minutes of annual meeting

[sandib]

Last year's annual meeting was also an election meeting. The then current secretary took the minutes. The election resulted in a new secretary.

Who should read the minutes from that meeting, and when. Should the ex-secretary read the minutes at this years' annual meeting, or should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at the next board meeting (the following month)? OR -should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at this years annual meeting? OR? Take your pick or give me the real answer. Thank you

[Rob Elsman]

Last year's annual meeting was also an election meeting. The then current secretary took the minutes. The election resulted in a new secretary.

Who should read the minutes from that meeting, and when. Should the ex-secretary read the minutes at this years' annual meeting, or should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at the next board meeting (the following month)? OR -should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at this years annual meeting? OR? Take your pick or give me the real answer. Thank you

There are several possible answers, depending on various circumstances. See RONR (10th ed.), pp. 457-458.

[hmtcastle]

There are several possible answers, depending on various circumstances. See RONR (10th ed.), pp. 457-458.

I'm not sure that the pages cited actually indicate who will read the minutes. I assume it's the secretary since "the chair calls for the reading of the minutes".

Of course the person serving as secretary when the minutes are read is not necessarily the same person who took and submitted the minutes.

In any case, a year is much too long to wait.

[Josh Martin]

Should the ex-secretary read the minutes at this years' annual meeting, or should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at the next board meeting (the following month)? OR -should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at this years annual meeting? OR? Take your pick or give me the real answer.

Since the assembly meets less often than quarterly, it should authorize the board or a committee to approve the minutes. If the assembly fails to do this, however, then the minutes will have to be approved at the annual meeting. In either case, the current secretary should read the minutes.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Last year's annual meeting was also an election meeting. The then current secretary took the minutes. The election resulted in a new secretary.

Who should read the minutes from that meeting, and when. Should the ex-secretary read the minutes at this years' annual meeting, or should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at the next board meeting (the following month)? OR -should they be given to the newly elected secretary to be read at this years annual meeting? OR? Take your pick or give me the real answer. Thank you

The most generic answer would be, "The secretary (i.e., the current one) has the duties of the office of secretary; therefore, the current secretary does the reading of minutes."

That's The Book.

That being said, I know there may be some variables which might turn The Book answer into something less than ideal.

For example, if the minutes were hand-written, and the new secretary cannot read the handwriting of the outgoing secretary (or, the secretary is dyslexic, or cannot read at all), then having such a person attempt such a futile gesture would be an embarrassment.

But to repeat the key theme, the outgoing secretary has no more authority than the Man in the Moon. A former officer has no power of his old office.

[Rob Elsman]

The most generic answer would be, "The secretary (i.e., the current one) has the duties of the office of secretary; therefore, the current secretary does the reading of minutes."

That's The Book.

That being said, I know there may be some variables which might turn The Book answer into something less than ideal.

For example, if the minutes were hand-written, and the new secretary cannot read the handwriting of the outgoing secretary (or, the secretary is dyslexic, or cannot read at all), then having such a person attempt such a futile gesture would be an embarrassment.

But to repeat the key theme, the outgoing secretary has no more authority than the Man in the Moon. A former officer has no power of his old office.

Just to throw a wrench in the works a little--when the approval of the general assembly's minutes is referred to a committee, it may well be that the chairman of the committee will read them. If approval is referred to the executive board where the executive secretary functions as the board's secretary, the minutes will be read by the executive secretary. The point is that there is no clear answer to who reads them. What is clear is that the previous secretary does not read them on account that he took them.