Guest Carol Posted February 22, 2021 at 01:10 AM Report Posted February 22, 2021 at 01:10 AM Hello, We are holding a telephone conference call (Board of Directors for a club) - we go into a closed / Executive Session - discuss the issues and take vote in closed session. We come out of closed session. What is the proper way to make a motion and list the votes that occurred while in closed session? (now that we are once again in open session) Quote
Gary Novosielski Posted February 22, 2021 at 02:11 AM Report Posted February 22, 2021 at 02:11 AM 1 hour ago, Guest Carol said: Hello, We are holding a telephone conference call (Board of Directors for a club) - we go into a closed / Executive Session - discuss the issues and take vote in closed session. We come out of closed session. What is the proper way to make a motion and list the votes that occurred while in closed session? (now that we are once again in open session) If you're planning to make the results of the votes public, why are you taking the votes in executive session? Quote
Guest Carol Posted February 22, 2021 at 05:24 AM Report Posted February 22, 2021 at 05:24 AM I'm new at this and learning the ropes. I think I made a mistake by calling for a vote in closed session. Are we not supposed to be voting in executive sessions? Should it just be discussing the issue at hand and then move out of closed session into an open session and then conduct the voting? If we vote in executive / closed session we don't have to make it public to the membership at large? Sorry - this particular one is mind boggling to me. Quote
Atul Kapur Posted February 22, 2021 at 09:28 AM Report Posted February 22, 2021 at 09:28 AM You can hold votes in executive session, at least under RONR (See 9:24-27). An executive session means that the proceedings of that part of the meeting are secret. "The general rule is that anything that occurs in executive session may not be divulged to nonmembers (except any entitled to attend). However, action taken, as distinct from that which was said in debate, may be divulged to the extent—and only to the extent—necessary to carry it out." RONR (12th ed.) 9:26 So you can conduct a vote in executive session. However, you may need to have another vote on whether to publicize the result of the first vote. So another way of asking Mr. Novosielski's question is, "Why are you doing this (discussion and/or vote) in executive session?" Many public bodies are subject to "sunshine" or open meeting laws, which restrict what they are allowed to do in executive session. Quote
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