or, based on this language is it a binary vote? Thanks, Todd

I am the presiding officer at the meetings of a small church. One of the special orders at our annual meeting is the adoption of a budget. While not mentioned in our constitution, we have a budget committee which meets prior to the meeting to establish a proposed budget for the coming year. These meetings are announced with anyone welcome to attend these meetings and give their input. Other committees are solicited as well, (Mission, etc) and then, based on their best information, they construct a proposed budget for the coming year. It is then shared before the congregation. My question is, Does this budget require a congregational vote for approval? According to Robert's Rules of Order, standing committee reports, even though they may include recommendations, are to be filed with the minutes. But this is a special order and I saw no provision for acceptance either way in Robert's Rules of Order for a way to adopt a special order. My thinking is that this should be the same. There were those at the meeting who did not attend the budget committee meetings and, hearing this information for the first time, wanted to introduce new motions for changes. In my opinion, this has the effect of turning the entire congregation into a second budget committee. My thinking is that, at the congregational level, questions should be limited to procedural issues, (noticing a decimal point in the wrong place, etc) or points of clarification. Alterations to the budget should have been done at the board level as with, say, the missionary committee. This is my first time on this web site and hopefully you can help. I can be contacted at boblehigh@yahoo.com. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kindest regards, Bob

I belong to a Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It is a 501(c)(3) with about 100 members. The bylaws state: Section 2. A Finance Committee consisting of the Treasurer and four members to be appointed by the Regent shall consider requests for funds, plan a proposed budget to be approved at the September meeting and recommend to the Chapter such expenditures as the Committee shall deem expedient. ARTICLE XI. Parliamentary Authority. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the chapter in all cases to which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws, special rules of order, standing rules or any rulings of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, or any special rules of order of the Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution, or of this chapter. At the first meeting last year the Treasurer made a motion to approve the budget. Members were not given a copy of the budget. Changes were not shown. There was no discussion. It was just approved. This year, the Regent (President) wants to follow the same procedure. She has told me: "We have no requirement to distribute the budget in advance and we will not be doing so at this time." This seems wrong, to me, since you can't consider and approve something competently if you have not seen it. Is the Regent (President) correct?

Our board recently voted and approved a budget that was sent to the members before the annual meeting. At the forthcoming annual meeting members will vote to approve the budget. The budget was put together before all information was received from the previous FY end. A director wants to make a motion to change 2 line items to better reflect the spend in those areas at the annual meeting. The president has stated that the members can only vote on the proposed budget, would have to vote it down, the board will have to create a new budget and call a special meeting for members to vote on on the proposed changes. There isn't any procedure in our by-laws stating that we have to follow that process. Would this be part of debate on the proposed budget and could a motion be made to amend those two line items after debate? without defeating the budget and having a special meeting called based on Roberts Rules?

Our POA Bylaws required our annual assessment to be approved by a majority vote of members attending the annual meeting or submitting proxies, provided a quorum is met. One of the proxies that we received included the following special instruction: 1.__Vote against increase of assessment or if already passed vote to appeal it. Is there any such thing as an appeal on a vote if it is conducted properly according to the rules? If an appeal is allowed would we be correct in assuming that since the instructions did not request the proxy holder to make a motion, if no such motion is made and seconded following the budget vote, then the proxy holder cannot technically vote to appeal the budget as instructed?