Louise Posted May 12, 2016 at 06:18 PM Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 at 06:18 PM A member of an organization has requested copies of every set of board minutes (not those of meetings of the general organization, to which he already has access as an organization member) for the past six years. When asked why, he indicated that he will have questions after he has looked through all of the minutes. The organization's bylaws indicate that it is entirely up to the board whether or not, and to what degree, a member of the organization (who is not also a member of the board) will be permitted to inspect the board's minutes. Questions: 1. Does "inspect" in RONR only mean "look at" or can it also mean "be given copies of"? 2. Beyond the amount of work it would be (for an unknown purpose), are there legitimate reasons for a board to *not* permit a non-board member to inspect the minutes? (The member has indicated that the board should not be secretive and should have nothing to hide if it hasn't been doing anything wrong.) Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hieu H. Huynh Posted May 12, 2016 at 06:33 PM Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 at 06:33 PM "Inspect" means "to look at". A non-board member does not have a right to look at the board minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 12, 2016 at 08:10 PM Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 at 08:10 PM 1 hour ago, Hieu H. Huynh said: "Inspect" means "to look at". A non-board member does not have a right to look at the board minutes. Thank you. So when RONR states on page 460 (ll 13-15) that "any member has right to examine these reports and the record book(s) referred to on page 456, lines 13-16, including the minutes of an executive session, at a reasonable time and place...", this is referring only to the minutes of the organization, not the board? Hmmm. Apparently I should have continued reading: "The same principle applies to records kept by boards and committees, these being accessible to members of the boards and committees but to no others." (Although page 487, lines 13-20, states "...unless the board grants permission to a member of the society to inspect them, or unless the society by a two-thirds vote...orders the board's minutes to be produced and read to the society's assembly." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted May 13, 2016 at 12:05 AM Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 at 12:05 AM 5 hours ago, Hieu H. Huynh said: "Inspect" means "to look at". A non-board member does not have a right to look at the board minutes. I agree with Mr. Huynh, but want to add a comment. I have a sneaking suspicion that this group might be incorporated. If so, check your state's corporation statutes. Those statutes sometimes provide for the rights of members to inspect the various records of the corporation. Any provisions in statutes giving members broader access than the bylaws or RONR would trump the provisions in the bylaws or RONR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 13, 2016 at 12:45 AM Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 at 12:45 AM Thank you, Mr. Brown. That is an excellent point, and I will look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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