Can a Chair adjourn a meeting with out a motion

[Guest J]

Can a Chair adjourn a meeting with out a motion?  If so when is it allowed?

We have a chair because he says the membership is being unruly by asking to many questions and not allowing a committee to give updates.


If the chair says the meeting is adjourn without a motion and walks out can we continue  the meeting with out them? 

[Bruce Lages]

Yes, but certainly not in the situation you describe. A meeting can be adjourned by the chair without a motion if an emergency situation, such as a fire, arises, or if the assembly has set a time for adjournment and that time is reached, ot if after asking if there is any additional business, there is no response.

 

In the future, if the chair tries to adjourn the meeting without a motion for some other reason, or declares the meeting adjourned and walks out, you can certainly continue the meeting without him as long as you have a quorum present. Either the vice chair will take over, or you can proceed to elect a chair pro tem for the remainder of the meeting..

[Guest Guest]

Yes, but certainly not in the situation you describe. A meeting can be adjourned by the chair without a motion if an emergency situation, such as a fire, arises, or if the assembly has set a time for adjournment and that time is reached, ot if after asking if there is any additional business, there is no response.

 

In the future, if the chair tries to adjourn the meeting without a motion for some other reason, or declares the meeting adjourned and walks out, you can certainly continue the meeting without him as long as you have a quorum present. Either the vice chair will take over, or you can proceed to elect a chair pro tem for the remainder of the meeting..

Thank you

So basically safety of the members is the only reason to adjourn with out a motion and member vote.

Do you have page numbers?

[jstackpo]

pp. 86, 240, 450  (Straight out of the index!)

[Bruce Lages]

Thank you

So basically safety of the members is the only reason to adjourn with out a motion and member vote.

 

 

Not quite - as I said above there are other instances when a meeting may be adjourned without a motion and vote to adjourn. The assembly can decide during its meeting to set a time for adjournment. When that time is reached the chair can declare the meeting adjourned (see p. 241 for how to stay in session when that time arrives). Also, when new business (or whatever your last order of business is) is concluded and the chair asks if there is any further business, with no response, he can declare the meeting adjourned without a motion.