Brouwer

J.J. My question isn't about unnoticed items being permitted. Rather, can a board member walk out of a meeting? Further, would walking out (if permitted) stop Any Other Business since the full board would no longer be present?

Josh, Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, you will be surprised. Our Policies & Procedures do not properly address this. Further, the only copy anyone can find doesn't appear to be a final approved copy. It is full of pen markups and is missing at least four appendices. Board members have been making up their own rules and not following procedures or policies for years. Their arguments have been the old "but that's the way we've been doing it" gambit.

While it sounds like the beginning of a joke, it isn't. Our township is holding a Special Meeting / Public Hearing this evening. Despite the fact that I've voiced numerous objections, our supervisor has included the following in the posted agenda (quoted verbatim, including colorization): Any Other Business to come before the board (Only if full board is present) [sic] While I know RONR does not allow adding agenda items to Special Meetings, my question revolves around "(Only if full board is present)." Our supervisor may simply ignore RONR and press on. To prevent 'any other business,' can one of the board members simply walk out, or does RONR have a rule against a board member leaving a meeting? Thank you,

One of the board members of our township has submitted some major changes to our Policies & Procedures (which serve our township as our bylaws). In other government bodies in our county, such changes must first be presented at a meeting for discussion. Such amendments are not allowed to be voted on until the second meeting following so as to have time to fully consider their impact and give the public time for review. Does RONR address the procedure for such amendments, or is entirely up to the prevailing Policies & Procedures / Bylaws?

Thank you all for your help and insights!

In a recent special meeting of our township, the Supervisor stated that agendas were not required. Since our township has adopted RONR, I have the understanding that agendas are a required cornerstone of any meeting, special, regular, or otherwise. Could someone confirm the requirement of agendas under RONR?

Gary Novosielski – Funny : ) Typing too fast. Just meant that the vote is expected to pass 3 to 2 on our 5 member board. Joshua Katz & Rob Elsman, thank you. Addressing it as a point of order is likely the best way.

Our Township Board has called a Special Meeting to pass resolutions to establish the salaries of its 5 elected officials. Township Policy states that such resolutions were to be submitted at least two weeks ago (per Budgeting Timetable). Further per policy, the board should have three weeks to consider such recommendations prior to taking a vote on a final vote on a budget. It is understood that there will be an attempt to push these salary resolutions through on a 3/2 vote at this Special Meeting. Given that these salary resolutions aren't following adopted Township Policy, is there a proper RONR procedure to table them until there has been time to properly consider them?

Richard Brown, thank you.

Thank you Rob Elsman.

Our Township Board is meeting this evening. Under New Business is a misleading title "Preliminary budget discussion." I have been told that an elected member of the Board is attempting to put through a salary increase. So is one of the Township's other non-elected employees. The topic title is at best misleading. Regardless of the purposeful deception of the deceptive title for this business, does RONR say anything about how such matters should be addressed? The public is not being made aware of the true nature of the topic at hand. More people would have likely attended had the true nature of the topic been publicized. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.