Minutes - listing of members who arrive late/or leave early

[Guest Juanita]

Sometimes we have members who arrive late, halfway through, just before an adjournment, etc. How should that be handled in the minutes. We usually list each person in attendance at as the first paragraph of the minutes and add if this constitutes a quorum or not. This happens at board meetings as well as in committees. Should we not list that person in the first paragraph and insert in the minutes the person's name and time of entrance to meeting? How should we handle? Thank you for your assistance.

[Guest Anon]

You do not need to list attendance in the minutes at all. The assembly may direct the secretary to include it, and in that case they should also direct him how to handle this issue.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 2/8/2024 at 2:28 PM, Guest Juanita said:

Sometimes we have members who arrive late, halfway through, just before an adjournment, etc. How should that be handled in the minutes. We usually list each person in attendance at as the first paragraph of the minutes and add if this constitutes a quorum or not. This happens at board meetings as well as in committees. Should we not list that person in the first paragraph and insert in the minutes the person's name and time of entrance to meeting? How should we handle? Thank you for your assistance.

If the rules in RONR apply, you don't.    Attendance is not recorded in the minutes, other than to state whether a quorum is or is not present.

Do your bylaws contain some attendance rules that you believe need to be documented in the minutes?

[Michael Seebeck]

It's not required, but it is a good idea, especially if the minutes reflect roll-call votes whose numbers vary above a quorum.

When in doubt, be transparent and inclusive about it, not because of requirement, but because of good practice.

[rulesasker]

On 2/14/2024 at 5:19 PM, Michael Seebeck said:

roll-call votes

The minutes do need to include the names of those responding to a roll call vote.

On 2/14/2024 at 5:19 PM, Michael Seebeck said:

not because of requirement, but because of good practice

That’s fine, but the society should adopt a standing rule if they want this information in the minutes. Otherwise they have to deal with the issues the op is asking about. For example, they could adopt a rule that the secretary will note whenever a member leaves or returns. Such a rule is only appropriate for certain (smaller) societies, and even there might not be appropriate, so RONR doesn’t specify it.

[Josh Martin]

On 2/14/2024 at 7:00 PM, rulesasker said:

That’s fine, but the society should adopt a standing rule if they want this information in the minutes.

A rule concerning the contents of the minutes is a special rule of order.

[Rob Elsman]

If, for some unusually compelling reason, it is necessary to log members in and out of the meeting room, a registrar should be stationed near the meeting room's entrance to keep a register of these comings and goings. The secretary has plenty to do if carrying out the regular duties without having to keep an eye on the movements in the room.