dog Standing Committee

[Guest lers@rcn.com]

Organization has addendum for committees, clubs and activities. How can a clubs of an organization (Railroad, Garden) be listed in the bylaws of a Council if that club elects a club leader, maintains a separate bank account and sets its own meeting?  Should such clubs be encouraged to attend the Organization meetings and provide updates on their activities rather than be listed in the organization bylaws?

[Gary Novosielski]

If I understand you correctly, you may be talking about an association of associations, where the individual members of the Organization are not persons, but are member clubs and other societies.

Or you may be talking about an ordinary membership organization, where there is a general membership, but whose purpose is to give help and support to other semi-independent organizations.

There are organizations structured in these two ways and many other ways as well; it is entirely up to your membership (be they clubs or people) how your bylaws should be written.  RONR allows just about any structure you like.

But in both of these cases and others, it would not be advisable to list the affiliated clubs by name in the bylaws.  That list may change from time to time, and you don't want to put yourself in the position of needing a bylaws amendment each time the list is added to or subtracted from.  That sort of business is usually decided by an ordinary main motion.

[Guest lers@rcn.com]

should the clubs be listed in the bylaws as Standing Committees? Currently listed in an addendum to the bylaws as clubs.

[Josh Martin]

On 4/10/2023 at 2:42 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

should the clubs be listed in the bylaws as Standing Committees? Currently listed in an addendum to the bylaws as clubs.

I don't think I understand the situation enough here to advise on this matter. What is the nature of this organization and what is the relationship between this organization and these "clubs?"

[Richard Brown]

Agreeing with Josh Martin, I do not understand the situation enough to comment on it.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 4/10/2023 at 3:42 PM, Guest *****@*****.tld said:

should the clubs be listed in the bylaws as Standing Committees? Currently listed in an addendum to the bylaws as clubs.

If, as you say, the clubs elect their own officer(s) and have their own bank accounts, they are definitely not anything like a committee, standing or otherwise.

I don't understand why they are listed as an addendum to the bylaws, but presumably someone thought they belonged there.  I have no way of knowing.  You have not explained how these clubs fit into your organization.

[Guest Ray]

I will try to clarify the question. We have a Residents Council. The bylaws only list four standing committees. The bylaws have an article that states standing committees may be established or deleted at the discretion of the council. Additional article (Special Committees) states at the end of the year special committees will be discontinued or made permanent part of the Council.

An addendum list numerous committees, clubs and activities sponsored by the Council. Several of these are clubs (Garden, Railroad) elect their own leader, maintain separate check accounts, pay their own bills, schedule their own meetings. How can these clubs be listed as a committee of the Residents Council? Shouldn't they be invited guest of the Council to report on items that may be of interest but not listed as a committee of the council?

Another listed committee in the addendum is completely formed outside of the Council but comes to the meeting to report on items of interest to community members. The Council has no control over any functions conducted by this group. How can they be listed in the bylaws of the Council as a Committee?

[Gary Novosielski]

Well, as I said earlier, I don't believe they can.  By that description they do not appear to be in the nature of committees. 

They appear to be independent organizations that are affiliated with the council, but not established by the council.

Or, if they are committees of the council, they have an extraordinarily independent relationship.

At this point I'm not sure what the question is, or perhaps it's been answered?

 

[Josh Martin]

On 4/12/2023 at 7:05 PM, Guest Ray said:

An addendum list numerous committees, clubs and activities sponsored by the Council. Several of these are clubs (Garden, Railroad) elect their own leader, maintain separate check accounts, pay their own bills, schedule their own meetings. How can these clubs be listed as a committee of the Residents Council?

Based on this description, I am certainly in agreement that these clubs should not properly be defined as "committees" of the council.

Indeed, based on this description, I am inclined to think they should not be listed in the bylaws at all. Certainly, it may well be desirable to maintain a list of outside groups sponsored by the council, but the bylaws is probably not the right place for it, as this may create the misperception that there is a formal relationship between the council and the clubs.

On 4/12/2023 at 7:05 PM, Guest Ray said:

Shouldn't they be invited guest of the Council to report on items that may be of interest but not listed as a committee of the council?

I agree that they should not be listed as a committee of the council, and probably should not be listed in the bylaws at all. Whether the council wishes to invite them to report on items that may be of interest is at the council's discretion.

On 4/12/2023 at 7:05 PM, Guest Ray said:

Another listed committee in the addendum is completely formed outside of the Council but comes to the meeting to report on items of interest to community members. The Council has no control over any functions conducted by this group. How can they be listed in the bylaws of the Council as a Committee?

See above.

[puzzling]

I am puzzling if RONR even allow committees to select their own leader /chairperson or members.

The situation described looks to independent to be a committee (with power) of the organisation. And more like a separate organisation that is supported by the organisation.

[Josh Martin]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:33 AM, puzzling said:

I am puzzling if RONR even allow committees to select their own leader /chairperson or members.

A committee may, or may not, have the authority to select its own chair, depending on the particular circumstances. If the organization's rules are silent on this matter, see RONR (12th ed.) 13:17-18.

There is no procedure in RONR which permits a committee to appoint additional members, although an organization could adopt its own rules authorizing this if it wishes.

What has been described here, however, certainly do not seem to be "committees" in the parliamentary sense.