Karl M

Just now, Atul Kapur, PRP "Student" said:

Sounds like your most significant need is a good presiding officer with the training and confidence to keep the debate from degenerating.

Even if some members bring up the same topic again and again -- which is their right under RONR -- it can be disposed of efficiently and fairly. The meeting agenda belongs to the meeting, and I'd be hesitant to try to exert control by way of the trustees "setting" the agenda.

I agree as to the presiding officer - we are all just volunteers trying to keep the ship afloat, so I can see how challenging it can be when you have members actively questioning a lot of your moves.

Yes, we wanted to leave the opening for members to bring issues through the more formal "additions, Corrections, adoption of Agenda phase" instead of just having ideas be interjected constantly during new business...  Is that mostly kosher?  Maybe it isn't all that different, but it seemed to be hitting a compromise zone to help keep the meetings a bit more orderly...

Thanks for the help, sorry I did not see that you all had responded. 

On 6/14/2018 at 4:23 PM, Guest Who's Coming to Dinner said:

There is no agenda until one is adopted by majority vote.

On 6/14/2018 at 5:29 PM, Josh Martin said:

Yes, but even if the members fail to add their items to the agenda, they could still make their motions during New Business, or if the agenda makes no provision for New Business, they may make their motions after all business on the agenda is completed.

It appears that there is a desire to provide that the only items which may be considered are those which are included on the agenda.

So Josh is more in line, we are looking at how to limit soapboxing and grandstanding especially on issues that have been raised and defeated on previous meetings or on things that are on the agenda for future meetings (as they are calendar sensitive).  Would that be considered 'dilatory'?

I should add besides the hogging/railroading/beating dead horses, the rhetoric can also be toxic/hostile - which of course we hope that by allowing the general membership to control what gets added (besides what the trustees add) that it will have a double effect of simmering the conversation down.