Voting by nonmembers

[Guest Phillip]

I am on a committee as a co chair. I was just selected and we need to find a time for all of the members in positions to meet. At the meeting tonight I have called that people holding positions should meet after to discuss a time that is suitable for everyone who holds a position within the committee. Someone who does not hold a position and is just someone who attends these meetings is claiming he should have a vote. What is the proper way to Handle this.

[Dan Honemann]

I am on a committee as a co chair. I was just selected and we need to find a time for all of the members in positions to meet. At the meeting tonight I have called that people holding positions should meet after to discuss a time that is suitable for everyone who holds a position within the committee. Someone who does not hold a position and is just someone who attends these meetings is claiming he should have a vote. What is the proper way to Handle this.

 

Nonmembers of your committee should not be allowed to vote at its meetings. However, this apparently is going to occur after the committee meeting is over, in which event he rules in RONR will not apply. Apparently, no regular or properly called meeting of the committee will be taking place, so you can make up your own rules. No official decisions can be made.

[Edgar Guest]

 . . . we need to find a time for all of the members in positions to meet. At the meeting tonight I have called that people holding positions should meet after to discuss a time that is suitable for everyone who holds a position within the committee.

 

I may be mis-reading this but are you distinguishing between members of the committee and those who "hold positions within the committee"? If there's no such distinction, it's best to simply refer to the members of the committee as members.

[Guest PY]

I guess after reading through all of the rules its looks as if we dont have a distinction of what a committee member is.  We have individuals who attend these meeting periodically and then when have people who hold positions such as chair, co chair, secretary, etc.  Maybe a clear cut of what the committee member is needs to be in place?  Its turning out to be a head ache to be honest and I see it as with us having elections for positions this past weekend many of the people who are in a positions cannot attend a 7 monday meeting.  So I asked that all of the people who hold positions that we need to come together on a time that is acceptable to everyone who is in a position to meet.  That time should be determined by the people in the positions because the rules state that if you are a position holder then you are required to be at every meeting and cannot miss more than two meeting.  There are now poeple upset that the meeting time will change and say they should have say at when the time will be.  I read in the rules that "It is the duty of the chairman to call the committee together, but, if he is absent, or neglects or declines to call a meeting of the committee? it is the duty of the committee to meet on the call of any two of its members. In small special committees the chairman usually acts as secretary, but in large ones and in all standing committees, it is customary to elect a secretary, who keeps a brief memorandum of what is done, for the use of the committee. Members of the society have a right to appear at the committee meetings and present their views on the subject before it at such reasonable times as, upon request, the committee may appoint. But during the deliberations of the committee no one has a right to be present, except members of the committee."  I dont know what to do?

[Edgar Guest]

 . . . positions such as chair, co chair, secretary, etc.

 

Without addressing your other questions (perhaps others here will do that) I would suggest that you have a chair, a vice-chair, and a secretary. I can't imagine a committee needing any more officers than that.

 

You'd only have "co-chairs" if two (or more?) persons held the position of chair (something RONR strongly advises against).

[Josh Martin]

Maybe a clear cut of what the committee member is needs to be in place?

If it is currently unclear who is or is not a member of the committee, that should certainly be fixed.

IThat time should be determined by the people in the positions because the rules state that if you are a position holder then you are required to be at every meeting and cannot miss more than two meeting.

It is ultimately up to all of the committee's members (not just the officers) to determine, by majority vote, when the committee shall meet. If the committee's officers are required to attend all meetings and other members are not, one would hope that the committee will take that into account when making a decision, but no committee member can be prevented from voting.

It is the duty of the chairman to call the committee together, but, if he is absent, or neglects or declines to call a meeting of the committee? it is the duty of the committee to meet on the call of any two of its members. In small special committees the chairman usually acts as secretary, but in large ones and in all standing committees, it is customary to elect a secretary, who keeps a brief memorandum of what is done, for the use of the committee. Members of the society have a right to appear at the committee meetings and present their views on the subject before it at such reasonable times as, upon request, the committee may appoint. But during the deliberations of the committee no one has a right to be present, except members of the committee." I dont know what to do?

The chair should call the first meeting of the committee, and the committee may then decide to leave it up to the chair to establish future meetings or schedule future meetings itself. The chair is free to consult (or not consult) whoever he pleases when determining the time of the first meeting.