Joint Meeting

[Watson]

Our Council [11 Members] has appointed a Board of [5] Commissioners. Now we would like all 16 individuals to meet jointly in a special meeting with equal status and parliamentary rights. Does RONR propose a proper format for such a meeting? Should the presiding officer be a third party, or chosen from within the group?

Thank you.

[Josh Martin]

Does RONR propose a proper format for such a meeting?

No. The term "joint meeting" is not used in RONR (except in the case of a merger of two societies, which does not apply here).

I can think of two ways to establish a joint meeting. One of the assemblies (probably the council, in this case) could create a special committee consisting of all the members of both assemblies, or you could hold a mass meeting which invites all the members of both assemblies (the joint meeting used to merge societies is the latter type).

Should the presiding officer be a third party, or chosen from within the group?

That's up to the assembly. If you go the special committee route, you can have the assembly which appoints the committee select the chairman or leave it to the committee to elect its own chairman. A mass meeting elects its own chairman.

[Guest Edgar]

Now we would like all 16 individuals to meet jointly in a special meeting with equal status and parliamentary rights.

Aside from the right to attend and speak (a courtesy that can be afforded to non-members), what's the point? This combination of bodies wouldn't constitute a body in its own right so any votes that were taken and decisions made would be, I think, immaterial.

To put it another way, what do you hope to accomplish at this joint gathering that couldn't be accomplished at a meeting of the council to which the commissioners were invited to attend and speak?

[Gary Novosielski]

Our Council [11 Members] has appointed a Board of [5] Commissioners. Now we would like all 16 individuals to meet jointly in a special meeting with equal status and parliamentary rights. Does RONR propose a proper format for such a meeting? Should the presiding officer be a third party, or chosen from within the group?

Thank you.

Parliamentary rights to do what? And in the name of which body?

I don't understand how an appointed board, presumably a subordinate body to the council, can have equal status in a meeting. If both bodies are meeting, and a motion passes, which body passed it?

[Steven Britton]

Parliamentary rights to do what? And in the name of which body?

I don't understand how an appointed board, presumably a subordinate body to the council, can have equal status in a meeting. If both bodies are meeting, and a motion passes, which body passed it?

By taking Mr. Martin's answer to a logical next step, the board and committee could be appointed to a special committee, proceeding to conduct a committee hearing regarding some significant pending business.