When a meeting location is unavailable

[Alex Meed]

Say the chair of a committee has called a meeting to take place tomorrow on the ground floor of the Flodz-A-Lot Corporation headquarters. True to its name, however, the building flooded due to a plumbing error, and the room will be inaccessible for the meeting.

What is the chair's recourse if the bylaws have no specific notice requirement for calling committee meetings? What if they require, say, three days' notice?

[Joshua Katz]

I've wondered about this myself. I think what I'd do is get a place for the meeting nearby (or, I guess, on an upper floor of the building), notify the members, and post a note on the door explaining where the meeting is. Arguably, that's not quite right when notice is required, since the notice said where, but I haven't found any specific answer in RONR (when I was looking for one before) and this seems like a reasonable compromise with reality. I'm sure other answers will differ. 

[Richard Brown]

7 minutes ago, Joshua Katz said:

I'm sure other answers will differ. 

Well, mine doesn’t. 😋

[Richard Brown]

I do suppose, however, if it is at all practical to do so, it would be best to first call the meeting to order at the assigned location and then move the meeting to an upstairs floor or some other dry location. If this is a congenial group, though, and nothing especially controversial is to take place at the meeting, I would not worry about it.

[George Mervosh]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:53 PM, Joshua Katz said:

I've wondered about this myself. I think what I'd do is get a place for the meeting nearby (or, I guess, on an upper floor of the building), notify the members, and post a note on the door explaining where the meeting is. Arguably, that's not quite right when notice is required, since the notice said where, but I haven't found any specific answer in RONR (when I was looking for one before) and this seems like a reasonable compromise with reality. I'm sure other answers will differ. 

I read an opinion on this too long ago to remember where it was printed but it basically suggested the same thing you are.

[J. J.]

I would say that someone should get as close to the meeting space as possible, call the meeting to order, and then set an adjourned meeting.

[George Mervosh]

On 11/4/2019 at 12:31 PM, George Mervosh said:

I read an opinion on this too long ago to remember where it was printed but it basically suggested the same thing you are.

This is from Parliamentary Opinions (A Compilation and Revision of Opinions of the Opinions Committee, American Institute of Parliamentarians 1958 to 1982), published by the American Institute of Parliamentarians.  Members of the opinions committee of this publication were Virginia Schlotzhauer, William J. Evans, and John R. Stipp, Opinion #7 "Change of meeting place", page 4.

Facts and Question:

"Notices were sent of the annual meeting of a condominium in accordance with the bylaws.  It was then discovered that the local election had been scheduled in their meeting place on the same day.  No hall available would accommodate the number who usually attended, but some board members doubted that a quorum could be obtained.  Under the bylaws, the meeting date could not be changed.  Is there a practical solution within the rules?"

Opinion:

"The most reasonable alternative is to hold the meeting in the largest hall available, with notification of the members in advance and a notice posted on the door of the original meeting place.  In a last-minute emergency, the latter might be the only notice of the change.  If the assembly overflows the meeting hall, or if there is no quorum, a motion should be adopted to fix the time to which to adjourn."