Establishing a Committee

[Tomm]

Only one or two members of the board established a committee without going thru the proper process of creating that committee with a formal motion, debate, or vote by the entire board.

Does that have any effect on the validity of that committee? 

Should there be any reprimands to those 1 or 2 board members?  

[Weldon Merritt]

On 10/21/2023 at 7:11 PM, Tomm said:

Only one or two members of the board established a committee without going thru the proper process of creating that committee with a formal motion, debate, or vote by the entire board.

No, they didn't "establish" the committee. They may have thought they did, but in realty, they didn't.

On 10/21/2023 at 7:11 PM, Tomm said:

Does that have any effect on the validity of that committee?

Absolutely! The committee does not exist, as it was not properly created.

On 10/21/2023 at 7:11 PM, Tomm said:

Should there be any reprimands to those 1 or 2 board members? 

That is up to the assembly. At the very least, they should be told in no uncertain terms that they do not have the power to create a committee without going through the proper procedures.

[Rob Elsman]

I suppose any group of people can meet over pizza and beer and form a clique that calls itself a "committee", but it would have no role in the official transaction of business in a society at a business meeting, nor would it have any power to act on behalf of the organization.

[Tomm]

On 10/21/2023 at 8:12 PM, Weldon Merritt said:

Absolutely! The committee does not exist, as it was not properly created.

Several meetings have taken place since this was discovered.

Can I assume that everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings can be ratified and carry on with continued meetings?

 

 

[Rob Elsman]

We've got too many ambiguous pronouns going.

[Joshua Katz]

I have no idea who would ratify the action of a non-existent committee. Albeit, normally committees don't do the sorts of things it makes sense to ratify. They make recommendations. If those recommendations are accepted by the body to which the committee reports, who cares where the recommendations came from?

[Weldon Merritt]

On 10/22/2023 at 11:49 AM, Rob Elsman said:

We've got too many ambiguous pronouns going.

And what would those be? I see few pronouns at all, and the ones I do see are nit in the least ambiguous in their context.

[Atul Kapur]

On 10/22/2023 at 1:41 PM, Tomm said:

Several meetings have taken place since this was discovered.

Can I assume that everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings can be ratified and carry on with continued meetings?

 

On 10/22/2023 at 2:07 PM, Joshua Katz said:

I have no idea who would ratify the action of a non-existent committee. Albeit, normally committees don't do the sorts of things it makes sense to ratify. They make recommendations. If those recommendations are accepted by the body to which the committee reports, who cares where the recommendations came from?

It sounds like the members have taken actions in the name of this so-called committee and perhaps even made decisions, taken actions, or made commitments in the name of the larger organization. If they have, then they are individually responsible for any of those things.

The organization may ratify these actions. However, this group should be properly formed and populated as a committee before it does anything else. The organization is under no obligation to place these individuals on the committee.

[Joshua Katz]

On 10/22/2023 at 2:57 PM, Atul Kapur said:

It sounds like the members have taken actions in the name of this so-called committee and perhaps even made decisions, taken actions, or made commitments in the name of the larger organization. If they have, then they are individually responsible for any of those things.

 

I don't see the post where it sounds like that, but I agree with your analysis if so. 

[Atul Kapur]

On 10/22/2023 at 3:00 PM, Joshua Katz said:

I don't see the post where it sounds like that, but I agree with your analysis if so. 

I inferred from the line that says things have taken place ("everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings") and the fact that only actions need ratification. 

But I can't and didn't say as a fact that they did occur.

Edited October 22, 2023 at 08:59 PM by Atul Kapur

[Dan Honemann]

On 10/22/2023 at 1:41 PM, Tomm said:

Can I assume that everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings can be ratified and carry on with continued meetings?

Absolutely not.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/22/2023 at 1:41 PM, Tomm said:

Several meetings have taken place since this was discovered.

Can I assume that everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings can be ratified and carry on with continued meetings?

 

 

No meetings have taken place, because there is no committee.

Why would you assume that continued meetings could take place when there is no committee?

[Rob Elsman]

I'm still confused as to the meetings of what--"committee" or board.

[Weldon Merritt]

On 10/22/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rob Elsman said:

I'm still confused as to the meetings of what--"committee" or board.

If your confusion relates t0owhat your said here:

On 10/22/2023 at 11:49 AM, Rob Elsman said:

We've got too many ambiguous pronouns going.

then aside from the fact that "committee" and "board" are nouns, not pronouns, it seems pretty clear to me that the "committees" are the purported "committees" that were never properly created, and that the board is the one to which the "one or two members" who "established" them  belong.  Burt I'm nit sure it makes much difference, as it is clear that the "committees" were never properly created by whatever bard or other entity had the authority to do so.

[Tomm]

On 10/22/2023 at 4:48 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

Why would you assume that continued meetings could take place when there is no committee?

Because they continue to meet every week! 

It's time for one of our 8 recreation facilities to be renovated and remodeled. This committee is researching and will be making recommendations with the help of an outside paid architect as to what amenities and sporting and fitness facilities should be at the center.

They've been meeting all summer so no matter how many times this forum advises me that there is no committee I watch it meet every week?

Very frustrating and extremely troubling.

 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/22/2023 at 11:17 PM, Tomm said:

They've been meeting all summer so no matter how many times this forum advises me that there is no committee I watch it meet every week?

I think the problem is that you don't yet realize that the group you see meeting every week is not, in fact, a committee.  

[Dan Honemann]

On 10/21/2023 at 9:11 PM, Tomm said:

Only one or two members of the board established a committee without going thru the proper process of creating that committee with a formal motion, debate, or vote by the entire board.

Are you a member of this board?

[Joshua Katz]

On 10/22/2023 at 11:20 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

I think the problem is that you don't yet realize that the group you see meeting every week is not, in fact, a committee.  

I think the problem is that many questions about this organization are actually complaints.

[Tomm]

On 10/23/2023 at 3:23 AM, Dan Honemann said:

Are you a member of this board?

No, I'm not a member and the couple of board members who agree with me don't want to make any waves since this Committee has been meeting for several months now.

This board has been preaching transparency and wanting to do things right compared to the previous board but they too are failing.

It is what it is. The only satisfaction I have is fact that I was able to discover this by going over the previous meeting minutes.

Nothing will be done and the committee will continue to be fat, dumb, and happy.

Thanks for at least confirming my suspension. 

[Josh Martin]

On 10/22/2023 at 12:41 PM, Tomm said:

Can I assume that everything that has taken place at those unofficial meetings can be ratified and carry on with continued meetings?

No.

What could instead be done is for the board to adopt motions implementing the actions taken by this group of persons and for the board to properly establish the committee, after which the committee could meet.

(Although it's somewhat unclear to me whether this group of persons has, in fact, taken any actions which will need to be ratified, since we are told the group is simply researching and making recommendations.)

On 10/22/2023 at 1:57 PM, Atul Kapur said:

The organization may ratify these actions.

I don't think this is correct, at least not categorically. I don't think the assembly may ratify the actions of a non-existent committee.

It may be that certain actions of the group of members could be ratified, such as if the actions were subsequently carried out by officers.

On 10/22/2023 at 10:17 PM, Tomm said:

They've been meeting all summer so no matter how many times this forum advises me that there is no committee I watch it meet every week?

It's a free country. Nothing stops a group of members from meeting every week. That doesn't make them a committee.

Edited October 23, 2023 at 07:50 PM by Josh Martin

[Atul Kapur]

On 10/22/2023 at 2:57 PM, Atul Kapur said:

It sounds like the members have taken actions ....

The organization may ratify these actions

 

On 10/23/2023 at 3:49 PM, Josh Martin said:

I don't think this is correct, at least not categorically. I don't think the assembly may ratify the actions of a non-existent committee.

It may be that certain actions of the group of members could be ratified, such as if the actions were subsequently carried out by officers.

Yes, I was referring to the carrying out of the actions by these members, as opposed to the decisions of the group-calling-itself-a-committee.