Guest Wendy Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:04 PM Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:04 PM When entering a closed session while in a Board meeting, a motion is needed to enter the closed session. Is there a motion or vote to leave the closed session then another motion or vote to re-enter the Board meeting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Honemann Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:29 PM Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:29 PM Yes, a motion to go out of executive session requires a majority vote for its adoption (although such questions are usually handled by unanimous consent). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:51 PM Report Share Posted February 18, 2020 at 09:51 PM And, Guest Wendy, Mr. Honemann's reply also applies to entering into executive session (since you asked). No third vote or action is required to re-enter the board meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted February 19, 2020 at 01:45 PM Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 at 01:45 PM 16 hours ago, Guest Wendy said: When entering a closed session while in a Board meeting, a motion is needed to enter the closed session. Is there a motion or vote to leave the closed session then another motion or vote to re-enter the Board meeting? Entering and exiting executive session require a motion (unless handled by unanimous consent). There is no need to "re-enter" the Board meeting, since you never left it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bramweiser Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:22 PM Report Share Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:22 PM Hello. Can someone please tell me if this is correct? * Board is meeting in Regular Session * Motion is made to go into Executive Session, which passes * Executive Session happens including any discussions and votes * Board reconvenes, ready to go back to Open Session, and it's in THAT space (is that right...NOT in the Executive Session space?) that a vote, or unanimous consent, takes place to resume Open Session * The Meeting continues and concludes as normal Thank you very much, Bram Weiser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Elsman Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:34 PM Report Share Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:34 PM Nothing in RONR requires that executive session be held in a different area. When going into executive session, the chair politely excuses the visitors to retire from the hall. The ushers may assist the visitors. The sergeant at arms closes the doors and inspects the meeting room to ensure all visitors have left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:40 PM Report Share Posted February 23, 2020 at 08:40 PM 14 minutes ago, Guest bramweiser said: Can someone please tell me if this is correct? * Board is meeting in Regular Session * Motion is made to go into Executive Session, which passes * Executive Session happens including any discussions and votes * Board reconvenes, ready to go back to Open Session, and it's in THAT space (is that right...NOT in the Executive Session space?) that a vote, or unanimous consent, takes place to resume Open Session * The Meeting continues and concludes as normal So far as RONR is concerned, the board would vote (or decide by unanimous consent) on whether to exit executive session while it is in executive session. If this is adopted, the board is now in open session. There is no transitional state between executive session and open session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted February 23, 2020 at 09:02 PM Report Share Posted February 23, 2020 at 09:02 PM 36 minutes ago, Guest bramweiser said: Hello. Can someone please tell me if this is correct? * Board is meeting in Regular Session * Motion is made to go into Executive Session, which passes * Executive Session happens including any discussions and votes * Board reconvenes, ready to go back to Open Session, and it's in THAT space (is that right...NOT in the Executive Session space?) that a vote, or unanimous consent, takes place to resume Open Session * The Meeting continues and concludes as normal Thank you very much, Bram Weiser Not quite. A motion to go into executive session passes. The board is then in executive session. Business is conducted. A motion to come out of executive session passes. The board is no longer in executive session. There is no unconvening or reconvening involved. The board is convened the entire time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted February 24, 2020 at 03:29 PM Report Share Posted February 24, 2020 at 03:29 PM To guests Wendy and Bramweiser: perhaps it will help to understand that an executive session is not necessarily a separate meeting or session, but rather it is usually a PORTION of a meeting or session. It is also possible for an entire meeting to be held in executive session, but that does not appear to be the situation described by guests Wendy and Bramweiser. I also believe Mr. Honemann’s answer to guest Wendy, when he first responded with “yes”, was a bit misleading or confusing as he did not address the second part of guest Wendy’s question. Guest Wendy, in her original post, asked if it was necessary to adopt a motion to end the executive session and then to also adopt a motion to re-enter regular session. Mr. Honemann did not address the second part of her question. It is necessary only to adopt a motion to end the executive session. No motion is necessary to re-enter a regular session, as the board has actually been in the same session the entire time. The executive session was only a portion of the meeting (or session). It was not a separate meeting in and of itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramweiser Posted February 28, 2020 at 07:30 AM Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 at 07:30 AM Thank you, Rob, Josh, Gary & Richard for your responses. (Sorry I didn't follow up sooner but I never got a notification about them and saw them only when checking in here now.) Please let me clarify...I apologize for my imperfect phrasing. I said "space" and "convening" not to be literal (i.e., implying that the Board necessarily switched from one room to another) but, instead, to describe the status they found themselves in (i.e., Open Session vs. Executive Session). I believe that Josh and Gary answered what my main question was, thanks, which was, "what are the 'mechanics' of the Board entering and leaving Executive Session?", saying namely that the entering Motion happens in Open Session, and the leaving Motion happens while still in Executive Session, after which (when it passes) the Board is (poof) back in Open Session. Thank you all, again, Bram Weiser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted February 28, 2020 at 09:14 PM Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 at 09:14 PM Yep, sounds like you've got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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