Postponement of proposed late addition to agenda

[Larry R.]

The bylaws of a city government state that a member may move to add a late item to the Council meeting agenda at the meeting and if supported by at least a 2/3 vote, it gets added. While this incidental main motion (I believe that is the category of this motion) is pending, a motion to postpone the matter to the next meeting was made and ultimately adopted by a majority vote. Was this procedure proper or should the vote have first been taken on the motion to add the late item? I recognize that postpone to a certain time is a ranked motion but it seems to have nullified the purpose of the other motion to add a late item.

[Shmuel Gerber]

Normally a motion to add an item to an agenda would be a subsidiary motion to amend the agenda while the adoption of the agenda is pending. However, presumably in this case the bylaws have somewhat detailed rules regarding the content of the agenda, so it would depend on exactly what those rules say.

In any event, I don't see how it's possible to postpone to the next meeting the adding of an item to the agenda of this meeting. 

[Gary Novosielski]

2 hours ago, Larry J. Randle said:

The bylaws of a city government state that a member may move to add a late item to the Council meeting agenda at the meeting and if supported by at least a 2/3 vote, it gets added. While this incidental main motion (I believe that is the category of this motion) is pending, a motion to postpone the matter to the next meeting was made and ultimately adopted by a majority vote. Was this procedure proper or should the vote have first been taken on the motion to add the late item? I recognize that postpone to a certain time is a ranked motion but it seems to have nullified the purpose of the other motion to add a late item.

I don't believe the motion to postpone should have been allowed.

According to RONR,

Quote

 

Neither the motion to Postpone to a Certain Time nor any amendment to it is in order if the effect would be the same as that of the motion to Postpone Indefinitely—that is, if it would kill the measure. For example, a motion to postpone until tomorrow a pending question of accepting an invitation to a banquet tonight cannot be recognized as a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time. The chair must either rule this motion out of order or, if the motion to Postpone Indefinitely is in order at the time, he can state the motion as such at his discretion.