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Board Meeting Minutes


sebannon

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Our Executive Board meets monthly to handle Unit business between regular membership meetings. Traditionally, the minutes of all 'business' transacted during the Board meeting have been published for the general membership. I believe transparency is driving this practice. There is nothing in our By-Laws or Standing Rules concerning this topic, so I am hoping to get an answer of pro's and con's from the experts. Thanks!

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Our Executive Board meets monthly to handle Unit business between regular membership meetings. Traditionally, the minutes of all 'business' transacted during the Board meeting have been published for the general membership. I believe transparency is driving this practice. There is nothing in our By-Laws or Standing Rules concerning this topic, so I am hoping to get an answer of pro's and con's from the experts. Thanks!

The biggest "pro" would be that the Membership will know what the Board is doing in the organization's name. I can't think of many "cons" except that it could put a damper on the full consideration of a question where it could be embarrassing if the details that ends up on the minutes got out beyond the Board. Of course that is assuming that the Board is not trying to hide things from the Membership (where it would be even more important to have transparency).

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There is nothing in our By-Laws or Standing Rules concerning this topic, so I am hoping to get an answer of pro's and con's from the experts.

You might want to also consider the pros and cons of a customary practice vs. a written rule. The way things are right now, a new board might decide not to post (or otherwise distribute, but not "publish" in the RONR sense of that word) its minutes, which, I assume, would probably upset the membership.

You could require that the minutes be posted unless the board meets in executive session but then the board could simply meet in executive session all the time. So you could limit the reasons for meeting in executive session (e.g. personnel matters). This is how bylaws get longer and longer and . . .

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You might want to also consider the pros and cons of a customary practice vs. a written rule. The way things are right now, a new board might decide not to post (or otherwise distribute, but not "publish" in the RONR sense of that word) its minutes, which, I assume, would probably upset the membership.

You could require that the minutes be posted unless the board meets in executive session but then the board could simply meet in executive session all the time. So you could limit the reasons for meeting in executive session (e.g. personnel matters). This is how bylaws get longer and longer and . . .

You might do those things by an adopted policy. It would not necessarily need to be in the bylaws.

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Our Executive Board meets monthly to handle Unit business between regular membership meetings. Traditionally, the minutes of all 'business' transacted during the Board meeting have been published for the general membership. I believe transparency is driving this practice. There is nothing in our By-Laws or Standing Rules concerning this topic, so I am hoping to get an answer of pro's and con's from the experts. Thanks!

The biggest "pro" would be that the Membership will know what the Board is doing in the organization's name. I can't think of many "cons" except that it could put a damper on the full consideration of a question where it could be embarrassing if the details that ends up on the minutes got out beyond the Board. Of course that is assuming that the Board is not trying to hide things from the Membership (where it would be even more important to have transparency).

Another consideration in this is the content of the minutes. They should be a record of what was "done", NOT what was "said" at meetings. But we have seen many instances here where the minutes include (and I take liberty here) "And then Ronald said he was sick of how Janet was so bossy, and Margaret called Ronald a sniveling cheapskate and asked why he voted against smoking in the newly painted red gazebo and Ronald called Margaret a terrible Secretary and asked why she was seen out with Paco the pool boy Saturday night and ......." (Okay, I took a few liberties, but I hope you get the picture - - done, not said)

Keep the minutes (and your debate) clean of the blah blah and BS, always act in the highest regard of the society at large, and you should be able and willing to publish your minutes to the world. And don't go into Executive Session unless you firmly believe it is required.

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Are minutes to a portion of a meeting that is held in executive session recorded or printed? Or are just the reason for the executive session and the outcome recorded and/or printed?

The form and content of the minutes of a meeting (or portion thereof) held in executive session is no different than the minutes of any other meeting.

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