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Executive meetings Necessary?


Guest gayle

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Is there a rule anywhere that says that small boards cannot have an executive meeting ?- we have an executive in place but we have a member disputing the executive meetings. We are a farm organization with a district that takes an hour and half from end to end so not feasible to get the entire board of 14 together for planning or emergency meetings.

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Can you clarify what you mean by "executive meeting"? Do you mean a meeting of the Executive Board? Or the meeting is in Executive (Closed) Session where only members and invited guests are permitted to stay as opposed to Open Session where (per your customized rules) nonmembers are allowed to attend? Or do you have something else in mind?

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Is there a rule anywhere that says that small boards cannot have an executive meeting ?- we have an executive in place but we have a member disputing the executive meetings. We are a farm organization with a district that takes an hour and half from end to end so not feasible to get the entire board of 14 together for planning or emergency meetings.

If your Bylaws provide for an Executive Committee (or Executive Board), then that body can have meetings. If your Bylaws don't provide for such a body, then you can't make one and it therefore can't meet. As for emergency meetings, special meetings may only be called as provided for in the Bylaws.

Can you clarify what you mean by "executive meeting"? Do you mean a meeting of the Executive Board? Or the meeting is in Executive (Closed) Session where only members and invited guests are permitted to stay as opposed to Open Session where (per your customized rules) nonmembers are allowed to attend? Or do you have something else in mind?

I would guess it's referring to an Executive Board or Executive Committee, based on the statement that it's "not feasible to get the entire board of 14 together for planning or emergency meetings."

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"When a board is large or its members widely spread geographically, there may also be an executive committee, often made up of the officers". As noted, if your bylaws provide for an executive committee, you can have one and meet. If the bylaws don't, it does not exist and may not meet.

I wouldn't have characterized a board of 14 as being a small board, and would caution the original poster to be careful in the phrasing they use. The word "executive" is used a lot in RONR for totally different things, so if you're referring to the "executive committee", talk about an "executive committee", not a "small board", or having "an executive in place".

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I wouldn't have characterized a board of 14 as being a small board

I probably would. A small board is one in which "there are not more than about a dozen members present" (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 487, lines 27-28). Unless the board has a very high attendance rate, it's likely that there are no more than a dozen members present at most meetings. Additionally, I think 14 is still no more than "about a dozen." It's certainly close enough that the board can use the small board rules if it wishes to.

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I'd call a 14 member Board large. But if the By-laws allow for it you can have an Executive Committee, and you can have Special (i.e. 'emergency') meetings.

As for the Executive Committee, it's membership is ultimately up to the By-laws and who the By-laws says are members. But the Officers are a good start.

As for special meetings, you still need a notice period.

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