Jump to content
The Official RONR Q & A Forums

Cancelled Meeting


vicmar75

Recommended Posts

There are some serious decisions to be made by our membership. We have regularly scheduled monthly membership meetings. Our Board, who meets the Wednesday before our scheduled Sunday Membership meeting, decided to implement some questionable practices, then cancelled our scheduled monthly membership meeting until next month. Is this legal? Can we still hold our scheduled meeting?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless the bylaws specifically give the board the power to cancel a regular meeting of the membership, hold your meeting as planned and try to get a quorum. If necessary, elect a chairman pro tempore to preside for that meeting and a temporary secretary to take minutes. Meet on the front steps if you get locked out. But check those bylaws carefully, first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some serious decisions to be made by our membership. We have regularly scheduled monthly membership meetings. Our Board, who meets the Wednesday before our scheduled Sunday Membership meeting, decided to implement some questionable practices, then cancelled our scheduled monthly membership meeting until next month. Is this legal? Can we still hold our scheduled meeting?

It is very unlikely that your board has this power. Note that even if the board has the job of scheduling membership meetings, that does NOT mean the board has the power to cancel a meeting which has already been scheduled. As Mr. J pointed out, the power to cancel the meeting would have to be specifically spelled out in the bylaws. Go ahead and hold your meeting at the scheduled time and place. If the location is a problem (does the board control access?) you can meet briefly on the front steps, and immediately adjourn your meeting to a more suitable location -- do some advance planning, if needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wouldn't we need these to be put into the official records?

The minutes are to be retained for the history of the organization. However, the Secretary (of the General Membership) would keep the minutes of the GM meetings as the Secretary of the Board would keep the minutes of the Board meeting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we hold this meeting, how would we give the minutes to our Board? Would we give them to the Secretary to be added to the records, or would we approach the Board at their next meeting to have them read and entered?

Keep in mind that the board is an instrument of, and subordinate to, the general membership. Don't let the tail wag the dog.

See also Official Interpretations 2006-12 and 2006-13.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we hold this meeting, how would we give the minutes to our Board? Would we give them to the Secretary to be added to the records, or would we approach the Board at their next meeting to have them read and entered?

Perhaps what vicmar75 is getting at is that THE Secretary (as an officer of the Board) who usually records the minutes even at membership meetings and quite likely retains ALL the minutes of all meetings, both board and membership, will/may not be at THIS membership meeting to take the minutes, so these minutes will ultimately need to get into the "substantial book or binder" where all minutes are kept, this being in the possession of the "board" Secretary.

vicmar75 - am I close?

As for giving them to the Board to be read and entered, the minutes of a membership meeting are typically read and approved at the next membership meeting. If the board wants to know what's in them, they (those that are members anyway) can attend that meeting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so these minutes will ultimately need to get into the "substantial book or binder" where all minutes are kept, this being in the possession of the "board" Secretary.

Just so it's clear that there would be two substantial books or binders, one for meetings of the board and one for meetings of the general membership.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A good point indeed. Thank you for that. Although if the Board Secretary is in possession of both, vicmar75's question (as I think it is) still remains open, yes?

The records are held in one binder, under control of the Secretary. The Secretary will more than likely NOT attend our membership meeting. We need to know if these minutes must be entered at the next Board meeting, or can we wait until the next membership meeting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps what vicmar75 is getting at is that THE Secretary (as an officer of the Board) who usually records the minutes even at membership meetings and quite likely retains ALL the minutes of all meetings, both board and membership, will/may not be at THIS membership meeting to take the minutes, so these minutes will ultimately need to get into the "substantial book or binder" where all minutes are kept, this being in the possession of the "board" Secretary.

vicmar75 - am I close?

As for giving them to the Board to be read and entered, the minutes of a membership meeting are typically read and approved at the next membership meeting. If the board wants to know what's in them, they (those that are members anyway) can attend that meeting.

The minutes of both meetings are read at both meetings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The records are held in one binder, under control of the Secretary.

As they should be.

The secretary will more than likely NOT attend our membership meeting.

Then conduct a quick election of a secretary pro tempore to take minutes at that one meeting, as you would any time the secretary is absent.

We need to know if these minutes must be entered at the next Board meeting,

Nope.

or can we wait until the next membership meeting.

Yes, since that is when your membership will approve the secretary's draft of the minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I'm inclined to say here that this is not correct. Board minutes are read and approved (as corrected) at board meetings, membership minutes follow the same process at membership meetings, not both at both.

[/quote

Should the Board meeting minutes be read in the General membership meetings? Otherwise, how would we be apprised of the Board's decisions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I'm inclined to say here that this is not correct. Board minutes are read and approved (as corrected) at board meetings, membership minutes follow the same process at membership meetings, not both at both.

Should the Board meeting minutes be read in the General membership meetings? Otherwise, how would we be apprised of the Board's decisions?

The Board minutes are not read automatically at a Membership meeting. However, the Membership can require the Board to report to them what the Board has been doing. Another option is the Membership can order the Board minutes read at the Membership meeting. To order this would require previous notice and a majority vote, without notice a 2/3 vote or a majority vote of the ENTIRE Membership is required (RONR p. 470).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Board minutes are not read automatically at a Membership meeting. However, the Membership can require the Board to report to them what the Board has been doing. Another option is the Membership can order the Board minutes read at the Membership meeting. To order this would require previous notice and a majority vote, without notice a 2/3 vote or a majority vote of the ENTIRE Membership is required (RONR p. 470).

It is already in our bylaws that the Board meeting minutes be read at the General membership meetings and visa-versa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The records are held in one binder, under control of the Secretary.

As they should be.

The minutes of meetings of the board and the minutes of the meetings of the general membership should be kept in separate binders, if for no other reason than that the secreatry of one body may not always be the same person as the secretary or the other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The minutes of meetings of the board and the minutes of the meetings of the general membership should be kept in separate binders, if for no other reason than that the secreatry of one body may not always be the same person as the secretary or the other.

Just FAI, the quote attributed to me above in the esteemed Mr. Mountcastle's post is actually from vicmar75's post at 10:24 pm. Just sayin' is all.......

edited for correction of time reference. DAF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should the Board meeting minutes be read in the General membership meetings? Otherwise, how would we be apprised of the Board's decisions?

It is already in our bylaws that the Board meeting minutes be read at the General membership meetings and visa-versa.

Then why are you asking if Board minutes should be read at the Membership meeting when your bylaws say they must? :huh::)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Then why are you asking if Board minutes should be read at the Membership meeting when your bylaws say they must? :huh::)

I was just wondering how the membership would be apprised of Board action if the minutes were not read. I'm on the bylaw committee, and we would like to bring our bylaws as close to RR as possible. If reading the minutes in both meetings is NOT common practice, I was wondering what was. Thus my question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...