Committee Minutes - Chair to Sign?

[Koleen]

Good afternoon, 

I am trying to find in RONR if committee meeting minutes need to be signed by the chair? What about the exec committee since they are a mini-board that is able to act on behalf of the board? 

Many thanks!

[Josh Martin]

13 minutes ago, Koleen said:

I am trying to find in RONR if committee meeting minutes need to be signed by the chair? What about the exec committee since they are a mini-board that is able to act on behalf of the board? 

Committees are not required to take minutes at all, since generally the committee's reports serve as its records. If minutes (or a "memorandum in the nature of minutes") are taken, they are signed by the secretary (although RONR does note that this may be the same person as the chair in a small committee). The minutes may also be signed by the chair if desired.

The Executive Committee is required to take minutes, since it is in the nature of a board rather than a committee. The minutes are signed by the secretary, although the minutes may also be signed by the chair if desired.

"In small committees, the chairman usually acts as secretary, but in large ones and many standing committees, a secretary may be chosen to keep a brief memorandum in the nature of minutes for the use of the committee." RONR (12th ed.) 50:24

"The executive committee is thus in reality a “board within a board” and operates under the rules in this book applicable to boards rather than those applicable to committees." RONR (12th ed.) 49:13

"A record of the board’s proceedings is kept by the secretary, just as in any other assembly." RONR (12th ed.) 49:17

"Minutes should be signed by the secretary and can also be signed, if the assembly wishes, by the president." RONR (12th ed.) 48:7

That last citation refers to the president because it is principally referring to meetings of the society's membership.

Edited October 13, 2020 at 11:04 PM by Josh Martin

[Koleen]

Thank you, Josh. Quick follow up question. Our non profit does have an "annual meeting" but does not provide annual reports of each committee. So, if they don't provide annual reports of the committees, should minutes be taken at each committee meeting in lieu of the reports? I hope that makes sense. 

Thanks,

Koleen

[Josh Martin]

6 minutes ago, Koleen said:

Thank you, Josh. Quick follow up question. Our non profit does have an "annual meeting" but does not provide annual reports of each committee. So, if they don't provide annual reports of the committees, should minutes be taken at each committee meeting in lieu of the reports? I hope that makes sense. 

Personally, I would think it would be more beneficial to require the committees to report at least annually, since reports generally have more detail than minutes (if the minutes are being taken properly). If the organization prefers to accept minutes in lieu of reports, then I suppose it is free to do so. Certainly it seems desirable to have some sort of information regarding what the society's committees are doing.

Edited October 22, 2020 at 05:26 PM by Josh Martin

[Koleen]

Many thanks Josh! You've answered my questions. 

[Koleen]

Hi Josh, 

After further review, would like some clarification. In your first paragraph, "Committees are not required to take minutes at all, since generally the committee's reports serve as its records. If minutes (or a "memorandum in the nature of minutes") are taken, they are signed by the secretary (although RONR does note that this may be the same person as the chair in a small committee). The minutes may also be signed by the chair if desired. " (I underlined the 

If I'm reading this correctly, it means that standing committees that take minutes or "memorandum in the nature of minutes" (excluding the EC because we know that we must take minutes & have them signed) *do* need to be signed by the secretary or chair of the committee?

Thanks again!

[Josh Martin]

20 minutes ago, Koleen said:

After further review, would like some clarification. In your first paragraph, "Committees are not required to take minutes at all, since generally the committee's reports serve as its records. If minutes (or a "memorandum in the nature of minutes") are taken, they are signed by the secretary (although RONR does note that this may be the same person as the chair in a small committee). The minutes may also be signed by the chair if desired. " (I underlined the 

If I'm reading this correctly, it means that standing committees that take minutes or "memorandum in the nature of minutes" (excluding the EC because we know that we must take minutes & have them signed) *do* need to be signed by the secretary or chair of the committee?

If minutes are taken, whether they are taken by the general membership, a board, or a committee, the minutes need to be signed by the secretary. The minutes may also be signed by the chair if desired, but there is no requirement for this.

RONR has no direct answer to whether a "memorandum in the nature of minutes" needs to be signed by anyone, although I am generally inclined to think that if they are signed, the secretary should still be the person to sign them.

The bottom line is that the person who takes the minutes (the secretary) should be the person to sign them.