Motion to Postpone

[Guest SLB]

Hello.

I have a question on how to use the Motion to Postpone.  We have an issue coming up at our next board meeting and we need to have more information about it before we can vote on it. Does the Postpone motion require that the motion be heard at the next scheduled meeting or can it be more generic like until the audit is complete?  I am reading conflicting information on the use.

Thanks.

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

The motion to Postpone Definitely may take the form of an incidental main motion when the matter to which it applies is not before the meeting.

[Richard Brown]

2 hours ago, Guest SLB said:

Does the Postpone motion require that the motion be heard at the next scheduled meeting or can it be more generic like until the audit is complete?  I am reading conflicting information on the use.

A motion cannot be postponed beyond the next regular meeting, so the answer to your question is generally yes, the motion must be heard at the next meeting (assuming that meeting is within a quarterly time interval).  If it is desired to postpone the motion again at the next meeting, you may do so, over and over, meeting after meeting, but you cannot postpone it beyond the next meeting at any of those meetings.

An alternative, if you think it needs to be postponed beyond the next meeting, is to refer the matter to a committee.  Then the committee to which the matter has been referred can make its report when it has finished studying the issue, with certain restrictions that I won't go into now.  That might be at the next meeting, the meeting after that, the meeting after that, etc.

 

[Guest SLB]

Thank you both for answering.  I don't want to post the motion coming up indefinite but ibelieve we need more budget info so it is good to know that it can be postponed again and the next meeting.

[fja]

When do you make the motion to postpone?  Is it before the motion you wish to postpone has been made, after it has been made, or after it has been seconded?

[Joshua Katz]

After it has been made, seconded, and stated by the chair, i.e. while it is being debated.

[fja]

Thank you for the quick feedback!

[fja]

One more question on this.  If a motion is postponed to the next meeting and in the meantime the individual who made the original motion wants to remove it from the next meeting's agenda, how does the board go about doing that?  Does a motion need to be made at the beginning of the next meeting to remove the item from the agenda and then a vote is taken?  

[Joshua Katz]

Postponement really has nothing to do with agendas. It makes the item a general order at the next meeting. But if it has been postponed, it will come up at the next meeting - once a motion is made, seconded, and stated by the chair, it belongs to the assembly, not the maker. He can't just take it back without permission of the assembly.

[fja]

Is it correct to say that in order to remove a postponed item from the next meeting's agenda a motion needs to be made at the next meeting to remove the pending item and then a vote is taken to remove it?  Or does the item need to be voted up or down and cannot be removed?

Edited January 11, 2019 at 06:18 PM by fja

[Richard Brown]

1 hour ago, fja said:

One more question on this.  If a motion is postponed to the next meeting and in the meantime the individual who made the original motion wants to remove it from the next meeting's agenda, how does the board go about doing that?  Does a motion need to be made at the beginning of the next meeting to remove the item from the agenda and then a vote is taken?  

When the chair announces the motion as the pending item of business under unfinished business and general orders, the member who made the motion should request permission to withdraw the motion.  per pages 295-297 of RONR, this is usually treated as a unanimous consent request.  The chair asks if there is any objection to having the motion withdrawn.  If there is no objection, it is done and the chair announces that the motion is withdrawn.  If there is an objection, the question of whether to permit the withdrawal is put to the assembly and requires a majority vote to permit the motion to be withdrawn.  Further details are on pages 295-297 of RONR.

[Gary Novosielski]

8 hours ago, fja said:

One more question on this.  If a motion is postponed to the next meeting and in the meantime the individual who made the original motion wants to remove it from the next meeting's agenda, how does the board go about doing that?  Does a motion need to be made at the beginning of the next meeting to remove the item from the agenda and then a vote is taken?  

The board does not go about doing that.  Motions postponed to the next meeting are automatically taken up under Unfinished Business and General Orders.  The original mover has no power to withdraw the motion once it is before the assembly, except by requesting and being granted permission to do so.

I believe that simply omitting a General Order from the agenda would be improper.  The matter should be taken up at the appropriate time, when the assembly may then postpone it again, may postpone it indefinitely (which kills it without taking a position on the matter), may refer it to a committee, or simply vote it down. Or if requested, they may grant the mover leave to withdraw it.