Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:10 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:10 AM Under Roberts Rules do the board members count towards the quorum for a general membership meeting? Our bylaws do not specify this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:14 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:14 AM Per RONR, only members of the body that is meeting count towards the quorum requirement. Your rules may vary. We've seen some that do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:20 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:20 AM Edgar,Even though they are board member they still are a member. So you are saying they count when present? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:22 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:22 AM Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:31 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:31 AM When they are present are they allowed to act as a board of director or do they need to recuse themselves as a board member to discuss a topic? I am president of a small not for profit, the board is doing what they want and not what the voting members voted them for. They are unhappy that the organization is getting more members and they are losing their little White House. I have told members in a general meeting that I am unhappy with some of the boards decisions, that the board is not acting towards new membership, but for their own personal persona/wants. I am losing a battle for my new members. Any Advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:34 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:34 AM According to RONR. Can general membership overturn a vote/decision that was made by the board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:38 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:38 AM Under Roberts Rules do the board members count towards the quorum for a general membership meeting? Our bylaws do not specify this. If they are also members of the general membership, yes. When they are present are they allowed to act as a board of director or do they need to recuse themselves as a board member to discuss a topic? I don't quite understand what it means for someone to "recuse themselves as a board member." What exactly do these board members do, as board members, during a meeting of the general membership? What would they be recusing themselves from? For now, I'll just say that members of the society, even those who are also members of the board, have the right to speak in debate. If your question is specifically regarding the presiding officer (which it seems would be you), yes, the presiding officer should relinquish the chair if he wishes to speak in debate. According to RONR. Can general membership overturn a vote/decision that was made by the board? Unless the bylaws grant the board exclusive authority on the matter, yes. See Official Interpretation 2006-13. In the long run, electing new board members should also help. See FAQ #20 if the membership would prefer not to wait to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:48 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:48 AM All,My membership does not really understand RONR which my bylaws state that anything not covered under our bylaws is governed under RONR. I understand that I have to step down and the VP takes over. Can the membership overturn a vote/decision made in the board meeting minutes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcmntn Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:52 AM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 03:52 AM Josh,Sorry I did not answer your question "what do the board members really do" What they do is protect themselves from becoming a bigger and better membership. The are not thinking of the 185 members that voted for them. They are doing what they want for their own reasons. For instance the last two holiday parties we had they voted is was okay to put 'Reserve' on their favorite table while other members where there long before them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted January 15, 2015 at 05:13 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 05:13 AM Can the membership overturn a vote/decision made in the board meeting minutes? Yes, unless the bylaws grant the board exclusive authority over the matter. See Official Interpretation 2006-13. Sorry I did not answer your question "what do the board members really do" What they do is protect themselves from becoming a bigger and better membership. The are not thinking of the 185 members that voted for them. They are doing what they want for their own reasons. For instance the last two holiday parties we had they voted is was okay to put 'Reserve' on their favorite table while other members where there long before them. Well, this is all very interesting, but it wasn't really what I was getting at. You asked if the board members need to "recuse" themselves as board members in order to speak in debate. I'm going to go with "no," and the point I'm trying to make is that there's not necessarily much for the average board member to recuse himself from. You are the presiding officer, so it makes perfect sense that you relinquish the chair in order to speak in debate. By doing so, someone else presides over the meeting until the pending main question is disposed of. At-Large Board Member #1, however, doesn't really have any duties during a meeting of the membership, so even if he were to say "I recuse myself as a board member," this doesn't seem to mean much of anything. As to the more general problems with the board members' behavior, the obvious solution to this problem is to elect better board members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted January 15, 2015 at 05:40 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 at 05:40 AM I think we are all confused by the original poster's question about board members recusing themselves as board members in order to speak in debate. It will help if he will elaborate on just what he means by that comment.... and what kind of meeting he is referring to (i.e., a board meeting or a general membership meeting). It you are having a general membership meeting, the board is not there as a board. The board members are there simply as members of the organization just like all of the other regular members. Those board members have no authority to be doing anything "as a board" at a meeting of the general membership. The board members participate just like all other regular members.... they have no special rights or privileges. They can act as a board only at board meetings. Also, assuming your board has no more than about a dozen members, your board can operate under the "small board rules" in RONR which allow the presiding officer to participate just like all other members. He can make motions, debate and vote without relinquishing the chair. So, while you as president should not participate in debate at general membership meetings, you might be able to participate fully when you are chairing board meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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