Adoption of an Agenda for a Small Board

[Guest Bill Carrothers]

Our board chairman issues and agenda before each board meeting to its members. It is very much like the Simplified Standard Order of Business with the exception of given topics under Unfinished Business or New Business. It has always been referred to as the Agenda for the meeting. Therefore, must it be first discussed, modified or not and adopted at the onset of the meeting to establish the discussion topics within the Order of Business? I understand Question 14 but in RONR in Brief, Table C: Conducting a Meeting as Chair there is no mention of an approval of the agenda, if used, for a meeting. Also, if you use the Simplified Standard Order of Business is there a need for its adoption at the onset of the meeting?

[Guest dan]

No, this is not an "agenda" as used in RONR, does not need to be adopted, debated or any of the other nonsense some folks in such groups often want to waste time on.

It is just a list of items.

[Shmuel Gerber]

If you want the order in which items are listed on the agenda to be officially binding at the meeting, then the agenda needs to be adopted. If it is just for informational purposes, then there is no need to adopt it.

By the way, nothing should be taken up in the category "Unfinished Business [and General Orders]" except matters that are actually unfinished business or general orders (that is, an item that was pending when the previous meeting adjourned, items that were supposed to come up at the previous meeting but were not reached, or items that were previously scheduled to come up at this meeting) or that were laid on the table and are still there.

[Guest Bill Carrothers]

No, this is not an "agenda" as used in RONR, does not need to be adopted, debated or any of the other nonsense some folks in such groups often want to waste time on.

It is just a list of items.

Nice to know how you feel.

"As with all things there is a purpose, even when, at the time it cannot be seen."

[Josh Martin]

No, this is not an "agenda" as used in RONR, does not need to be adopted, debated or any of the other nonsense some folks in such groups often want to waste time on.

It is just a list of items.

If the intent is to place items of New Business into a defined order (rather than the order in which members obtain the floor) and/or to place items of Unfinished Business in a different order than suggested by the parliamentary authority, it would be an agenda and would need to be adopted.