Motions to Recess to a Time or Date Certain

[Guest Charles]

Can a motion to recess be made for a time and date certain, not to exceed the date and time of the next quarterly meeting?

Context: The Bylaws of an Organization require action upon an item (selection of a new executive due to a vacancy) at the next meeting of the Board; A Board can't reach consensus and desires to break for further discussions or background/research and wants to recess the meeting to a date and time certain, but prior to the next quarterly meeting of the Board to be compliant with their Bylaws.

[Dan Honemann]

On 3/23/2024 at 7:46 AM, Guest Charles said:

Can a motion to recess be made for a time and date certain, not to exceed the date and time of the next quarterly meeting?

Context: The Bylaws of an Organization require action upon an item (selection of a new executive due to a vacancy) at the next meeting of the Board; A Board can't reach consensus and desires to break for further discussions or background/research and wants to recess the meeting to a date and time certain, but prior to the next quarterly meeting of the Board to be compliant with their Bylaws.

The motion to use to accomplish this is the motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn, discussed in RONR (12th ed.) 22:1-20.  Here are some excerpts:

"22:1   The object of the motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn (also referred to as the motion to 'fix the time for an adjourned meeting') is to set the time, and sometimes the place, for another meeting to continue business of the session, with no effect on when the present meeting will adjourn."

"22:9    Effect of the Motion. Whether introduced as a privileged or a main motion, the effect of this motion is to establish an adjourned meeting—that is, another meeting that will be a continuation of the session at which the motion is adopted. Unlike a special meeting, an adjourned meeting does not require notice, although it is desirable to give such notice if feasible. An adjourned meeting should not be confused with a special meeting, which is a separate session called, in ordinary societies, as prescribed by the bylaws."

"22:12   Forms in which this motion may be made are: 'I move that when this meeting adjourns, it adjourn to meet at 2:00 P.M. tomorrow'; 'I move that when this meeting adjourns, it stand adjourned to meet at 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 2, at the Riggs Hotel'; or 'I move that on adjournment, the meeting adjourn to meet at the call of the chair.'"

[Josh Martin]

On 3/23/2024 at 6:46 AM, Guest Charles said:

Can a motion to recess be made for a time and date certain, not to exceed the date and time of the next quarterly meeting?

Context: The Bylaws of an Organization require action upon an item (selection of a new executive due to a vacancy) at the next meeting of the Board; A Board can't reach consensus and desires to break for further discussions or background/research and wants to recess the meeting to a date and time certain, but prior to the next quarterly meeting of the Board to be compliant with their Bylaws.

This is much too long of a break for a recess.

"A recess, strictly speaking, is a short intermission or break within a meeting that does not end the meeting or destroy its continuity as a single gathering, and after which proceedings are immediately resumed at the point where they were interrupted. During the recess, members may leave the hall or room in which the meeting is being held, but they are expected to remain nearby. A recess frequently has a purpose connected with the business of the meeting itself—such as to count ballots, to permit consultation among members, or the like. (For the motion to Recess, see 20.)" RONR (12th ed.) 8:2

As Mr. Honemann notes, however, the assembly may adjourn to a future date and time, not to exceed the date and time of the next quarterly meeting, and the motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn is used for this purpose.

[SeeCwriter]

On 3/23/2024 at 5:50 AM, Dan Honemann said:

The motion to use to accomplish this is the motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn, discussed in RONR (12th ed.) 22:1-20.  Here are some excerpts:

"22:1   The object of the motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn (also referred to as the motion to 'fix the time for an adjourned meeting') is to set the time, and sometimes the place, for another meeting to continue business of the session, with no effect on when the present meeting will adjourn."

"22:9    Effect of the Motion. Whether introduced as a privileged or a main motion, the effect of this motion is to establish an adjourned meeting—that is, another meeting that will be a continuation of the session at which the motion is adopted. Unlike a special meeting, an adjourned meeting does not require notice, although it is desirable to give such notice if feasible. An adjourned meeting should not be confused with a special meeting, which is a separate session called, in ordinary societies, as prescribed by the bylaws."

"22:12   Forms in which this motion may be made are: 'I move that when this meeting adjourns, it adjourn to meet at 2:00 P.M. tomorrow'; 'I move that when this meeting adjourns, it stand adjourned to meet at 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 2, at the Riggs Hotel'; or 'I move that on adjournment, the meeting adjourn to meet at the call of the chair.'"

During a special meeting where only one item of business is under consideration, If it's desired to delay a vote on the main motion to a future meeting while more information is collected, is the motion to Fix the time to Which to Adjourn to the best way to accomplish that?

[Rob Elsman]

On 3/25/2024 at 11:38 AM, SeeCwriter said:

...is the motion to Fix the time to Which to Adjourn to the best way to accomplish that?

This is one proper way.  After the motion, Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn, has been adopted, the subsidiary motion, Postpone to a Certain Time, can be adopted to delay further consideration of the pending main motion to the adjourned meeting.

[Josh Martin]

On 3/25/2024 at 11:38 AM, SeeCwriter said:

During a special meeting where only one item of business is under consideration, If it's desired to delay a vote on the main motion to a future meeting while more information is collected, is the motion to Fix the time to Which to Adjourn to the best way to accomplish that?

It's certainly one way in which to accomplish that. Whether it's the "best" way will depend on the circumstances. It must also be noted that adopting such a motion, in itself, will not delay the vote. It would need to be followed up with a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time, to postpone the motion to the adjourned meeting.

In the alternative, if the assembly already has a regular meeting occurring within a quarterly interval (about three months), then the assembly could postpone the motion to the next regular meeting.

So ultimately, Postpone to a Certain Time is likely the motion you want if it is desired to delay the main motion to a future meeting. The only question that remains is whether it's desired to postpone it to the next regular meeting (if within a quarterly interval) or whether it is desired to create a new meeting for this purpose. Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn can be used to accomplish the latter.

Edited March 25, 2024 at 05:20 PM by Josh Martin