Lisa Ochoa

This is exactly the information I needed, very helpful. Thank you!

Thank you for your response. We have a set of bylaws, which lay out the composition and duties of the Board and Board officers , the rules of eligibility for dogs to be registered to compete, and the standard language regarding dissolution of the organization. We also have a separate set of rules which lay out the requirements by which meets should be conducted. Neither set has any provisions made for emergency orders or suspension of existing rules. <--- yes, I will be making some proposals this fall to correct this situation but that's not helping me right now. We would like to resume hosting meets as it becomes safe to do so, and we also want to establish a global set of rules for clubs to follow during the pandemic. Right now, several Board members have made suggestions and one of them has now made a motion which would require a temporary alteration of an existing event rule. The motion has been seconded and it is being discussed as we speak. One of my Board members has asked how we would implement such a change, and that is the question that has brought me here. I don't know what the best practice is supposed to be and I am not getting a lot of guidance from my rule book.

I am the president of a club devoted to the activities of performance dogs. Clubs in our organization ordinarily host 65-70 meets each year, but obviously this year has been different. We have been on lockdown since mid-March, and are now discussing best practices for clubs to resume hosting meets. Some ideas which have been presented will give us the desired outcome but are not necessarily performed the way our current rules are written. For example, by rule we require three line judges to be positioned on each side of the field to determine placements, and they must be standing as close together as possible. One of our members has suggested that we could reduce that number to two, standing farther apart and that a video camera could take the place of the third judge. This variation would give us essentially the same result but would be safer for the line judges and more in line with proper social distancing. However, this kind of change would require a written proposal and that our bylaws state that such proposals may only be made once a year, in December. I want to know: 1. If it is appropriate for us to waive the normal rule change structure on a temporary basis (the person making the suggestion has stipulated that it should be for this year only, with a possible permanent change being made during the legal period). I have a motion on the table right now, and this question has been asked. I don't know how to answer it so I am asking my favorite group of experts. 2. In the event that such temporary rule changes are appropriate, is there any reason I should have to issue an executive order to make such changes legal. I cannot find any information regarding executive orders in my copy of Robert's but I personally think they are not appropriate except in emergency situations, which is what we have right now. Thanks.

No, and it is interesting that you ask this question because it is the issue that is No. 2 on my agenda (No. 1 is an extremely specialized and technical issue that has been hanging over us for several years that needs to be dealt with ASAP), and a major reason I accepted the nomination to President. This organization's bylaws were written 30 years ago, back when there were four member clubs. Each club is required to appoint two people to the Board, so the Board was initially made up of eight members. We now have 17 clubs, and applications for two more are pending. Clearly, the processes which worked well for eight people, who all lived fairly close together, are not nearly so effective for the size and dispersal of the group that now exists. We follow Robert's to a fairly slavish extent, which has resulted in some extremely cumbersome discussions and fairly lengthy delays in processing votes, due to the nature of email and the fact that everything takes a lot longer. I want to find ways to streamline the process and help us transact our business more efficiently, while still keeping to a professional standard of order. Of course, any new process is going to require a bylaws change so I want to get it right the first time. I will certainly be ordering the CD-ROM forthwith. Thank you for mentioning that, I had no idea such a thing existed.

SECTION 2. Meetinqs. Due to the non-profit nature of the CWA and lack of compensation of its Officers and Board of Directors, and the distances between members, live meetings will be kept to a minimum and called at the discretion of the President or majority of the Board of Directors. Meetings for the purpose of voting on pending matters may be held electronically, via email or in a chat room set up for the purpose, at the discretion of the President. (a) Meetinq Notices. In the event a meeting of the Board of Directors is called, the President will notify each Director by land mail, electronic mail, or phone at least ten (10) days prior to said meeting. (b) Special Meetinqs. Special meetings may be called by a majority of the Board of Directors. Such meetings may be held electronically, either via email or in a chat room set up for the purpose. (c) Conduct of Meetinqs. The President, Vice-President or designated officer shall preside over meetings which shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order. The President, Vice President, or a designated officer shall preside over electronic meetings, which shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order to the extent possible. This bylaw change was made effective January 1, 2005. As I said earlier, I recognize the limitations of email meetings, but in this instance they are the most effective way for us to get things done. This is an enormous Board, spread across four time zones and two countries. Many of the Board members lack the technical skills to navigate such niceties as chat rooms or videoconferencing (some of them struggle with email), which is why email is the chosen medium. It is relatively simple for even the technical Lowest Common Denominator to access.

THANK YOU. That is exactly what I needed to know!

I am confused. Are you stating that there is no way for me to resolve my dilemma via Robert's Rules? Thanks.