Guest Donna Walters Posted January 3, 2020 at 10:34 PM Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 at 10:34 PM We are a very small, struggling church, who pays the treasurer $1 per year. Our bylaws state that they have NO voting privileges. However, they spend a lot of time voicing an opinion on things which do not pertain to duties of the Treasurer, therefore influencing other members to vote how they want them to vote. Does RROO offer any incite as to what a paid member of a group is permitted to do? Or, not do? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted January 3, 2020 at 11:19 PM Report Share Posted January 3, 2020 at 11:19 PM As far as RONR is concerned a member is a member with the rights of a member. Since you have created another class of membership (a paid Treasurer without the right to vote) it is up to you all to determine what rights that member retains. I will mention though that if the Treasurer buys a cup of coffee from McDonald's she has spent her yearly salary right there and she might not want to serve if you all decide that she needs to remain silent on all subjects except for what pertains to her duties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Katz Posted January 4, 2020 at 02:43 AM Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 at 02:43 AM It seems to me that enforcing such an oath of silence (in exchange for a $1 salary) would be quite difficult in practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atul Kapur Posted January 4, 2020 at 05:30 AM Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 at 05:30 AM The basic rights of membership are to attend meetings, make motions, speak in debate, and vote (RONR 11th ed., p. 3, lines 1-5). Your bylaws remove one of those rights from the Treasurer. Do they remove the other rights? Explicitly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zev Posted January 4, 2020 at 08:56 AM Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 at 08:56 AM Pardon me but I am slightly skeptical. The OP said the Treasurer had no right to vote according to the bylaws without providing any evidence. Also, the OP claims the Treasurer enters the debate without indicating whether the person in question is an actual member of the congregation or not. Perhaps it would be helpful to know these facts before stating a definitive opinion. Also, I believe the word is "insight" and not "incite." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted January 4, 2020 at 06:29 PM Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 at 06:29 PM I agree with Guest Zev's skepticism. Although I do not disagree with most of the other responses, I don't believe we have enough information to give Guest Donna Walters (the original poster) much guidance at this point. As to my friend Joshua Katz's comment that enforcing an oath of silence in return for a one dollar salary might be hard to enforce, I don't view the situation (based on the limited information we have) as "buying silence". I look at it as more likely being a situation wherein, for some reason unknown to us, the church desires to treat the treasurer as an employee. In short, I agree with Guest Zev that we need more information in order to say more than that an organization may, in its bylaws, restrict the right of certain members to vote and that RONR makes no special reference as to what paid members of an organization may do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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