Calling same issue every meeting

[Guest Donavin Gear]

After an issue has been raised and voted on, and defeated, can it be called at subsequent meetings in an attempt to alter the outcome?

 

And if the matter is raised at the next meeting, and the vote is reversed, is there a penalty which may be imposed?

 

In this case, a proposal was made to cut down and remove twenty trees on a property to facilitate greater ease of mowing the grass.

 

The motion was defeated.

 

At the next meeting, which was sparsely attended due to a religious holiday, another vote was taken, which passed, removing the twenty trees but replanting four.

 

Was this vote appropriate to be taken, and is there some recourse to be had?

 

Thank you.

[Thomas Ralph]

It is perfectly proper to renew a defeated motion at a subsequent meeting. If the members do not wish the motion to pass, they should vote against it. If the organization wishes to protect against a minority of members taking an undesirable action, it should set an appropriate quorum in the bylaws.

[Guest Edgar]

 If the organization wishes to protect against a minority of members taking an undesirable action, it should set an appropriate quorum in the bylaws.

 

I'm not sure the quorum requirement is the place to play around with voting requirements (and, aside from boards, I suspect most quorum requirements are a minority of the membership).

[Chris Harrison]

As for any recourse, if the trees haven't been cut down before the next Membership meeting they could rescind the motion to cut them down.  If some of there trees have been cut down but not all the Membership could rescind the motion as to the ones not cut down yet.  Of course if the trees are now firewood it would be too late to do anything about it though the part about replanting could be amended to change the number of trees to be replanted or rescinded to do away with it altogether.