Call to audience at end of board meeting

[Guest Renee Balaco]

At the end of a board meeting, where there is a call to the audience, can the audience ask questions and expect answers from the bod? Or are audience members relegated to only ask questions on the topics that were discussed?

[Joshua Katz]

Under the rules in RONR, there is no right to attend for non-members, let alone to ask questions and expect answers. Presumably, this procedure in your organization exists because of your rules, so those rules will tell you what questions are appropriate. If it exists by custom, it is harder to figure out (as is also the case if those rules are unclear). But the answer cannot be found in RONR. 

If it exists by rule, and those rules don't limit the questions that may be asked to topics the board discussed, then my personal opinion (which your organization is free to ignore) would be that you can ask anything, but cannot, on any topic, "expect" an answer. At a board meeting, the audience consists of guests, so the board members will only answer if they choose to.

[Gary Novosielski]

If the rules in RONR are all that apply, then there is no audience at board meetings.

Any rules that allow non-members (of the board) to attend must be your local rules, so you are pretty much free to regulate that attendance however you wish.

However, I don't see any way to compel the board to answer any and all questions that the audience may pose, without authorizing waterboarding or other augmented interrogation. 😇