Adjournment of meeting without quorum

[Guest Guest_BB]

Our small homeowners' association has trouble getting a quorum at annual meetings. We were told by a departing board member that, if a quorum is not present, the meeting can be adjourned, and when it reconvenes only a majority of those present at the earlier meeting are required to create a quorum. (Our bylaws are silent on this issue.) I did a little bit of reading and came across something that made me think this kind of adjournment has to be to a specific date and time - just adjourning a meeting without setting the date and time for continuation effectively ends the meeting. Now I can't find that information again, and we are approaching the time for an annual meeting. If we fail to attract a quorum once again, can we adjourn the meeting for an hour, reconvene, and go about our business?

This isn't about avoiding anyone or keeping anyone from voting - it is a long-standing pattern that people simply don't attend, and sometimes we go a whole year without ever being able to take a vote.

[Chris Harrison]

As far as RONR is concerned the quorum doesn't change whether it is an Adjourned Meeting or not. Of course your rules may say otherwise (though from what you say it doesn't sound like they do). See RONR pp. 336-337 for what can be done without a quorum and pp. 225-240 for the motion to Adjourn and creating an Adjourned Meeting.

[Tim Wynn]

If we fail to attract a quorum once again, can we adjourn the meeting for an hour, reconvene, and go about our business?

That won't change the quorum.

[Gary c Tesser]

Statutes concerning your organization may apply. You should see.