emails used as meeting minutes

[Guest Michael Roberts]

We are a small Condo Association with only 7 seasonal units so we conduct our owner's meetings by email.  We would like to forgo meeting minutes because the meetings are fully documented in emails and all owners have copies of the emails.  We skipped approval of minutes on the agenda because we stated in the previous meeting that there would be no minutes prepared and therefore none to approve at the next meeting.  We now have one owner stalling our meeting because he states we must include approval of the previous meeting minutes on the agenda per Roberts Rules of Order, is this correct?

[Gary Novosielski]

Yes, minutes must be kept, and the minutes of the previous meeting should be (corrected and) approved at the next regular meeting.  Minutes are not a transcript of the meeting.  They are a record of what was actually decided at the meeting, which is typically much shorter.

Furthermore, meetings cannot be conducted by e-mail, if the rules in RONR apply.  Do your bylaws contain authorization and rules for e-mail "meetings"?

[Richard Brown]

8 hours ago, Gary Novosielski said:

Yes, minutes must be kept, and the minutes of the previous meeting should be (corrected and) approved at the next regular meeting.  Minutes are not a transcript of the meeting.  They are a record of what was actually decided at the meeting, which is typically much shorter.

Hmmm. I'm not so sure. Although unorthodox, I think the society could adopt a rule (standing rule? Special rule of order? Bylaw amendment?) to the effect that the email record of the"meeting" shall serve as the minutes... or even that there shall be no minutes other than the email record.  This would be especially so if the provision is in the bylaws.

I'm not advocating such a procedure, but the original poster asked if that procedure is possible. I think it is.

Edited to add: since this is a condo association, it might be subject to certain state laws. If state law requires that minutes be kept, then minutes must be kept.

Edited May 12, 2018 at 02:54 AM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph

[Tom Coronite]

I wonder if these emails are "kept in a substantial book or binder."  (p. 468 l. 20)

[Richard Brown]

1 hour ago, Tom Coronite said:

I wonder if these emails are "kept in a substantial book or binder."  (p. 468 l. 20)

I don't know, but I think that is a should rule, not a must rule, anyway. 😉

Edited May 12, 2018 at 02:04 PM by Richard Brown
Revised post

[Tom Coronite]

Agreed, but it's a lot easier to reference something prior if it's kept. Old emails tend to get deleted, or at least lost in the vast trash folder.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

14 hours ago, Richard Brown said:

Hmmm. I'm not so sure. Although unorthodox, I think the society could adopt a rule (standing rule? Special rule of order? Bylaw amendment?) to the effect that the email record of the"meeting" shall serve as the minutes... or even that there shall be no minutes other than the email record.  This would be especially so if the provision is in the bylaws.

A society can do whatever it pleases by adopting the appropriate special rule or bylaw. That should be in the FAQ or README at the top of this forum so it doesn't have to be a constant drone in nearly every reply.