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"Feeling" in minutes


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It is my understanding that the minutes of meetings purpose is to record decisions and actions. After a recent PAC meeting, minutes were distributed to a small group asking for review. These minutes were very subjective and one sided. Should "discussion" and feelings have any place in the recording of minutes?

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It is my understanding that the minutes of meetings purpose is to record decisions and actions. After a recent PAC meeting, minutes were distributed to a small group asking for review. These minutes were very subjective and one sided. Should "discussion" and feelings have any place in the recording of minutes?

No. And it will be much easier to remove this extraneous material before the minutes are approved (though it's still possible to amend them afterward).

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It is my understanding that the minutes of meetings purpose is to record decisions and actions. After a recent PAC meeting, minutes were distributed to a small group asking for review. These minutes were very subjective and one sided. Should "discussion" and feelings have any place in the recording of minutes?

Perhaps in "minutes" of group therapy, but not in minutes of normal delibarative bodies. Put what was DONE into the minutes and not what was SAID or what anyone's feeling were or are.

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ALthough an organizatio can adopt a standing rule about their Minutes - for example, many organizations I know of will include an explanation for the decision - such as "On a motion by Mr. X, the Board voted 'to replace the roof of the clubhouse.' The Board decided that as the roof was 25 years old that it was advisable to replace the roof before any issues came about."

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ALthough an organizatio can adopt a standing rule about their Minutes - for example, many organizations I know of will include an explanation for the decision - such as "On a motion by Mr. X, the Board voted 'to replace the roof of the clubhouse.' The Board decided that as the roof was 25 years old that it was advisable to replace the roof before any issues came about."

One can assume the board voted to replace the roof because it was advisable to do so. Cluttering the minutes with the obvious is not recommended. To say nothing of the fact that individual members may have had different reasons for voting in favor of the motion.

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ALthough an organizatio can adopt a standing rule about their Minutes - for example, many organizations I know of will include an explanation for the decision - such as "On a motion by Mr. X, the Board voted 'to replace the roof of the clubhouse.' The Board decided that as the roof was 25 years old that it was advisable to replace the roof before any issues came about."

Sometimes a resolution will have a "Whereas,..." clause that is entered on the minutes with the rest of the resolution, but a gratuitous explanation in the minutes is neither proper nor wise, since various members may be of differing opinions about why the motion or resolution was adopted.

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Sometimes a resolution will have a "Whereas,..." clause that is entered on the minutes with the rest of the resolution, but a gratuitous explanation in the minutes is neither proper nor wise, since various members may be of differing opinions about why the motion or resolution was adopted.

Indeed. And RONR notes that "encumbering" a motion with the reason(s) for adopting it (the "whereas" clauses) "may weigh against its adoption since some members who approve of the action it proposes may dislike voting for it if it states reasons with which they disagree". (p. 102)

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