Executive Board canceling Membership Meetings for a year

[Guest Bo Jones]

Can Executive Board cancel monthly general membership meetings for a year when bylaws say can cancel "a" meeting for extenuating circumstances?  Should "extenuating circumstances" be explained?  And last, are minutes where this action was taken be available to the general membership. Thank you.

[Edgar Guest]

Well, we cant tell you what your bylaws mean because we haven't read them. And that's not what this forum is for.

 

But the minutes of board meetings can be ordered to be read at a meeting of the general membership. And the general membership can remove members of the board (though it might not be easy). See FAQ #20.

 

The bottom line is that the board is an instrumentality of the general membership, not the other way around. In other words, don't let the tail wag the dog.

[Richard Brown]

Can Executive Board cancel monthly general membership meetings for a year when bylaws say can cancel "a" meeting for extenuating circumstances?  Should "extenuating circumstances" be explained?

 

This is what RONR says about the commonly used bylaw provision which fixes the day of regular meetings and gives the assembly (or the Board) the power to change the date of a meeting.  Note:  What your bylaws say is what will be controlling, but this example in RONR may give you some guidance on what that provision commonly means:

 

RONR 11th edition, at page 575:  "Article V: Meetings. The first section of the article on meetings should fix the day on which regular meetings of the society are to be held—as by specifying, for example, "the first Friday of each month." If the words "unless otherwise ordered by the Society [or "Executive Board"]" are added, the date can be changed in an unusual circumstance, but only for that single meeting on that particular occasion, and not for a period of time including several meetings."

[Transpower]

It is highly irregular for a board to cancel the regular monthly membership meetings for a year.  Please consult your bylaws and see if there is a section regarding special meetings of the members.  Hopefully you can get the required number of members of the assembly to require a special meeting of the assembly to debate the board's decision and reverse it.

[Gary Novosielski]

Can Executive Board cancel monthly general membership meetings for a year when bylaws say can cancel "a" meeting for extenuating circumstances?  Should "extenuating circumstances" be explained?  And last, are minutes where this action was taken be available to the general membership.

 

The phrase "a meeting"  does not mean "twelve meetings", regardless of how extenuating the circumstances might be.

[Edgar Guest]

The phrase "a meeting"  does not mean "twelve meetings" . . . 

 

It does if you do it twelve times.

 

Unless you think it means "only one meeting". Ever?

[Josh Martin]

It does if you do it twelve times.

 

Unless you think it means "only one meeting". Ever?

 

Yes, but while it is possible that there will be "extenuating circumstances" which warrant canceling twelve meetings in a row, it does seem rather unlikely.