Draft Minutes Corrections

[Guest Lisa]

Our board has a disagreement about an item that was captured in the Draft minutes. 

1) How do we correct if we have different recollections and cannot come to an agreement?

2) If a motion is required is this called a motion to amend a draft?

3) Do we only record the final outcome of the vote / amendment?  

4) Do we include the names of who voted For or Against the correction, or only if it was passed?  

 

[Richard Brown]

The reading  and approval of minutes is covered in Sections 41:9 - 41:12 and also in 48:9 - 48:15 of RONR (12th ed.).

Correcting minutes is handled much like handling any other motion, but most corrections are non-controversial and are handled by unanimous consent. 

If a member believes something in the draft minutes is incorrect, he simply suggests the change he believes is appropriate.  If the other members agree with the change, it is usually handled by unanimous consent.  However, if there is a difference of opinion, or if another member has a different recollection and wants to suggest a difference change, it is handled much like amendments to other motions.  The changes can be discussed (debated) and ultimately the assembly votes on each proposed change. Once there are no more corrections, the chair simply announces that "there being no more corrections, the minutes are approved as corrected".   No formal vote is taken on final "approval", but rather the chair simply announces that the minutes are approved once there are no more suggested corrections.  There is actually no need for an actual motion to approve the minutes.

Former editions of RONR said that corrections should be made by margin notations in the minutes being corrected, but the new 12th edition says in section 48:14 that if there are corrections, "the secretary should prepare a fully corrected version and distribute copies to the members" as well as placing the corrected copy in the organization's minute book.

Section 48:4 povides that any corrections are made in the text of the minutes being approved and that "the minutes of the meeting making the corrections merely state that the minutes were approved "as corrected" without specifying what the corrections were".  So, there is no need to specify what the corrections were, who suggested them, or what the vote was or how members voted if any corrections were voted on.

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

1) How do we correct if we have different recollections and cannot come to an agreement?

Majority rules.

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

2) If a motion is required is this called a motion to amend a draft?

RONR does not specifically call it a "motion to amend a draft," although I have no objection to that term. RONR generally calls it a "correction," and notes that this is a form of the motion to Amend.

"After the minutes have been read (or after their reading has been omitted by unanimous consent as described in the previous paragraph), and whether or not a motion for approval has been offered, the chair asks, “Are there any corrections to the minutes?” and pauses. Corrections, when proposed, are usually handled by unanimous consent (4:58–63), but if any member objects to a proposed correction—which is, in effect, a subsidiary motion to Amend—the usual rules governing consideration of amendments to a main motion are applicable (see 12)." RONR (12th ed.) 41:10

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

3) Do we only record the final outcome of the vote / amendment?  

Nothing regarding the motion for the correction is recorded in the minutes. The correction is simply made in the body of the minutes which are being corrected. The minutes of the meeting where the correction is made simply note that the minutes of the previous meeting were "approved as corrected." What exactly those corrections were, let alone the vote on them (in the unusual event that there is one), is not recorded.

"Any correction approved by the assembly is made in the text of the minutes being approved; the minutes of the meeting making the correction merely state that the minutes were approved “as corrected,” without specifying what the correction was (see first paragraph of form, 48:8)." RONR (12th ed.) 48:4

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

4) Do we include the names of who voted For or Against the correction, or only if it was passed?  

Neither. See above.

I am also curious as to what exactly gives rise to this disagreement. If there is, in fact, serious disagreement regarding the contents of the minutes, this generally suggests that something has gone horribly wrong.

Edited February 20, 2021 at 05:49 PM by Josh Martin

[Atul Kapur]

Most likely, this is about something that shouldn't be in the minutes at all. So the best option may be to delete the contentious details.

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

1) How do we correct if we have different recollections and cannot come to an agreement?

You vote on any proposed correction. A majority vote is required to adopt any proposed correction.

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

2) If a motion is required is this called a motion to amend a draft?

It is a motion to amend, yes.

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

3) Do we only record the final outcome of the vote / amendment?  

You record that the minutes were approved as distributed/read or that the minutes were approved as corrected.

The actual correction is made in the minutes themselves.

1 hour ago, Guest Lisa said:

4) Do we include the names of who voted For or Against the correction, or only if it was passed?  

Only if it was a recorded vote.