Published agendas

[Guest daisy]

Can an agenda item be changed after the meeting has taken place, the item Example meeting held on 5/31 with one agenda item "tabled". The next meeting is held 6/7 with the agenda item that was tabled reworded and put on the 6/7 agenda. Can the tabled item from the 5/31 meeting be changed after the fact to read exactly like the item on the 6/7 agenda in order for the item to be approved.

[Sean Hunt]

Can an agenda item be changed after the meeting has taken place, the item Example meeting held on 5/31 with one agenda item "tabled". The next meeting is held 6/7 with the agenda item that was tabled reworded and put on the 6/7 agenda. Can the tabled item from the 5/31 meeting be changed after the fact to read exactly like the item on the 6/7 agenda in order for the item to be approved.

The first mistake here is the misuse of the term "tabled". It should be avoided in these contexts, as it's quite ambiguous. The word "table" as a verb can mean anything between dropping an issue entirely (US House of Representatives) to presenting it for the consideration of the assembly (Many Westminster-style legislative bodies). RONR has, additionally, the motion to Lay on the Table (which should never be abbreviated because of the potential for confusion). The motion to Lay on the Table is a very temporary postponement of consideration of something for more urgent business, with the intent that it is to be resumed immediately after the urgent business is disposed of.

So based on context, I am going to assume that what the assembly meant to do was to Postpone Definitely. If a motion is postponed, then when the business is taken up (possibly at the next meeting), it is taken up in exactly the state it was postponed in. It can be further amended at the later meeting. So if a provisional agenda for the meeting on 6/7 had it worded differently, that was incorrect; the business should have been taken up exactly as it was when postponed. However, if no one noticed (or perhaps noticed but did not raise a Point of Order) and a different question was put to vote, then the question put to vote is what stands.