Topic from a Special Meeting (not held) forwarded to next Quarterly meeting agenda

[Guest Bonnie]

Our congregation notified members of a special meeting to vote on a motion that required funding. Not enough members attended to reach a quorum. The by-laws require notification in the call letter to members for the quarterly meeting to include any motions that require additional expenditures over the approved budget. Because the motion was in the call letter for the special meeting and not in the next call letter to the quarterly meeting, can it come up under old business at the quarterly meeting even though the special meeting didn't take place  and no business was conducted at that time because of the lack of a quorum?

 

 

[Edgar Guest]

Well, the special meeting did take place (or at least it should have). The fact that a quorum failed to show up doesn't mean that the meeting shouldn't have been called to order (and probably adjourned a few minutes later). There should also be (brief) minutes prepared (and, later, approved) for that meeting.

 

Secondly, there is no "old business", there's "unfinished business". But since this particular business never got started (aside from the notice of the special meeting), I don't think it's "unfinished".

 

Lastly, I'm inclined to say that notice that the motion might have been made at the special meeting (it wasn't), doesn't constitute notice that it might be made at the next regular meeting. When in doubt, I think it's best to err on the side of providing more notice than might be required, not less.

 

But stay tuned for the experts credentialed.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

If the by-laws require notification in the call letter to members for the quarterly meeting to include any motions that require additional expenditures over the approved budget, then that is what must be done.