Violating members' right?

[Guest Nan]

We are a local club, with 30 members.  At every (bi-monthly) meetings, we hand out the copies of the minutes, but not of the treasurer report.  We show the treasurer report on the board.  Those who don't show up at the meetings do not get the copy in the snail mail/e-mail. 

 

All minutes are in the binders.  All treasurer report are in the binders.  They are available to members at anytime. 

 

Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting a copy of the treasurer report at the meeting, when seeing it on the board?  Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting the minutes/treasurer report in the mail/e-mail for those who didn't attend the meetings?

 

We recently had a meeting.  One member (the same one who claims that the quorum should be 2/3 of the total members but that's in another post) claims we are violating members' rights to get these information.  She does not attend most meetings. 

[Dan Honemann]

We are a local club, with 30 members.  At every (bi-monthly) meetings, we hand out the copies of the minutes, but not of the treasurer report.  We show the treasurer report on the board.  Those who don't show up at the meetings do not get the copy in the snail mail/e-mail. 

 

All minutes are in the binders.  All treasurer report are in the binders.  They are available to members at anytime. 

 

Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting a copy of the treasurer report at the meeting, when seeing it on the board?  Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting the minutes/treasurer report in the mail/e-mail for those who didn't attend the meetings?

 

We recently had a meeting.  One member (the same one who claims that the quorum should be 2/3 of the total members but that's in another post) claims we are violating members' rights to get these information.  She does not attend most meetings. 

 

It appears that your club has not directed your treasurer to submit reports at these interim meetings of its membership, so all's well.

 

"The treasurer is required to make a full financial report annually or as the bylaws may prescribe, and to make such interim reports as the assembly or the executive board may direct." (RONR, 11th ed., p. 461)

[Transpower]

RONR (11th ed.), p. 477, ll. 6-10:  "At each meeting of a society, the chair may ask for a 'Treasurer's Report,' which may consist simply of a verbal statement of the cash balance on hand--or of this balance less outstanding obligations.  Such a report requires no action by the assembly."

[Gary Novosielski]

We are a local club, with 30 members.  At every (bi-monthly) meetings, we hand out the copies of the minutes, but not of the treasurer report.  We show the treasurer report on the board.  Those who don't show up at the meetings do not get the copy in the snail mail/e-mail. 

 

All minutes are in the binders.  All treasurer report are in the binders.  They are available to members at anytime. 

 

Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting a copy of the treasurer report at the meeting, when seeing it on the board?  Is the club violating the members's rights for not getting the minutes/treasurer report in the mail/e-mail for those who didn't attend the meetings?

 

We recently had a meeting.  One member (the same one who claims that the quorum should be 2/3 of the total members but that's in another post) claims we are violating members' rights to get these information.  She does not attend most meetings. 

 

If she doesn't show up at meetings, she's likely to get an incomplete picture of what goes on at those meetings.  Duh.

 

That doesn't create an obligation on the part of those who do show up to mail her anything.

 

The assembly, by majority vote can require the treasurer to provide printed copies to attendees.  It can also direct the treasurer to mail copies (at the society's expense) to absentees.   But there's no rule that requires that it do any of those things.  

 

As my colleague from Buck's County has pointed out, simple verbal reports are quite typical in many organizations.

[Guest Nan]

It appears that your club has not directed your treasurer to submit reports at these interim meetings of its membership, so all's well.

 

"The treasurer is required to make a full financial report annually or as the bylaws may prescribe, and to make such interim reports as the assembly or the executive board may direct." (RONR, 11th ed., p. 461)

 

It has been going back and forth for years.  A new member would attend a meeting and would claim that we are WRONG and we should be giving out copies of the treasurer report...  A motion was made (and passed) that the copies are to be given out.   Then later, someone else would motion to stop making, and passing out copies (and passed).  Now recently, this new member shows up for the first time and found that the copies of the treasurer report wasn't being passed out...  claims that we are violating the members' rights for not getting a copy of the treasurer report.  She made a motion to, not only have copies passed out, but mail to those who didn't attend the meetings. In her discussion, she said that every club/organization are REQUIRED to release the information (the minutes, the agenda, AND the treasurer report).  What she doesn't realize was that we did release the information, just not to her liking.

 

That is fine IF that's what they want.  What bothered me was Were we violating their rights?  Were we supposed to hand out copies of the treasurer report??  But I am finding that we were NOT, as according to RONR

[Richard Brown]

 Now recently, this new member shows up for the first time and found that the copies of the treasurer report wasn't being passed out...  claims that we are violating the members' rights for not getting a copy of the treasurer report.  She made a motion to, not only have copies passed out, but mail to those who didn't attend the meetings. In her discussion, she said that every club/organization are REQUIRED to release the information (the minutes, the agenda, AND the treasurer report).  What she doesn't realize was that we did release the information, just not to her liking.

 

That is fine IF that's what they want.  What bothered me was Were we violating their rights?  Were we supposed to hand out copies of the treasurer report??  But I am finding that we were NOT, as according to RONR

No, you are not violating anyone's rights.  What reports should be provided in writing to the members, whether in person at a meeting or by email or by snail mail, is a policy matter that can be decided by the organization itself unless there is a contrary provision in the bylaws.  The minutes and the treasurer's reports need to be made available to the members.  There is no need to provide everyone with a copy and certainly no obligation to mail copies.... unless you adopt a policy to do so.

[Guest Nan]

I have to add:

 

In our Bylaws, it says: The Treasurer shall prepare and give bi-monthly reports to members at the general meetings. 

 

Our treasurer has been doing that.  She writes them on a large paper before hand.  When she arrives, she puts them on the board for everyone to see.

 

[Guest Nan]

Thank you all for your replies.  This helps.

[Gary Novosielski]

I have to add:

 

In our Bylaws, it says: The Treasurer shall prepare and give bi-monthly reports to members at the general meetings. 

 

Our treasurer has been doing that.  She writes them on a large paper before hand.  When she arrives, she puts them on the board for everyone to see.

 

Well, it's pretty clear that these reports are to be given at meetings.  Members who don't show to meetings get bupkis. (Though she can arrange with the Treasurer to see the records at a later time.)

 

Is this member just whining about this, or did she actually raise a point of order?   If not, tell her that if she thinks there are rules being violated, to raise a point of order.  The chair should tell her that her point is not well taken because there is no rule requiring mailed or even written reports.  And that's the end of it. ...unless she wishes to appeal, in which case the members will vote on whether the chair's ruling was correct, which they should obviously uphold.

 

If she claims that Robert's Rules requires written reports, ask her for the page and line number where that rule is located, or show her the citation [RONR (11th ed.), p. 477, ll. 6-10]  that says verbal reports are fine.