Leadership Committee Rules

[Bill G.]

Good afternoon,

 

Our Commission consists of 21 members.  Our Bylaws sets out the Officers and their duties.  The Bylaws contain a section established a "Leadership Committee" consisting of the Officers and any Chairs of Standing Committees. 

 

Our regular Commission meeting is the third Wednesday of the month and the Leadership Committee (LC) meets on the first Wednesday of the month.  The LC facilitates the work of the full Commission between meetings.  The LC can pass a motion to support an issue with the understanding that that issue must be ratified by the full Commission at the next General Meeting.

 

Our LC is comparable to an Executive Committee (we believe). 

 

For many years now, the practice has been that the Chair of the Commission also Chairs the LC and in that role, the Chair has not voted on any issues (unless there is a tie or to create a tie) nor have they made any motions. 

 

Conversation on issues is very informal due to the small size of the LC (currently 5). 

 

Reading pages 485-488 I have come across a section called "Procedures In Small Boards" and the last bullet in that section reads:

 

"If the chairman is a member, he may, without leaving the chair, speak in informal discussions and in debate, and vote on all questions**"

 

The double asterisk refers to an additional comment on making motions.

 

 

Question:  Does our LC qualifiy as a "Small Board"...i.e. a Board within a Board?  Is the chair allowed to exercise the prerogatives described above in an Executive Committee?

 

Thank you;

 

 

[Dan Honemann]

Good afternoon,

 

Our Commission consists of 21 members.  Our Bylaws sets out the Officers and their duties.  The Bylaws contain a section established a "Leadership Committee" consisting of the Officers and any Chairs of Standing Committees. 

 

Our regular Commission meeting is the third Wednesday of the month and the Leadership Committee (LC) meets on the first Wednesday of the month.  The LC facilitates the work of the full Commission between meetings.  The LC can pass a motion to support an issue with the understanding that that issue must be ratified by the full Commission at the next General Meeting.

 

Our LC is comparable to an Executive Committee (we believe). 

 

For many years now, the practice has been that the Chair of the Commission also Chairs the LC and in that role, the Chair has not voted on any issues (unless there is a tie or to create a tie) nor have they made any motions. 

 

Conversation on issues is very informal due to the small size of the LC (currently 5). 

 

Reading pages 485-488 I have come across a section called "Procedures In Small Boards" and the last bullet in that section reads:

 

"If the chairman is a member, he may, without leaving the chair, speak in informal discussions and in debate, and vote on all questions**"

 

The double asterisk refers to an additional comment on making motions.

 

 

Question:  Does our LC qualifiy as a "Small Board"...i.e. a Board within a Board?  Is the chair allowed to exercise the prerogatives described above in an Executive Committee?

 

Thank you;

 

Yes, that would appear to be the case.

[Timothy]

RONR defines a small board as "not more than about a dozen members present."  (p. 487 l. 27) The determining factor is how many people are at the meeting, not how big the board itself is. But the answer would be yes anyway.

[Bill G.]

Thank you very much for your input.  I appreciate the help.