Question regarding special meetings

[Guest Jeremy]

Hello,

I have a question regarding "Special" meetings. My organizations Bylaws/constitution state that with a 1/3 petition of our body, a special election can be held at an irregular day and time. However our Bylaws and Constitution do not state what is and is not allowed during these special meetings. My questions are:

1.Can only things placed on the Agenda be discussed, motioned, or voted on?

2. Also, our Quorum is half plus one. If only 1/3, or less than half of the voting members come to this meeting can they still make decisions?

3. And a final question, for special meetings can those not in attendance be penalized for not being able to make it to this meeting?

If someone could please answer these questions (or at least question #1) that would be great! Thank you!

[Guest Jeremy]

Also, how specific do the things to be discussed need to be? Does " Any Unfinished Business" qualify as specific enough? Or do specific items need to be listed out under business to be covered?

[Guest Nancy N.]

Well. Welcome, Guest_Jeremy, to our humble (though august) forum. Please feel free to stop by more often.

1. Robert's Rules does not deal with what's on the agenda for a special meeting; rather, it deals with what's in the call ("notice") of the meeting. I draw this distinction because those might be substantially different, in your organization's case. Assuming that RONR is your organization's parliamentary authority, in which case its rules are binding, the membership must be sent notice giving "the time, place, and purpose of the meeting, clearly and specifically describing the subject matter of the motions or items of business to be brought up (p. 91)."

Is this the same as the Agenda sends to all the members? If so, then the answer to #1 is yes; if not, then the Agenda is immaterial. (Note to self: don't say "immaterial" a third time this month, it can become addictive.)

2. Nothing substantive. They can decide to turn on the lights while they wait for the missing 1/6 + 1 to show up. They can water the plants on the windowsill. (OK, that's facetious; if you are amused, then you're welcome; my regrets if not.) According to RONr, in the absence of a quorum, those who showed up can: 1. recess; 2. adjourn; 3. set up a follow-up meeting, which they should endeavor to get sufficiently populated to allow them to do the intended business for the special meetings (now comprising a special session, though I don't think Robert's Rules uses that phrase, if only for aesthetic reasons); and/or 4. take measures to get a quorum (such as, recessing to make phone calls) (p. 347 - 8).

2, a. But see "ratify (p. 124 - 5)."

3. (Actually semifinally, eh?) Certainly not from anything in Robert's Rules. Your organization's own customized rules might have such, dare I say inadvisable, provisions.

4 (follow-up). See #1, above: do you think "unfinished business" is specific at all?

-- Nancy N (of the Queen's Own Irregulars)

3. (Captcha attempt)

[Dan Honemann]

Hello,

I have a question regarding "Special" meetings. My organizations Bylaws/constitution state that with a 1/3 petition of our body, a special election can be held at an irregular day and time. However our Bylaws and Constitution do not state what is and is not allowed during these special meetings. My questions are:

1.Can only things placed on the Agenda be discussed, motioned, or voted on?

If, as you say, your Bylaws and Constitution state that a special election can be held at a special meeting, and that's all they say, then that's all she wrote. But I suspect (as did Nancy) that your Bylaws and Constitution say more about special meetings than what you have told us they say.

If your Bylaws and Constitution do say more about special meetings than what you have told us, pay attention to Nancy's responses, which, freely translated, mean that only items of business specifically described in the call of a special meeting can be considered at that meeting (although we all thought that an aspiring young parliamentarian such as Nancy would regard the term "unfinished business", properly understood, as being rather specific).

[Guest Jeremy]

That pretty much answers everything! Thank you!

[Guest Nancy N.]

... Nancy's responses, ... freely translated, mean that only items of business specifically described in the call of a special meeting can be considered at that meeting (although we all thought that an aspiring young parliamentarian such as Nancy would regard the term "unfinished business", properly understood, as being rather specific).

I can't tell to which part the smiley-face applies (being a slow and ponderous thinker, of dour and lugubrious mien, like our hero), but, while I do think I have something approaching a proper understanding of how specific "unfinished business" is, notwithstanding that its comprehensive if traditionally laconic description appears in Section 41, which, emulating another hero of mine (O Great Steaming Cobnuts, what's his name?), I poke my eyeballs out rather than reread once more, and boy does that smart every time I have to, I would not have thought the term specific enough to suffice in notice of a special meeting. Is it?

capcha try1

[Dan Honemann]

I can't tell to which part the smiley-face applies (being a slow and ponderous thinker, of dour and lugubrious mien, like our hero), but, while I do think I have something approaching a proper understanding of how specific "unfinished business" is, notwithstanding that its comprehensive if traditionally laconic description appears in Section 41, which, emulating another hero of mine (O Great Steaming Cobnuts, what's his name?), I poke my eyeballs out rather than reread once more, and boy does that smart every time I have to, I would not have thought the term specific enough to suffice in notice of a special meeting. Is it?

No, it's not (although I'm not sure about special meetings of George's 2FP).