No quorum established

[Guest Anita]

I have a meeting where a quorum is needed. What options are available to still conduct business if a quorum is not established?

[Richard Brown]

In the absence of a quorum, the assembly can do these four things....and only these four things:

 

1.  Take action to obtain a quorum, such as calling absent members to try to get them to show up.

2.  Recess.  This can be used to wait on others to arrive or to start calling absent members.

3.  Fix the time to which to adjourn.  This schedules an "adjourned meeting" which can be, for example, the next night or the next week.  It is technically a continuation  of the same session.

4.  Adjourn.

 

Edited to add:  See pages 347-349 of RONR for more information on what can and cannot be done in the absence of a quorum.

[jstackpo]

Not many:  see p. 347.

 

You can recess, adjourn (of course), or "take measures to obtain a quorum" which often translates into sending someone out to the bar to coral enough folk into the meeting to make a quorum.

 

You can also set a time for an "adjourned meeting", but that presumes you will get enough folks to come out next time around.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

In addition, RONR says that if "the members present take action informally in the absence of a quorum, they do so at their own risk. Although the assembly can later ratify their action (pp. 124-25), it is under no obligation to do so." (p. 348, ll. 19-23)