Proper recording in minutes

[Guest Cakelady]

In a recent Board of Director's meeting, we had a few motions that were tabled.  During the next session, the action to take them from the table were not addressed in the form of a motion with a second or a vote.  First:  is this a valid action, and second: how do I record this in our minutes (no motion, no second, no vote)?  Can a tabled item be taken from the table without a formal motion?

[jstackpo]

Oh dear...  it looks like you are confusing "Table" with "Postpone" and going far afield from RONR.

 

Too much to clear up here  --  I strongly urge you to read §17 in RONR, then §14 to get it all straight.

[Edgar Guest]

See also FAQ #12.

[Richard Brown]

I agree with Mr. Guest that what you should have been doing was postponing to a definite time, rather than laying on the table.  The motion to lay on the table is designed for temporarily setting something aside in order to take up more pressing business.  It is not designed to be used in place of the motion to postpone to a definite time.

 

However, having said all that, you do seem to understand that when something is laid on the table, it can be taken from the table only by means of a motion to take from the table.  Such a motion requires a motion and a 2nd  and a majority vote.  It is not debatable.  However, if the body votes to take an item from the table without the motion having been seconded, or if it is done by unanimous consent, any errors in procedure are deemed waived.  It appears from your post that it was done by unanimous consent.

 

If your board did in fact take the motions from the table and deal with them, I would suggest that the minutes reflect simply that "the motion to paint the clubhouse pink and blue which was laid on the table at last month's meeting was taken from the table and adopted."  Or that it failed to pass.  Or was referred to a committee....whatever was done with it.  And so on with the other motions.

 

Then, next time, use the motion to postpone rather than the motion to lay on the table. 

 

Note:  any motions laid on the table which are not taken from the table by the end of the next meeting automatically die.

 

This also assumes that you have monthly meetings.

[Weldon Merritt]

This also assumes that you have monthly meetings.

 

Or at least that are separated by no more that a quarterly time interval.

[Gary Novosielski]

In a recent Board of Director's meeting, we had a few motions that were tabled.  During the next session, the action to take them from the table were not addressed in the form of a motion with a second or a vote.  First:  is this a valid action, and second: how do I record this in our minutes (no motion, no second, no vote)?  Can a tabled item be taken from the table without a formal motion?

The motion (or other action) to "table" was undoubtedly not in order.  Never use it and you'll never miss it.