Exact protocol

[Guest Chris H]

Is this at a meeting of the Board or of the General Membership? If it is at a Board meeting the reading and approval of the minutes is one of the first (if not the first) items of business on the Standard Order of Business (RONR p. 25) so they should be "

[Guest MSW]

The general membership is wondering what was done in executive session and would like a report.

The minutes of both the general and board meetings are published but then approved (or corrected) at the general meetings. At our next membership mee"

[Guest MSW]

I stated that poorly. Let me try again.

Each month, the minutes of the previous general meeting and the board meeting (if one has occurred) are published in the monthly newsletter. The minutes are then corrected (or approved as mailed) at each "

[Guest Chris H]

As I noted before per RONR p. 470 the membership can order the minutes of the Board meeting read whether the Board was in Executive Session or not. If the membership just wants to find out why the Board went into Executive Session you can ask them (durin"

[Guest H.Wm.Mountcastle]

>>If the membership just wants to find out why the Board went into Executive Session you can ask them<<

No you can't.

Them is not the board."

[Guest MSW]

WE have a copy of the board minutes because it was mailed to us. But it ONLY says that the board went into Executive session and for how long.

The board minutes will be voted for approval or correction at the next board meeting.

There i"

[Guest H.Wm.Mountcastle]

There are no board minutes until they're approved at the next board meeting. All there is now is the secretary's draft and she doesn't have to show that to anyone.

So I'm afraid you'll have to wait. But that'll give you time to brush up on the ru"

[Guest Chris H]

">>If the membership just wants to find out why the Board went into Executive Session you can ask them<<

No you can't.

Them is not the board."

So you are saying that there is no way to ask the Board a quest"

[Guest MSW]

<<All there is now is the secretary's draft and she doesn't have to show that to anyone.>>

But it's already been published so it's a known fact that the board went into executive session....regardless of whether or not those minutes h"

[Guest Rob Elsman]

At a meeting of the general membership assembly, any member of the society can move that the secretary of the executive board read the minutes taken at the executive session of the board, whether those minutes stand approved or not. The motion must be mad"

[Guest H.Wm.Mountcastle]

>>any member of the society can move that the secretary of the executive board read the minutes taken at the executive session of the board, whether those minutes stand approved or not<<

Oh, Mr. Elsman!"

[Guest MSW]

Do I take it, Mr. Mountcastle, that you disagree with Mr. Elsman?"

[Guest Trina]

I am also curious about Mr. Elsman's response.

> At a meeting of the general membership assembly, any member of the society can move that the secretary of the executive board read the minutes taken at the executive session of the board, whethe"

[Guest Trina]

Mr. Elsman, or anyone else who cares to comment?

> ...any member of the society can move that the secretary of the executive board read the minutes taken at the executive session of the board, whether those minutes stand approved or not. <<"

[Guest Rob Elsman]

"That seems like a stretch, though."

Yes, it does.

"

[Guest Trina]

Amusing, yes... somehow I don't feel better informed, though, after reading this response.

Is the situation more analogous to the assembly ordering a member to do something, or to explain an action? In other words, only peripherally related to th"

[Guest Rob Elsman]

"To take a specific example, would an order to the secretary to read his/her raw notes to the assembly really be proper?"

Yes. It is not uncommon for a member to make a request that a portion of the minutes of the ongoing meeting be rea"

[Guest H.Wm.Mountcastle]

But we're not talking about an ongoing meeting, we're talking about the general membership ordering the reading of board meeting minutes and your position that that right extends to unapproved minutes (aka the secretary's notes and/or draft)."

[Guest Rob Elsman]

The general membership assembly, retaining for itself all powers not otherwise exclusively delegated, has the power to order up and have read any paper or document that is owned by the society, in whatever form, in whomever's possession, whether approved,"

[Guest Trina]

> The general membership assembly, retaining for itself all powers not otherwise exclusively delegated, has the power to order up and have read any paper or document that is owned by the society... <

So, are my notes as secretary owned by t"

[Guest Rob Elsman]

Ask a lawyer."

[Guest Kim Goldsworthy]

RE,

>>The general membership assembly, retaining for itself all powers not otherwise exclusively delegated, has the power to order up and have read any paper or document that is owned by the society, in whatever form, in whomever's possession, w"

[Guest Rob Elsman]

In RONR (10th ed.), p. 343, ll. 10, 11, the chairman asks the secretary to read the *minutes*."

[Guest Kim Goldsworthy]

See page 344.

>>On the other hand, the minutes do not become the minutes and assume their essential status as the official record of the proceedings of the society until they have been approved; and before this happens, the secretary’"

[Guest Trina]

> Ask a lawyer. <

Well, I'm not sure why I'm the one being sent off to hire the hypothetical attorney.

> The general membership assembly, retaining for itself all powers not otherwise exclusively delegated, has the power to orde"