correction of minutes

[Guest Tom Giordano]

If minutes of prior meeting need correction, may the secretary offer "corrected" minutes for approval or does another member have to make a specific motion to correct the minutes prior to a vote of approval?

[hmtcastle]

If minutes of prior meeting need correction, may the secretary offer "corrected" minutes for approval or does another member have to make a specific motion to correct the minutes prior to a vote of approval?

The secretary is free to make whatever changes she thinks appropriate before submitting her draft for approval.

[Robert B Fish]

However, once the minutes have been approved, the secretary (or anyone else), upon noting a factual error, may move that the previously approved minutes be amended. The vote to amend something previously adopted is 2/3 vote without notice, majority vote with notice, or a majority of the entire membership.

-Bob

[Kim Goldsworthy]

If minutes of prior meeting need correction, may the secretary offer "corrected" minutes for approval or does another member have to make a specific motion to correct the minutes prior to a vote of approval?

Are you asking, "How are minutes to be corrected?"

You correct minutes by amending minutes before you approve the minutes.

Thus,

1. secretary reads the minutes

2. a member makes a motion (to add [whatever]; to strike out [whatever]; and so on)

3. the amendment is debated (if not an obvious correction)

4. the amendment is voted on

5. if the vote is affirmative, the change gets written into the document

6. if the vote is negative, the change does not get written into the document

7. when no more amendments are being offered, the chair declares the minutes approved ("as amended", if there were indeed amendments).

[George Mervosh]

Are you asking, "How are minutes to be corrected?"

You correct minutes by amending minutes before you approve the minutes.

Thus,

1. secretary reads the minutes

2. a member makes a motion (to add [whatever]; to strike out [whatever]; and so on)

3. the amendment is debated (if not an obvious correction)

4. the amendment is voted on

5. if the vote is affirmative, the change gets written into the document

6. if the vote is negative, the change does not get written into the document

7. when no more amendments are being offered, the chair declares the minutes approved ("as amended", if there were indeed amendments).

I don't know what to say about this....

[David A Foulkes]

If minutes of prior meeting need correction, may the secretary offer "corrected" minutes for approval or does another member have to make a specific motion to correct the minutes prior to a vote of approval?

This question pops up with some frequency. In summary, the general consensus here seems to be:

• Members may contact the secretary in advance of the meeting to offer corrections, but he is free to disregard them if he thinks the corrections are incorrect. The member will have a chance at the meeting to address his correction.
• At the meeting to approve after the minutes have been read, the chair asks if their are any corrections. Members may then offer any, which are typically adopted by "unanimous consent" unless there is any dispute, which would then be resolved by vote (majority vote adopts).
• After all corrections are handled, the chair again asks if there are any further corrections, and if none is forthcoming, simply announces the minutes are approved (as corrected).
• A motion to approve the minutes, while not out of order, is unnecessary and actually problematic, as a vote on adopting the minutes could result in the motion being defeated, and then where are you? If a member has a problem with the content of the minutes, the appropriate method is to offer a correction, not vote against the approval.