Guest Guest Who Posted June 23, 2015 at 04:42 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 at 04:42 AM Our council hold bi-annual meeting for all area members in 2 countries and try to follow the RONR. In Jun, we have 9 motions tabled for discussion. Upon completing 6 motions, time was up. A member puts up a new motion and calls it as a special motion to be concluded before closing the meeting.The new motion is “To request that the council have more monthly meetings via video conference” (so as to have more time for discussion). The member gives reason that it is related to the conduct of meeting. The chairman rejected this special motion as any new motion should be raised in next meeting and after the unfinished 3 motions. Does special motion exist in RONR?Is the chairman correct to reject this special motion?Is there any recommendation to handle this situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transpower Posted June 23, 2015 at 11:44 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 at 11:44 AM The term "special motion" is not used in RONR. Any new motion may be introduced under New Business. Normally the bylaws specify the regular meetings to be held by the organization. Video conferences must be specifically allowed by the bylaws. Therefore you should follow your bylaws to amend them as to the frequency and kind of meetings allowed, including video conferences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted June 23, 2015 at 01:39 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 at 01:39 PM Does special motion exist in RONR?No.Is the chairman correct to reject this special motion?I don't see anything "special" about it, but yes, the chair was correct to reject it. The assembly had not yet reached New Business. More importantly, video conferences must be authorized by the bylaws in order to be valid, and the schedule of meetings may be specified in the bylaws.Is there any recommendation to handle this situation?Check your bylaws for the process to amend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted June 23, 2015 at 02:39 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 at 02:39 PM You have at least one other option when the meeting must end before completing important business: Set an adjourned meeting to complete the unfinished business as well as new business. See pages 93-94 of RONR for information on adjourned meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Who Posted June 24, 2015 at 04:53 AM Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 at 04:53 AM Thank you for the answers. This member has at one time insisted that this last minute special motion not only be accepted but prioritized as first item to discuss (even before the 10 tabled ones). His arguement is that RONR has special motion and it is related to the procedural or conduct of meeting to solve the problem tohave more time for discussion. But the problem is that the chairman did not control the meeting well and allow a lot of time to discuss irrelevant matters andtime wastage in the meeting. How shall the member be replied? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted June 24, 2015 at 01:13 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 at 01:13 PM How shall the member be replied?We have already answered your question. There is no such motion in RONR (Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th edition). I don't know what else to say. Tell him to show it to you in RONR. He can't. It isn't there. If the member wants his motion considered ahead of others, he can move to suspend the rules (or to amend the agenda) and take it up at any point in the meeting he desires, but that motion requires a two thirds vote. Also, at the beginning of a meeting, before the agenda is adopted (assuming you use an agenda) he can move to have his motion placed at an earlier point in the agenda. Amending the proposed agenda before it is adopted takes only a majority vote. Alternatively, he can also move that his motion be made a special order of business, either for the current meeting or the next meeting. See the section in RONR on order of business. To make something a special order of business usually takes a two thirds vote. But, back to the original question: There is no such thing in RONR as a "special motion". btw, you have still not addressed the concern expressed by other members on this forum as to whether your bylaws even allow for meetings via video conference. If they don't, then the motion to have meetings via video conference is out of order. Period. The bylaws would have to be amended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted June 24, 2015 at 01:56 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 at 01:56 PM Thank you for the answers.This member has at one time insisted that this last minute special motion not only be accepted but prioritized as first item to discuss (even before the 10 tabled ones).His arguement is that RONR has special motion and it is related to the procedural or conduct of meeting to solve the problem tohave more time for discussion.But the problem is that the chairman did not control the meeting well and allow a lot of time to discuss irrelevant matters andtime wastage in the meeting.How shall the member be replied?Well, for starters, there simply is no such thing as a "special motion." There are a wide variety of motions which take precedence over a pending motion, but in my opinion, the member's proposed motion is not one of them. I'm not entirely sure what sort of motion he's referring to with his vague description of "related to the procedural conduct of meeting" but it seems irrelevant, because the motion he made was not related to the procedural conduct of the meeting, but to the assembly's schedule for future meetings (and the technology used for such meetings). It was clearly a main motion.If he wished to have a new main motion considered before the current heading of Unfinished Business and General Orders, the proper motion would have been to Suspend the Rules. He could have moved to Suspend the Rules and take his motion up before the other business, but this would have required a 2/3 vote for adoption. Additionally, this only solves one problem. There is still the issue that his motion most likely conflicted with the bylaws and/or with the fundamental principle of parliamentary law that only members who are present can vote. The bylaws likely have a requirement of previous notice for amendments, and there's no way around that.If the chair permitted members to discuss a lot of irrelevant matters, then the chair should work on that in the future. Discussion must be germane to the pending motion.On a side note, I suspect you mean "postponed," not "tabled." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Who Posted June 25, 2015 at 01:25 AM Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 at 01:25 AM Thank you very much for the enlightening answers. Unfortunately, we do not have bylaws and we have to learn to adopt it. The 'tabled' motions meant the confirmed ones to discuss on actual date of meeting and sent in advance notice to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted June 25, 2015 at 02:00 AM Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 at 02:00 AM Unfortunately, we do not have bylaws . . . Well, you probably have governing documents, no matter what they're called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted June 25, 2015 at 02:47 AM Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 at 02:47 AM Unfortunately, we do not have bylaws and we have to learn to adopt it. Surely you have some sort of document which defines such things as the organization's members, officers, meetings, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted June 25, 2015 at 12:26 PM Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 at 12:26 PM Thank you for the answers. This member has at one time insisted that this last minute special motion not only be accepted but prioritized as first item to discuss (even before the 10 tabled ones). His arguement is that RONR has special motion and it is related to the procedural or conduct of meeting to solve the problem tohave more time for discussion. But the problem is that the chairman did not control the meeting well and allow a lot of time to discuss irrelevant matters andtime wastage in the meeting. How shall the member be replied? Reply: "Here is a copy of RONR. Show me the rule that you claim exists." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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