Correction Minutes

[Guest Elizabeth Clark]

I need some advice please. Last night at the Board Meeting the notes of the previous month's meeting were read. There were some major errors on it...i.e..The treasurer said that he announced (he was on the building committee also) that Mr. ## was getting a modular home on his 5 acres, the stand in secretary (the normal one was on vacation) said he heard "Mother in Law Home"...other things were mentioned that were supposedly said at the last meeting at which we all attending. We did not hear them. This is held in a small room...What bothers us is that they passed the minutes anyway. As I am going to be the next Parliamentarian could you please give me some advice on how to handle this....We may be getting into a law suit over this modular home so this does need to be corrected. I do have the RRO CD. Are they up to date does anybody know.

Your expertise is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Elizabeth

[David A Foulkes]

Okay, to be honest, I'm still ROTFLMAO over the mixup of "Modular home" and "Mother in law home". Perhaps if Mr ## would move his mother in law into his modular home, everyone could go home happy.

So, at the approval meeting, did Mr ## in fact let everyone know he said "modular"? And despite this, the minutes were approved as read (including the egregious M-I-L error)? Was this (the word being "modular" not "mother in law") offered as a correction to the minutes and voted on by the assembly, as would have been the best approach?

The next best shot here would seem to be at the next meeting to make a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted (that being these erroneous minutes), and propose to strike "mother in law" and insert "modular". The main motion to ASPA requires a second, is debatable and amendable, and requires a 2/3 vote without notice, majority with notice, or majority of the entire membership.

See section 35 (RONR 10th Ed.) for all the gory details. And check back often for more input from the esteemed contributors here.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

What bothers us is that they passed the minutes anyway.

Good News. ("Chariot's a-comin'.")

Minutes are amendable.

... and ...

There is no time limit to amend minutes.

In theory, if an organization were 100 years old, minutes from the turn of the century could be amended, if those minutes did contain an error.

Extreme example: So all those Pony Express resolutions of 1863, if the minutes spelled the name(s) wrong, could be amended in 2010, to perfect accuracy.

For you, if you have minutes from January, February, March, April, May, June, or July, you are free to make a motion in your August meeting to alter spelling and grammar.

(Beware the difference: You cannot "change history" and add or subtract actions taken, of those minutes.)

[Larry Cisar]

As the parliamentarian, you do not make any motion to correct the minutes. You advise them on the procedures which at this point is Amending Something Previously Adopted.

[David A Foulkes]

As the parliamentarian, you do not make any motion to correct the minutes. You advise them on the procedures which at this point is Amending Something Previously Adopted.

A very good point, assuming you will be the parliamentarian at the next meeting. If you will still be just a regular ol' member though, you could make the motion. It would also be a good idea to do a little talk-it-up in advance with others in the membership to make sure you get your second and (hopefully) enough votes to pass it. If you will be parliamentarian, get some other member to handle the making of the motion.

[RevBrit]

As the parliamentarian, you do not make any motion to correct the minutes. You advise them on the procedures which at this point is Amending Something Previously Adopted.

[RevBrit]

Thank you Larry. I will not be the Parliamentarian until the September Elections. The one we have now is very hard of hearing..........

[RevBrit]

A very good point, assuming you will be the parliamentarian at the next meeting. If you will still be just a regular ol' member though, you could make the motion. It would also be a good idea to do a little talk-it-up in advance with others in the membership to make sure you get your second and (hopefully) enough votes to pass it. If you will be parliamentarian, get some other member to handle the making of the motion.

[RevBrit]

p.s. we are not allowed to make motions Larry. Only the Highly Esteemed Board are allowed to do this... We as the property owners can complain and ask this to be rectified but we cannot make motions from the floor.