Written standing committee reports

[Guest Nancy]

Our board asks standing committee chairs to submit lengthy reports, in advance of  board meetings, to board members so that they can read the information before a board meeting and, thus, not take up time at the meeting with an oral reading of the report. (Of course, if there is an action item in the report, this would be read aloud.)  Because reports are handled this way, and if no one has a question about the reported  activities of the standing committee, the board minutes do not reflect even a concise overview of the activities/progress of the committee.

 

1.  In order for a committee's efforts to be reflected in the board minutes, do they need to be given verbally to the board?

 

2.  Are written reports to be filed with the secretary? If reports were sent to board members in advance of a board meeting, and so therefore weren't read aloud at the meeting, can they be attached to the minutes of said meeting? 

 

3. Committee chairs do not sit on the board.  Board meetings, however, are open for all members to attend.  Currently, the board desires the minutes be distributed to only the ten board members, though if committee chairs wish to receive a copy, they may request it. This seems to me to an elitist practice. I think to encorage more involvement and awareness of the organization's actiities, posting board minutes on the organization's website, in a Member's Only section, would be beneficial. Is this approach used by other organizations? (We have about 230 members.)

[jstackpo]

1 & 2)  Other than noting that various reports were made available to the board members, and noting that they are filed with the secretary's archives, (or attached to the minutes if the association wishes them filed in that manner), there is no need for any further information about the reports in the minutes.

 

As you note, motions, arising from or included in those reports, do go in the minutes, as do all motions, along with their disposition.

 

3)  Whether you post the minutes or hold them closely is entirely up to the association or the board.  I have seen both practices, and most everything in between.