Amending motion for completed action

[Guest Albert]

An executive board has just proposed a motion for membership consideration to amend a prior motion. But the basic action of the prior motion is competed.  My question is whether the motion should be brought to the floor.

 

We meet quarterly and the board motion appears on the meeting call. I serve as treasurer and have made progress payments to a contractor and the payment total will exceed the amount that the members originally authorized.

 

In particular, the current board ( contracted for a new floor of the boardroom of higher grade than the members had approved under a prior board (A).  The original action proposed was to restore and replace the old floor with new material. Board A obtained bids and the general business meeting approved with evidence presented. Time passed and a new Board B decided it wanted a floor that was superior to the approved replacement. It contracted for flooring at a premium (fifty percent). At this time, the floor has been installed per the enhanced specifications and thus the flooring has been renewed. It is proper under Roberts Rules to entertain a motion to alter the description of the prior motion by amending it when the basic action (renewing the floor) is complete?  

 

 

In my opinion, the board is offering the organization members a vote to ratify what it has already decided is superior in some ways. It's difficult to justify debating the issue because the membership is going to pay the contractor. In my opinion, our contractor did not "cost overrun," although the board refers to the excess in this terminology. 

 

[Josh Martin]

An executive board has just proposed a motion for membership consideration to amend a prior motion. But the basic action of the prior motion is competed. My question is whether the motion should be brought to the floor.

We meet quarterly and the board motion appears on the meeting call. I serve as treasurer and have made progress payments to a contractor and the payment total will exceed the amount that the members originally authorized.

In particular, the current board ( contracted for a new floor of the boardroom of higher grade than the members had approved under a prior board (A). The original action proposed was to restore and replace the old floor with new material. Board A obtained bids and the general business meeting approved with evidence presented. Time passed and a new Board B decided it wanted a floor that was superior to the approved replacement. It contracted for flooring at a premium (fifty percent). At this time, the floor has been installed per the enhanced specifications and thus the flooring has been renewed. It is proper under Roberts Rules to entertain a motion to alter the description of the prior motion by amending it when the basic action (renewing the floor) is complete?

In my opinion, the board is offering the organization members a vote to ratify what it has already decided is superior in some ways. It's difficult to justify debating the issue because the membership is going to pay the contractor. In my opinion, our contractor did not "cost overrun," although the board refers to the excess in this terminology.

I concur that, based on the situation described, a motion to Ratify is more appropriate than a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted, since the action is already carried out, but such a motion is absolutely debatable. The membership may decide not to Ratify the board's actions, which will mean that the board members (who acted in excess of their authority) could be held responsible for the costs and/or removed from office.

[Curiosulus]

Yes, either way, the motion is certainly open to debate. The members may amend it to punish, rather than ratify, the board's largesse.