board member

[Guest Chang]

Dose Robert's Rule required all items on the agenda to have a motion, second it, to be able to discuss and vote on it (such as unfinished business and new business) or some items does not need to motion, second and vote on?  Our bylaw said, all businesses conduct within the organization are to follow Robert's Rule.

[Joshua Katz]

I'm not really sure what's being asked, but I'll address a few things I think might be asked.  Some topic being on the agenda is not the same thing as a motion being made on it.  An agenda item might read "Clubhouse issue," and a motion might be made, when that item comes up, to paint the clubhouse red.  As a general matter, if you're not using small board rules, all discussion must be on a motion.  This isn't some useless formalism - if the agenda item is "clubhouse issue" and you permitted debate without a motion, you'd end up talking in circles for hours.  By requiring that debate be on a motion, everyone knows what's being discussed, and you'll get comments (hopefully) in favor of, or against, red.  If someone wants green, they'll either speak against red, or move to amend - and debate will then be on the amendment.  At all times, there's a yes/no question under discussion, with focuses debate.  

Incidentally, we don't recommend agendas be used if meetings are held as often as quarterly; following a standard order of business tends to work just fine in such cases.  

[Richard Brown]

An agenda is merely a list of items to be covered at a meeting.  Unless you have a customized rule to the contrary, nothing on an agenda happens all by itself.  For example, an agenda item that reads "Christmas Party" doesn't do anything except remind the chair and the members to make a motion regarding the Christmas Party.  If nobody makes a motion to have one, then you move on to the next item.  Putting a motion on the agenda does not automatically introduce it.  A member still has to make the motion from the floor, someone seconds it, it gets debated (if there is any debate) and then it gets voted on, possibly after amendments. 

[Dan Honemann]

47 minutes ago, Guest Chang said:

Dose Robert's Rule required all items on the agenda to have a motion, second it, to be able to discuss and vote on it (such as unfinished business and new business) or some items does not need to motion, second and vote on?  Our bylaw said, all businesses conduct within the organization are to follow Robert's Rule.

I agree with the previous responses but would note that if there is an item of unfinished business to be considered, it will come up automatically at the appropriate time. Ordinarily, no motion will be necessary, since the question will have previously been introduced.