Kathy1006 Posted October 27, 2011 at 01:46 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 01:46 PM I am new to the Secretary position and am unclear how to proceed. A large part of our meeting went into executive session. I was given permission to take notes. We had three votes during the executive session. I have read that everything in exec. session must be kept secret, so what do I put in the minutes? Is everything that happened in exec. session excluded from the minutes?thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Hunt Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:00 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:00 PM I am new to the Secretary position and am unclear how to proceed. A large part of our meeting went into executive session. I was given permission to take notes. We had three votes during the executive session. I have read that everything in exec. session must be kept secret, so what do I put in the minutes? Is everything that happened in exec. session excluded from the minutes?thank youYou should prepare minutes as you would for a portion of a public meeting. The minutes of an executive session are subject to the same secrecy rules as an executive session, so they can only be approved or corrected in executive session. When you hold another executive session, if there is no business other than approval of the executive session minutes, then the minutes of that tiny executive session are assumed approved. It is advisable, though not necessary, for the executive session minutes to be a separate document, with the "public" minutes simply mentioning that the assembly went into executive session at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:01 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:01 PM No.But just to be sure of what you, in your newbieness, are doing, take a look at RONR pp. 468 ff. You don't report "everything that happened", whether in executive or open session, just what "was done, not what was said" - p. 468. And a few other special items, listed on p. 469 ff.Just keep the executive session portion of the minutes private - p. 96. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Foulkes Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:07 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:07 PM And if I may clarify one small point for Kathy1006, meetings (or parts thereof) held in Executive Session are absolutely no different than any other meetings (or parts thereof) with the one exception that the proceedings (and thus the minutes thereof) are "secret" within the body that meets, unless the secrecy is properly lifted.I had three extra thereofs in my monthly quota and needed to use them up. And now I'm running a deficit of one for November already. Gnats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:12 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:12 PM Clearly DAF knows whereof he speaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:37 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:37 PM Clearly DAF knows whereof he speaks.And whatof, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:47 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:47 PM My offering is in the dictionary, at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:49 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 02:49 PM My offering is in the dictionary, at least.True, it has that going for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ed Posted October 27, 2011 at 05:09 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 05:09 PM In most cases the Minutes would be handled at one time and would include all decisions made both "inside" and "outside" of Executive Session. There are times when the information in the Minutes from an Executive Session may need to be kept secret, so that portion of the Minutes would have to be handled separately.However, based on my personal experience, Executive Session is normally used to discuss sensitive issues, but the decisions will be known public, thus the Minutes would reflect when the meeting went into Executive Session, what decisions were made, and that the meeting then went out of Executive Session. And normally there is no mention of debate in the Minutes, so what was said would normally not be included in the Minutes whether or not the meeting was held in Executive Session.Also, most Boards operate their entire meeting in Executive Session unless there is a sunshine law, or the organization's own rules state otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jan Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:23 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:23 PM Having read all these replies, I am still a bit confused. Bottom Line: Should the decision made in an Executive Session be put in the overall meeting minutes or should there be separate minutes for Executive Session that are not available to the public? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:27 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:27 PM Actually, if not helpfully, the answer to both halves of your question is "Yes."It depends on the content of the minutes and which portions the assembly wishes to make public.The "public", in the sense of everybody in the world, has no rights to see any minutes, only the organization members do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Wynn Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:38 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 06:38 PM Having read all these replies, I am still a bit confused. Bottom Line: Should the decision made in an Executive Session be put in the overall meeting minutes or should there be separate minutes for Executive Session that are not available to the public?Do whichever more helps you to keep the secrecy of whatever is secret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayW Posted October 27, 2011 at 07:28 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 07:28 PM When you hold another executive session, if there is no business other than approval of the executive session minutes, then the minutes of that tiny executive session are assumed approved.Thank you for that tidbit. I hadn't had a chance to look in the book yet, but my mind was starting to reel with the difficulty of ever getting out of holding an executive session at every meeting, if the minutes of the prior meeting's executive session had to be approved in executive session at the current meeting..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Hunt Posted October 27, 2011 at 07:41 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 at 07:41 PM Thank you for that tidbit. I hadn't had a chance to look in the book yet, but my mind was starting to reel with the difficulty of ever getting out of holding an executive session at every meeting, if the minutes of the prior meeting's executive session had to be approved in executive session at the current meeting.....RONR p. 96, ll. 14-17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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