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We have regular monthly membership meetings. As such, the minutes of the prior regular meeting are typically approved at the next regular membership meeting. Once in a while we also have special membership meetings to discuss specific topics.

Questions we have are as follow. We would appreciate your providing Roberts Rules of Order reference #s so that we can use those quotes:

1. Are we correct that minutes of a regular monthly membership meeting should not be presented for review and approval at a special membership meeting (set up to discuss specific topics) but instead should be held for such review/approval at the next regular monthly membership meeting?

2. Are we correct that minutes from a special membership meeting should be presented for review and approval at our next regular monthly membership meeting, as we don't know when (or if) we will have another special membership meeting?

3. Our secretary sends the drafted minutes to the Chairman (similar to a President position). The Chairman attaches those minutes and the agenda to an email which is distributed to the entire membership prior to the next meeting. Are we correct that the Chairman should not tamper with the minutes (i.e., remove topics of discussion that occurred at the meeting but that the Chairman personally doesn't want recorded in black and white due to personal interests, and that the Chairman should not make any other additions or changes to the minutes)? We feel the minutes "as written by the secretary" (unchanged by the Chairman) should be distributed to the entire membership via the above email. Then, if there are any valid corrections (additions, changes, deletions) required to make the minutes accurate, they should be noted and the minutes then approved with corrections at that meeting.

4. Although our custom is for the minutes to be sent out attached to the above email, sometimes the Chairman doesn't attach them. In such cases, the Chairman then brings the minutes to the next meeting for the review/approval process.

The problem is two-fold. We have a small percentage of members attending the meetings so the majority of the members then don't get to see the minutes of the last meeting, and the Chairman also doesn't email the approved version.

The other problem is that time is wasted at the meeting while we wait for everyone to read and digest the prior meeting's minutes, as a result some errors are not caught. Since our custom is to email the minutes in advance of the meeting, is it proper to say that if the Chairman doesn't attach the minutes to the above email those minutes should be tabled, and then emailed to the entire membership for review/approval at the next regular monthly meeting?

Thanks for your help as the above have become real problems.

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We have regular monthly membership meetings. As such, the minutes of the prior regular meeting are typically approved at the next regular membership meeting. Once in a while we also have special membership meetings to discuss specific topics.

Questions we have are as follow. We would appreciate your providing Roberts Rules of Order reference #s so that we can use those quotes:

1. Are we correct that minutes of a regular monthly membership meeting should not be presented for review and approval at a special membership meeting (set up to discuss specific topics) but instead should be held for such review/approval at the next regular monthly membership meeting?

Yes. RONR, 11th ed., pp. 473-474, ll. 28-2

2. Are we correct that minutes from a special membership meeting should be presented for review and approval at our next regular monthly membership meeting, as we don't know when (or if) we will have another special membership meeting?

Yes. Same citation.

3. Our secretary sends the drafted minutes to the Chairman (similar to a President position). The Chairman attaches those minutes and the agenda to an email which is distributed to the entire membership prior to the next meeting. Are we correct that the Chairman should not tamper with the minutes (i.e., remove topics of discussion that occurred at the meeting but that the Chairman personally doesn't want recorded in black and white due to personal interests, and that the Chairman should not make any other additions or changes to the minutes)? We feel the minutes "as written by the secretary" (unchanged by the Chairman) should be distributed to the entire membership via the above email. Then, if there are any valid corrections (additions, changes, deletions) required to make the minutes accurate, they should be noted and the minutes then approved with corrections at that meeting.

Ultimately, it is up to the secretary what he does before the minutes are submitted to the meeting. There is no requirement in RONR that draft minutes be circulated, nor is there a prohibition. If the chair chooses to offer a correction, it is up to the secretary whether or not to incorporate it into the minutes as presented at the next meeting; it is then up to the assembly whether or not to accept any corrections that may be offered by any member, in case of disagreement.

Debate, however, should not be in the minutes. Only substantive matters should be in the minutes. See RONR 11th ed., pp. 468-471.

4. Although our custom is for the minutes to be sent out attached to the above email, sometimes the Chairman doesn't attach them. In such cases, the Chairman then brings the minutes to the next meeting for the review/approval process.

The problem is two-fold. We have a small percentage of members attending the meetings so the majority of the members then don't get to see the minutes of the last meeting, and the Chairman also doesn't email the approved version.

The other problem is that time is wasted at the meeting while we wait for everyone to read and digest the prior meeting's minutes, as a result some errors are not caught. Since our custom is to email the minutes in advance of the meeting, is it proper to say that if the Chairman doesn't attach the minutes to the above email those minutes should be tabled, and then emailed to the entire membership for review/approval at the next regular monthly meeting?

A rule to that effect could be made, but the rules in RONR provide that in the event that the minutes are not circulated in advance, the secretary reads them aloud to allow the assembly to consider them. If the assembly does not wish to do this, it should dispense with the approval of the minutes and leave them to the next meeting. See RONR 11th ed. pp 473-475.

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