Changing a Regular Meeting Date/Time?

[Guest Sharon]

We have a Board which holds Regular meetings every second Thursday of every month. Next month many members and key guests will not be able to attend because of a conference. Our chair would like to move the regular meeting to the following week. What is the correct process for doing this??

[Chris Harrison]

We have a Board which holds Regular meetings every second Thursday of every month. Next month many members and key guests will not be able to attend because of a conference. Our chair would like to move the regular meeting to the following week. What is the correct process for doing this??

There is no way to reschedule a meeting without actually being at the meeting. What you will need to do is have a Board member or two show up at the Thursday meeting and call the meeting to order. Then a motion can be adopted to Fix The Time To Which To Adjourn (RONR p. 234-240) creating an Adjourned meeting which can be set for the time you all want.

[Guest Sharon]

There is no way to reschedule a meeting without actually being at the meeting. What you will need to do is have a Board member or two show up at the Thursday meeting and call the meeting to order. Then a motion can be adopted to Fix The Time To Which To Adjourn (RONR p. 234-240) creating an Adjourned meeting which can be set for the time you all want.

I see. So now I understand the provision for "Fix The Time To Which To Adjourn" in the absence of a quorum. Thank you for your response.

[Chris Harrison]

I see. So now I understand the provision for "Fix The Time To Which To Adjourn" in the absence of a quorum. Thank you for your response.

The motion can be used even when there is a quorum. Also, if a quorum does show up at the regularly scheduled meeting and don't want to wait until the next meeting they can still validly conduct business and the absent members would have no recourse (besides renewing defeated motions or using Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted on the adopted ones).

[Guest Sharon]

The motion can be used even when there is a quorum. Also, if a quorum does show up at the regularly scheduled meeting and don't want to wait until the next meeting they can still validly conduct business and the absent members would have no recourse (besides renewing defeated motions or using Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted on the adopted ones).

I checked our bylaws and it states "the meeting date, time and location will be at the discretion of the chair." So, I guess in this case, although probably unusual, the chair can actually change the date/time since the bylaws take precedence over RROR....correct?

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Out of curiosity, using your above example, let's say a member wanted to amend a previously adopted motion (non-ranking motion that brings a question again before the assembly)....when would the proper time be during the order of business for a member to do so? In our case, we use an agenda for every meeting. Since it's not "New Business" would the member move to amend the agenda at the beginning of the meeting to add this?

[Chris Harrison]

I checked our bylaws and it states "the meeting date, time and location will be at the discretion of the chair." So, I guess in this case, although probably unusual, the chair can actually change the date/time since the bylaws take precedence over RROR....correct?

The bylaws do supersede RONR. However, the question is if they give the Chair the power to schedule the meeting between meetings or only during a meeting. I would say it would be at any time but that is for you all to determine. See RONR pp. 570-573 for details.

Out of curiosity, using your above example, let's say a member wanted to amend a previously adopted motion (non-ranking motion that brings a question again before the assembly)....when would the proper time be during the order of business for a member to do so? In our case, we use an agenda for every meeting. Since it's not "New Business" would the member move to amend the agenda at the beginning of the meeting to add this?

It actually would be New Business because the motion had been disposed of by it being adopted. However, the member can move to amend the agenda to whatever time he wants and the Board itself will decide whether to consider it then or at another point.

[Gary Novosielski]

I see. So now I understand the provision for "Fix The Time To Which To Adjourn" in the absence of a quorum. Thank you for your response.

Yes. Clever rascal that Gen. Robert, eh? RONR is full of tidbits like that--rules that, when you first read them, you may scratch your head and say "Why?" Then some time later you run across the reason and smack your head and say, "Of course! It could not be any other way!"