Township Agendas / Clarification of Stated "New Business"

[Brouwer]

Our Township Board is meeting this evening. Under New Business is a misleading title "Preliminary budget discussion." I have been told that an elected member of the Board is attempting to put through a salary increase. So is one of the Township's other non-elected employees. The topic title is at best misleading. Regardless of the purposeful deception of the deceptive title for this business, does RONR say anything about how such matters should be addressed? The public is not being made aware of the true nature of the topic at hand. More people would have likely attended had the true nature of the topic been publicized. Thank you in advance for your thoughts. 

[Rob Elsman]

The answer to your question will have to be found in the board's own rules.  As far as the rules in RONR (12th ed.) are controlling, there are no items of business entered under the New Business heading, since nothing about them is known until a member makes a main motion that introduces the topic to the board.  It may well be that the township is bound by statute to post all items of business some time before the meeting.  So, I suspect that the legal counsel for the board will know more about the matter than anyone on this forum.

[Brouwer]

Thank you Rob Elsman.

[Richard Brown]

On 1/8/2024 at 2:03 PM, Brouwer said:

Our Township Board is meeting this evening. Under New Business is a misleading title "Preliminary budget discussion." I have been told that an elected member of the Board is attempting to put through a salary increase. So is one of the Township's other non-elected employees. The topic title is at best misleading. Regardless of the purposeful deception of the deceptive title for this business, does RONR say anything about how such matters should be addressed? The public is not being made aware of the true nature of the topic at hand. More people would have likely attended had the true nature of the topic been publicized. Thank you in advance for your thoughts. 

I understand your concern.  There is a bit of disagreement over whether a notice that something will be "discussed" at a special meeting is sufficient for taking action on it as opposed to just discussing it, but that's somewhat of a different issue. However, since this is regarding a public body, it is more of a legal question than a parliamentary one.  It may well be covered in the city charter, council rules, or your state open meetings (sunshine) laws.  It is a question of whether the agenda item as stated provides adequate notice under law for action to be taken on that item or for that item to be amended at the meeting.

[Brouwer]

Richard Brown, thank you.