minutes are not provided for subsequent meeting

[Guest MRF]

Can an official meeting take place without having a copy of the minutes from the previous meeting? Can a meeting take place based on memory of the minutes?

[J. J.]

Can an official meeting take place without having a copy of the minutes from the previous meeting?

Yes, and it can happen in a number of circumstances.

Can a meeting take place based on memory of the minutes?

Yes.

[Rev Ed]

While it is a good idea to approve the Minutes from the previous meeting, I do not know of any requirement in RONR that it must be done. However, this simply means that until those Minutes are presented and approved that there is no official record of the meeting. This may impact the group's ability to handle any Unfinished Business, but the meeting can occur even if the Minutes of the previous meeting are not presented and approved.

[Guest MRF]

Can an official meeting take place without having a copy of the minutes from the previous meeting? Can a meeting take place based on memory of the minutes?

So any action taken based on motions made and voted on at the prior meeting cannot be acted on based on the fact that they are unfinished business until the minutes are approved?

[David A Foulkes]

Can an official meeting take place without having a copy of the minutes from the previous meeting? Can a meeting take place based on memory of the minutes?

If the meeting was properly scheduled or called, members showed up, and someone (hopefully the chairman) called it to order, the meeting took place. You don't have to approve previous minutes to validate a current meeting.

So any action taken based on motions made and voted on at the prior meeting cannot be acted on based on the fact that they are unfinished business until the minutes are approved?

No. What was decided at a prior meeting (motions that were adopted) is not dependent on the minutes of that meeting ultimately being approved. If a motion is adopted, it's a "done deal", whether the action to be taken had been started or completed. They are "finished" business, and do not need any more validation.

Approval of the minutes is just the process by which the assembly agrees that what the secretary wrote down as what happened at the meeting did in fact happen, or correct it as necessary.

[Gerry4000]

While repeated cases of not having the draft minutes of the previous meeting available for approval, it would not be uncommon for this to happen occasionally. Stuff happens, from car troible, computer trouble, etc. and the approval of the minutes might need to be postponed to the next meeting.

It would seem to me that important and vital actions of the board at the previous meeting would be well known to those board members who were involved in such an action.

[Gary Novosielski]

So any action taken based on motions made and voted on at the prior meeting cannot be acted on based on the fact that they are unfinished business until the minutes are approved?

No!

Any motions adopted at that meeting would be in effect immediately, unless otherwise provide in the motion. They are NOT unfinished business. Unfinished business would be business which was not reached during the last meeting, or which was being considered but not yet disposed of when the meeting adjourned.

Motions that were adopted are, er, finished business.

[Guest MRF]

Thank you all for your input and clarifications. This helps a great deal.