Change of Regularly Scheduled Meetings

[Guest coco]

Our Bylaws state that the Society will meet on the 1st Sunday of the month October to June inclusive.  The newly elected president wishes to meet in September as well (so that the Society's regularly scheduled meetings are aligned with the fiscal year which begins in September). The Bylaws do not grant the President the authority to call special meetings.  Is there any way the President can have a meeting in September without amending the Bylaws?

[Richard Brown]

Not that I see, unless the bylaws give the board or a group of members the authority to call a special meeting.  However, it might be possible, at the June meeting, to use the motion to fix the time to which to adjourn to set an adjourned meeting in September.  It might also be possible for the membership, at the June meeting, to adjourn to meet again at the call of the chair.  RONR pp. 242-246.

[Edgar Guest]

The newly elected president wishes to meet in September as well (so that the Society's regularly scheduled meetings are aligned with the fiscal year which begins in September). 

 

The bylaws will have to be amended in order to regularly hold a regular meeting in September. But there's probably a reason (is this some sort of school association?) that this society chose not to meet until the first Sunday in October (regardless of the so-called "fiscal year"). There's no material difference between a meeting that's held on the last Sunday in September and a meeting that's held on the first Sunday in October.

[SaintCad]

Not that I see, unless the bylaws give the board or a group of members the authority to call a special meeting.  However, it might be possible, at the June meeting, to use the motion to fix the time to which to adjourn to set an adjourned meeting in September.  It might also be possible for the membership, at the June meeting, to adjourn to meet again at the call of the chair.  RONR pp. 242-246.

But would that meeting make the September meeting part of the old session?  It seems that the Chair thinks the new session should start in September.

[Gary Novosielski]

But would that meeting make the September meeting part of the old session?  It seems that the Chair thinks the new session should start in September.

 

The new session can't start until a meeting of some sort is actually held.  In most cases, meeting and session are synonymous, but in any case, the bylaws say the first meeting after June is in October.

 

So the only way (apparently) to have a meeting in September is to hold a meeting adjourned to September from June.

 

RONR says that an adjourned meeting is part of the same session as the meeting it was adjourned from.

 

Have you considered the possibility that what the Chair thinks is not necessarily correct?

[Josh Martin]

But would that meeting make the September meeting part of the old session?  It seems that the Chair thinks the new session should start in September.

Yes, it would make the September meeting part of the June session, if that's what you mean. In order to have the September meeting be a separate session, it would be necessary to call a special meeting (if possible) or to amend the bylaws.

[Guest coco]

Thank you for your responses.  

This society has been in existence for more than 50 years. Meetings have been held on the first Sunday in October as a tribute to the founder since the society's inception. 

The newly elected president wants the meeting calendar to now be September to June inclusive so as to be in align with our fiscal year.

[Edgar Guest]

The newly elected president wants the meeting calendar to now be September to June inclusive so as to be in align with our fiscal year.

 

The newly elected president has only one vote.

[Josh Martin]

Thank you for your responses.  

This society has been in existence for more than 50 years. Meetings have been held on the first Sunday in October as a tribute to the founder since the society's inception. 

The newly elected president wants the meeting calendar to now be September to June inclusive so as to be in align with our fiscal year.

 

In order to truly change the meeting calendar to be September to June (adding another regular meeting in September), it would be necessary to amend the bylaws. Even to schedule meetings in September on a case-by-case basis, this would require either a special meeting (which you say your bylaws do not permit the President to call) or for the assembly to schedule an adjourned meeting at its regular meeting in June, which requires a majority vote. So in any event, it's not up to the President.

[Gary Novosielski]

Thank you for your responses.  

This society has been in existence for more than 50 years. Meetings have been held on the first Sunday in October as a tribute to the founder since the society's inception. 

The newly elected president wants the meeting calendar to now be September to June inclusive so as to be in align with our fiscal year.

 

I thought I understood that the bylaws specified the first Sunday in October, not merely a custom.  If that's the case, then it will take a bylaws amendment to accomplish what the president wants.  He's free to lobby for one, but he can't simply decree it.  He's president, not emperor.

[Edgar Guest]

I thought I understood that the bylaws specified the first Sunday in October, not merely a custom.

 

No one said it was "merely a custom".

 

Our Bylaws state that the Society will meet on the 1st Sunday of the month October to June inclusive.

 

The fact that that date was chosen as a way to honor the founder (his birthday?) doesn't make it merely a custom.

 

That said, times change and it may, indeed, make sense to have the first meeting in September. The first Sunday in October could still be celebrated as "Founder's Day". As previously noted, it's up to the members.