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Taping Meetings - Special Rule of Order


Guest Jo

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The secretary tapes all of our meetings (after the chair obtains unanimous consent) to assist with preparing the minutes. My question is could this be adopted as a special rule of order so that we don't have to get specific approval at every meeting? (Then, if there was a meeting where someone did not want it to be recorded, they could move to suspend the rule requiring the taping by a 2/3 vote.) Thanks.

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Depending on your organization, it might be allowed by the state code. For example, I tape the meetings of our homeowners association because it is permitted in the state code that ANY MEMBER of record (doesn't have to be on the board) may tape the board meeting.

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But what if it is couched in terms of making it a duty of the secretary to record the meetings?

Looking at the original question, I don't think it would be a "duty". The President is obtaining unanimous consent to tape to assist the Secretary in taking minutes, not for another purpose. A rule allowing her to do so at each meeting in this case is not imposing an additional duty upon her. I guess I'm saying your question doesn't fit within the confines of this thread. Ask me another time :P

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But what if it is couched in terms of making it a duty of the secretary to record the meetings?

I had the feeling that we hashed this out about six years ago, and the upshot was that generally, such slick sleight-of hand wouldn't fly, but that the specifics can affect the issue. Much as how a question can be brought up again if different enough to be a substantially different question, the issue here would be, is the phrasing of an otherwise nuts-and-bolts matter (p. 18; Mervosh, George, op. cit) in terms of duties of officers (RONR p. 15, res ipsa loquitur) a legitimate difference? To make tape-recording (probably can't take "tape" literally much longer) a duty of an officer would legitimately wrench the taping out of the realm of routine job-handling into what the rules say is rules-of-order territory.

Hold still, I"m not buyin' it. Say that until now, the secretary has been taking the minutes/notes using a Bic Click Pen (Reg. Penna. Dept. Agr. -- not important, it's just a nostalgic memory of a 30-year-old TV commercial). The membership now orders the secretary to enter the new shiny 19th-Century, buys him a Babbage Engine, and orders him to use it. Still an administrative detail? Or, converted into a rule of order?

Nuh-uh, I'm not buyin it. What pen to use, or a recording device or not, is not a duty, it's an ancillary detail. And the erroneous couching should be corrected before it is put to a vote.

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That would be a special rule, but it would not be necessary to make it a "duty" to tape meeting.

Oh, I'm inclined to agree with the night shift that this would be nothing more than an administrative detail related to the secretary's duty to keep a record of the proceedings, but I don't know why he felt it necessary to use a frivolous example to prove the point. :)

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Oh, I'm inclined to agree with the night shift that this would be nothing more than an administrative detail related to the secretary's duty to keep a record of the proceedings, but I don't know why he felt it necessary to use a frivolous example to prove the point. :)

How about the rule, "No motion shall be entertained to set the air conditioner thermostat below ninety degrees Fahrenheit?" Definitely a rule of order, which will no doubt get the 2/3 vote needed to suspend on a day like this in Philadelphia. ;)

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How about the rule, "No motion shall be entertained to set the air conditioner thermostat below ninety degrees Fahrenheit?" Definitely a rule of order, which will no doubt get the 2/3 vote needed to suspend on a day like this in Philadelphia. ;)

This is an entirely different question, but the answer is that such a rule is basically nothing more than a rule that the thermostat will not be set below ninety degrees Fahrenheit.

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Guest Dr. Matt Hogendobler

While I am most impressed with the philosophical discussion thread which I have been following for the past few days, mainly because I have a similar question, I have not yet seen an answer. Here's my own question: do I need permission from the body to record meetings to help me (secretary) with preparation of the minutes? If so, what does RONR state is the correct percentage vote (unanimous, 2/3, quorum)? I am the Secretary of the Executive Board of an organization which has established RONR as the Rules of order. May I propose a Standing Rule of order to supersede RONR and permit the recording of all such board meetings and, if so, how would I do that? Here's what our current Article X states: "The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the VBC in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order which the VBC may adopt." To date there have been no rules of order adopted and we're still trying to figure out (1) what is required to do that, and (2) what rules we're actually permitted to adopt to relax RONR for our uses. Thanks in advance to all who reply.

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While I am most impressed with the philosophical discussion thread which I have been following for the past few days, mainly because I have a similar question, I have not yet seen an answer. Here's my own question: do I need permission from the body to record meetings to help me (secretary) with preparation of the minutes? If so, what does RONR state is the correct percentage vote (unanimous, 2/3, quorum)? I am the Secretary of the Executive Board of an organization which has established RONR as the Rules of order. May I propose a Standing Rule of order to supersede RONR and permit the recording of all such board meetings and, if so, how would I do that? Here's what our current Article X states: "The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the VBC in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order which the VBC may adopt." To date there have been no rules of order adopted and we're still trying to figure out (1) what is required to do that, and (2) what rules we're actually permitted to adopt to relax RONR for our uses. Thanks in advance to all who reply.

"The use by the secretary of a tape recorder can be of great benefit in preparing the minutes, but a transcription of it should never be used as the minutes themselves." - RONR(10th ed.), page 444, line 5-7.

No vote is required. No special rule is required.

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Guest Dr. Matt Hogendobler

"The use by the secretary of a tape recorder can be of great benefit in preparing the minutes, but a transcription of it should never be used as the minutes themselves." - RONR(10th ed.), page 444, line 5-7.

No vote is required. No special rule is required.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tim. - Matt

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