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Bylaws Committee - Ad hoc committee


Guest KI

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Our HOA has been trying to amend our bylaws for years. At our annual meeting last year, the proposed bylaws amendment fell one vote short of the 2/3 requirement to adopt. Since that meeting the president went to a couple of members that voted against the bylaws to see what their concerns were. The two members wanted to increase the controls on the authority of the board which the president agreed to include along with the changes that failed in the last meeting. The president asked the other members of the board to review the proposed changes at their most recent board meeting. The board agreed with the changes and the new draft bylaws were sent out to the membership for them to review for the upcoming meeting. We have a group of members who are questioning whether the president can make the changes and submit them to the membership for vote. The bylaws state "Proposed changes to these bylaws shall be reviewed by an ad hoc committee appointed by the president, prior to submittal to the membership. Upon receipt of the recommended changes, the secretary will give 30 days notice prior to the vote to amend these bylaws." The president's position is there are no requirements to who has to be on the "ad hoc" committee and therefore he appointed the board to review the changes. The secretary sent out the changes to the membership with the required 30 days notice. Is this legitimate?

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At our annual meeting last year, the proposed bylaws amendment fell one vote short of the 2/3 requirement to adopt.

Since that meeting the president went to a couple of members that voted against the bylaws to see what their concerns were. The two members wanted to increase the controls on the authority of the board which the president agreed to include along with the changes that failed in the last meeting. The president asked the other members of the board to review the proposed changes at their most recent board meeting. The board agreed with the changes and the new draft bylaws were sent out to the membership for them to review for the upcoming meeting.

We have a group of members who are questioning whether the president can make the changes and submit them to the membership for vote.

The bylaws state

"Proposed changes to these bylaws shall be reviewed by an ad hoc committee appointed by the president, prior to submittal to the membership.

Upon receipt of the recommended changes, the secretary will give 30 days notice prior to the vote to amend these bylaws."

The president's position is,

there are no requirements to who has to be on the "ad hoc" committee, and therefore he appointed the board to review the changes.

The secretary sent out the changes to the membership with the required 30 days notice.

Is this legitimate?

So far, from your description, assuming your cited your rules accurately, I don't see any problem.

An ad hoc committee indeed can be as few as "a committee of one."

An ad hoc committee indeed can be comprised of 100% board members.

That is, no rule in Robert's Rules forbids such a composition of a committee.

I'd like to hear your colleagues' argument against, since, committee-wise, all is well.

***

Gee, if your rule was taken to the extreme, as a parliamentary exercise, the president COULD APPOINT HIMSELF AS A COMMITTEE OF ONE, and thus satisfy your rule. :oB)

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