Who owns an agenda item?

[Guest Lewis]

We have regularly scheduled workplace meetings which are loosely run on Roberts Rules principles. Before each meeting, the chairperson contacts all potential attendees and invites agenda items. The item is duly put on the agenda. In many instances, when that agenda item is reached, the chair introduces it and then immediately describes why the proposal is impractical or undesirable, declares that item done with and proceeds to the next item. The attendee who put the item (with possibly a bare bones description of the purpose of the item) has no opportunity to speak to the item.

When challenged, the chair states that it would only waste time to discuss something that is unworkable. Does Roberts Rules have any guidelines regarding this?

[Guest Edgar]

Does Roberts Rules have any guidelines regarding this?

See FAQ #14.

[rthib]

And if the behavior continues, I would suggest http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#20

[Rev Ed]

Unless the By-laws give the President dictatorial powers (which I doubt), the President does not have the power to make these decisions. Any member has the right to appeal these decisions of the Chairman (The President is presumably Chairing the meetings), per pages 255 to 260 of RONR. The assembly, not the Chairman/President, has the final word on what happens at its meetings.

[Gary Novosielski]

Well, if these are workplace meetings, and the "chair" of the meetings is the boss, then it depends how "loosely" they are based on RONR.

[Tim Wynn]

I used to own an agenda item, but I misplaced it long ago.

I believe your group needs a better (tighter) understanding of Robert's Rules.

[Trina]

We have regularly scheduled workplace meetings which are loosely run on Roberts Rules principles. Before each meeting, the chairperson contacts all potential attendees and invites agenda items. The item is duly put on the agenda. In many instances, when that agenda item is reached, the chair introduces it and then immediately describes why the proposal is impractical or undesirable, declares that item done with and proceeds to the next item. The attendee who put the item (with possibly a bare bones description of the purpose of the item) has no opportunity to speak to the item.

When challenged, the chair states that it would only waste time to discuss something that is unworkable. Does Roberts Rules have any guidelines regarding this?

The chair's behavior, as described, is not in accord with Robert's Rules. However, RONR applies to the meetings of a deliberative assembly. Moreover, the rules in RONR apply if the organization has adopted RONR as its parliamentary authority. It is not clear that either of these conditions is met in the situation you describe. Which all goes to restate Mr. Novosielski's point in post #5...

If RONR governs, the members who want to bring up new business can do so, regardless of the agenda, and regardless of the chair's attempts to quash business that he personally considers inappropriate or impractical. Also (if RONR governs), the members at the meeting can appeal from rulings of the chair, and can even put someone else into the chair's place to run the meeting, if necessary.