Guest Jeff F. Posted October 25, 2013 at 03:48 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 03:48 PM Okay, so fledgling ROR student here so please be patient with me. :-) In a church board meeting when a motion is made and seconded, is it possible to move to refer it to the next constituent (or whole church membership) meeting? If so, what is the exact wording of said motion? I was thinking move to refer to a committee of the entire church membership at their next meeting but I am obviously unsure. Thank you in advance for your help! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 04:49 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 04:49 PM Okay, so fledgling ROR student here so please be patient with me. :-) In a church board meeting when a motion is made and seconded, is it possible to move to refer it to the next constituent (or whole church membership) meeting? If so, what is the exact wording of said motion? I was thinking move to refer to a committee of the entire church membership at their next meeting but I am obviously unsure. Thank you in advance for your help! :-) The motion to Refer is normally used to send a motion to a subordinate body (such as a committee), so that it can come back with a recommendation. The idea of referring a motion to a superior body (the general membership) seems very confusing. What exactly is your goal here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff F. Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:15 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:15 PM The goal would be this: to send motions that technically can be decided by the board but really should be decided upon by the whole membership to that membership rather than allow the motion to be voted up or down by the board. Does that make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:31 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:31 PM The goal would be this: to send motions that technically can be decided by the board but really should be decided upon by the whole membership to that membership rather than allow the motion to be voted up or down by the board. Does that make sense? Yes, that does make sense. My advice would be to use the motion to Postpone Indefinitely. It's used to kill a motion without a direct vote on it - that way, the board has neither supported nor opposed the motion. It requires a second, is debatable, is not amendable, and requires a majority vote for adoption. The wording to use is "I move that the motion be postponed indefinitely." The membership would then be free to consider the motion at its next meeting if it wishes, without any interference from the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:31 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:31 PM Were these motions referred to the Board by the Membership or do the bylaws place them under the Board's exclusive control? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:32 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:32 PM Were these motions referred to the Board by the Membership or do the bylaws place them under the Board's exclusive control? Why are those the only two options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:36 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 05:36 PM Why are those the only two options?Maybe there are more options. If Jeff gives us details on how the motions got to the Board in the first place that may be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff F. Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:05 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:05 PM I am not 100% sure I understand what it means to have exclusive control of a motion, but based on how that sounds, the board does not have the exclusive control of the motion and it was not referred to the board by the membership. A member of the board at a board meeting brought up a motion which was seconded but rather than voting on it I would have preferred to have referred it to the whole church to decide. As it was/is I could move to postpone indefinitely and then request the item be added to the agenda of the constituent's meeting but for some reason in my "voice of the people" thinking I would like a "smoother" action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:13 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:13 PM I am not 100% sure I understand what it means to have exclusive control of a motion, but based on how that sounds, the board does not have the exclusive control of the motion and it was not referred to the board by the membership. A member of the board at a board meeting brought up a motion which was seconded but rather than voting on it I would have preferred to have referred it to the whole church to decide. As it was/is I could move to postpone indefinitely and then request the item be added to the agenda of the constituent's meeting but for some reason in my "voice of the people" thinking I would like a "smoother" action. This sounds like it already happened, so what, exactly did happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:16 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:16 PM A member of the board at a board meeting brought up a motion which was seconded but rather than voting on it I would have preferred to have referred it to the whole church to decide. As it was/is I could move to postpone indefinitely and then request the item be added to the agenda of the constituent's meeting but for some reason in my "voice of the people" thinking I would like a "smoother" action. I don't think there is a "smoother" way to accomplish that objective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff F. Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:56 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 06:56 PM This sounds like it already happened, so what, exactly did happen?It did already happen. I moved that the motion be referred to a committee of the whole church membership at its next meeting (setting up the timeline and committee I thought in the motion) but after someone questioned whether or not that was proper procedure I withdrew rather than bog down and promised to research it for future notice. We then voted on the original motion after due discussion. I do appreciate all your responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:06 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:06 PM It did already happen. I moved that the motion be referred to a committee of the whole church membership at its next meeting (setting up the timeline and committee I thought in the motion) but after someone questioned whether or not that was proper procedure I withdrew rather than bog down and promised to research it for future notice. We then voted on the original motion after due discussion. Well, it would have been a proper (albeit strange) procedure, but it wouldn't have done what you wanted. If such a motion was adopted, you would have referred it to a special committee of the board which consisted of the entire church's membership... but it would still be a distinct body, so there would need to be a separate meeting of the "committee" you created. That committee would then consider the issue and make a recommendation to the board, so you'd be back where you started. Postpone Indefinitely would have been your best bet. I would note that if the membership doesn't like what the board decided, it's still free to act. If the motion was defeated, it may be made again at the meeting of the membership. If it was adopted, the membership may use Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:08 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:08 PM Postpone Indefinitely would have been your best bet. Or the Board agreeing to withdraw the main motion in question, without debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:09 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:09 PM Or the Board agreeing to withdraw it, without debate. True, that would be the best way, but you'd need the motion maker to be agreeable for that strategy to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:11 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 07:11 PM True, that would be the best way, but you'd need the motion maker to be agreeable for that strategy to work. You sure would....and it appears I need to edit faster from now on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmuel Gerber Posted October 25, 2013 at 08:55 PM Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 at 08:55 PM A board member could move to substitute for the pending motion a motion to report on the topic to the membership. If the board is in favor of the motion, the report can include a recommendation that the motion be adopted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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