Bylaw motions

[Guest Heather]

At an upcoming Annual Meeting,  we have about 25 motions for Bylaw amendments due to having our document reviewed by an attorney.  Do they need to be addressed and voted on one by one or is there a way to approach it like a consent agenda?

[Joshua Katz]

You can move them all together, but if there is any objection they'll need to be considered one at a time (i.e. they may be divided at the demand of a single member, to the extent they are independent). If they're bylaw changes recommended by an attorney, they might not turn out to be all that popular and separate consideration may be wise anyway.

[Guest Heather]

Thanks Joshua. Would I need mention that all would be voted in one fell swoop in the notice? If so, would the members need to notify office 7 days before Annual Meeting,  if they wanted to take one out for discussion?

[Joshua Katz]

Stay tuned for others, but I'd say yes and no. Previous notice, if given between meetings, needs to be exact language (I think, I don't have the book in front of me) and so would need to show what the motion actually looks like. But the members are free to demand division at the meeting.

[Guest Heather]

I will mail,  30 days before, a booklet listing each motion of bylaw as it written currently and as it is proposed.  

If I state in booklet "All bylaw motions,  recommended by attorney, which have been approved by the Board, will come to the membership as one motion and vote, unless requested otherwise." Am I good? 

Just trying to avoid spending hours reading and counting for each motion while adhering to Roberts rules. 

[Joshua Katz]

I think that language is contradictory. What you're trying to do is fine, but I'd suggest fine tuning the language. As written, it says that multiple motions will be one motion, which is a contradiction in terms. Perhaps something like "proposals A-Z will be moved in a single motion. They may be divided at the demand of a single member." But, again, stay tuned for others who may say I'm off-base here.