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Running out of time at meetings


joejk

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Two questions:

1. If we run out of time at the end of a meeting, and not everyone has had two chances to speak, what happens? Can the chair just close debate and call for a vote because time ran out?

2. Our chair sometimes decides before a meeting that each member will only have, say, 2 minutes in each round of debate. Can he decide this unilaterally, or does it need to be passed by the entire board through a motion?

Thank you so much.

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1.  The assembly can decide what to do.  If it adjourns with business pending, that item will come up as unfinished business at the next session, if within a quarterly time interval (and each person can again speak twice).  The chair does not unilaterally decide.  Most assemblies will choose to move all pending questions, though.

2.  No, he cannot decide this unilaterally.  Either the assembly needs to adopt a motion to that effect, or a special rule of order can be made (so that it applies at more than one meeting).

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5 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

1.  The assembly can decide what to do.  If it adjourns with business pending, that item will come up as unfinished business at the next session, if within a quarterly time interval (and each person can again speak twice).  The chair does not unilaterally decide.  Most assemblies will choose to move all pending questions, though.

I would add to this that if the assembly has a prescheduled adjournment time, then:

1. It is only binding if the adjournment time was actually adopted by the assembly. Even if an agenda is circulated in advance, it has no bearing on how the meeting proceeds (in any respect), so the only way that the assembly adjourns at that time is if someone makes a motion to adjourn and the motion is adopted by majority vote.

2. Once the prescheduled time comes up, even if it is binding, then the assembly can vote to continue the meeting by a two-thirds vote or to set up an adjourned meeting by majority vote.

5 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

2.  No, he cannot decide this unilaterally.  Either the assembly needs to adopt a motion to that effect, or a special rule of order can be made (so that it applies at more than one meeting).

Additionally, this motion requires a two-thirds vote. If it's made only one one specific motion, then it is undebatable, but if it's going to apply for the rest of the meeting such as "I move that speeches be limited to 4 minutes for the rest of the meeting," then that motion is debatable and can only be made when no other motion is pending.

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