Once the motion has been made and approved can it be changed?

[Guest May French]

I am taking minutes and the motion has been made, seconded and carried.  Now someone wants to change the wording, has asked all members but can it be changed?

 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

The wording in which the motion was adopted should be in the minutes. The minutes are a record of what was done at the meeting. 

 

If the assembly wants to rescind or amend the adopted motion, it can adopt a motion to do so (see RONR 11th ed., pp. 305-310 on the motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted).

[Richard Brown]

The answer Mr. Huynh gave above is the correct answer, but there might be another option depending on the situation.  If the minutes have not yet been approved and the assembly believes that the draft minutes incorrectly state the wording of the motion, the wording as reflected in the minutes can be corrected by unanimous consent, or, if someone objects, by majority vote. 

 

If the minutes correctly reflect the wording of the motion, the wording as reflected in the minutes should not be changed.

 

If the minutes have already been approved, then they can still be amended/corrected, but only via the motion to amend something previously adopted which Mr. Huynh referred to.  However, if the minutes correctly reflect the wording of the motion as adopted, but some people are not happy with the motion as adopted, then the proper method is to actually amend the motion rather than to amend the minutes.  The minutes are supposed to be a record of what actually happened, whether it be something good or something bad.  

[Guest Guest]

I am the recorder and sent out the minutes to all members.  One person has done more research on the topic and wants to change the wording.  The new wording was sent to all members.  I have not heard back from anyone on if they approve of this.  I need to send these minutes to the management company for distribution soon as this is a time-sensitive motion which needs to get to the owners.  Do I go ahead and make the change and send them?

[Edgar Guest]

One person has done more research on the topic and wants to change the wording. . . .  Do I go ahead and make the change and send them?

 

No.

[Guest Guest]

So how do I proceed? 

 

[George Mervosh]

So how do I proceed? 

 

As Mr. Huynh noted "If the assembly wants to rescind or amend the adopted motion, it can adopt a motion to do so (see RONR 11th ed., pp. 305-310 on the motions to Rescind and to Amend Something Previously Adopted).".......but that can only be done at a meeting, not ahead of time.   You simply record exactly what was adopted in your minutes..  Changing the minutes doesn't change the adopted motion, so your minutes will accurately record what happened.

[Richard Brown]

I am the recorder and sent out the minutes to all members.  One person has done more research on the topic and wants to change the wording.  The new wording was sent to all members.  I have not heard back from anyone on if they approve of this.  I need to send these minutes to the management company for distribution soon as this is a time-sensitive motion which needs to get to the owners.  Do I go ahead and make the change and send them?

Have the minutes been approved yet?  The minutes aren't THE minutes until they have been approved.  They are only draft minutes until then.

 

When you say you "sent out the minutes to all members", do you mean you sent the DRAFT minutes or the APPROVED minutes?

 

Again, they aren't THE minutes until they are approved by the assembly (the body which was meeting...whether the general membership, board, etc).  Until then, it's just a draft.

 

As the others have said, if the minutes are not correct, they should be corrected prior to being approved.  But, the wording should reflect the wording of the motion as adopted, not as someone now wants it to read. 

 

Edited to add:  You've never made it clear whether someone is saying the minutes are incorrect or if this person is saying he wants to change the wording of the motion which was adopted.  There is a big difference.