pleaseee help

[Guest average joe]

Our firehouse has meeting once a month. Two months ago we brought up a motion two approve a 3.8 million dollar building, which was denied by the votes of members. Since then the last meeting we had to vote on either paying 1.2 million for renovations or 3.8 for a new building. The building was then approved. According to our bylaws we follow the Roberts Rules of Order.....

1. First, members that weren't capable of voting voted and were counted....is there a rule to having a re-count

2. Secondly, what is the Rule on amending the motion to stop it before it goes too far?

3. Thirdly, what has to be done to have a Special Meeting?

We know we need to build a new fire house....financially we can't afford a 3.8 even though the banks says we can. This second meeting caught people off guard and instead of going with the 3.8 we want to beable to redesign a new building.... PLEASE HELP!!!!

[Gary Novosielski]

Our firehouse has meeting once a month. Two months ago we brought up a motion two approve a 3.8 million dollar building, which was denied by the votes of members. Since then the last meeting we had to vote on either paying 1.2 million for renovations or 3.8 for a new building. The building was then approved. According to our bylaws we follow the Roberts Rules of Order.....

1. First, members that weren't capable of voting voted and were counted....is there a rule to having a re-count

I'm not sure what you mean here. Members have the right to vote. What sort of members are not "capable" of voting?

If you mean that non-members voted, then it depends on whether the number of invalid votes could have affected the outcome.

2. Secondly, what is the Rule on amending the motion to stop it before it goes too far?

There's no rule like this, except that amendments have to be done one at a time, and no more than two levels "deep". As to whether they go too far, the only thing that would stop that is people voting against them.

3. Thirdly, what has to be done to have a Special Meeting?

That depends upon your bylaws. Any rules on Special Meetings, such as who can call them, how much notice they need, and such, must be in your bylaws, or else you can't have Special Meetings at all.

[Tim Wynn]

2. Secondly, what is the Rule on amending the motion to stop it before it goes too far?

3. Thirdly, what has to be done to have a Special Meeting?

We know we need to build a new fire house....financially we can't afford a 3.8 even though the banks says we can. This second meeting caught people off guard and instead of going with the 3.8 we want to beable to redesign a new building.... PLEASE HELP!!!!

If you want to amend the motion, you would use the motion Amend Something Previously Adopted. It requires a two-thirds vote OR a majority vote with notice OR a vote of a majority of the entire membership. See RONR(10th ed.), Section 35.

[Josh Martin]

1. First, members that weren't capable of voting voted and were counted....is there a rule to having a re-count

If votes were cast by members who were ineligible to vote, the vote must be redone if there were enough of them that it could have changed the outcome. Otherwise, the vote stands.

2. Secondly, what is the Rule on amending the motion to stop it before it goes too far?

The motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted requires a 2/3 vote, a vote of a majority of the entire membership, or a majority vote with previous notice. Previous notice may be given by making an announcement at the previous meeting or by including notice in the call of the meeting. From a parliamentary perspective, the motion may be amended until it has been carried out. In this case, however, it would be best to amend the motion before any contracts are signed, otherwise things tend to get tricky from a legal perspective. If a contract has been signed (or will be signed before a special meeting can be held), you should consult a lawyer.

3. Thirdly, what has to be done to have a Special Meeting?

Special meetings can only be called according to the provisions in your Bylaws, if any.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Members have the right to vote. What sort of members are not "capable" of voting?

Well, even under RONR, members whose rights are under disciplinary suspension are not eligible to vote. Additionally, many societies provide in their Bylaws that members who are delinquent in their dues by X days have their right to vote suspended. Those are a few possibilities. It could also be some sort of "non-voting member" issue.

There's no rule like this, except that amendments have to be done one at a time, and no more than two levels "deep". As to whether they go too far, the only thing that would stop that is people voting against them.

Given that the motion in question is already adopted, I suspect the question was regarding the motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted, not the subsidiary motion to Amend, and I think "too far" was referring to action on the original motion, not to the substance of the motion to ASPA.