Committees

[New Secretary]

Our small condominium association has documents that may not be as well-drafted as they could be. The only reference to "committees" is that the President's duties include that he or she "shall be a member of all committees". No language anywhere about authority to appoint committees. Do the governing boards of all organizations, by right, or by the Rules, which our documents call for to govern our proceedings, have the right to appoint committees without specific language authorizing same? Thank you.

[Tim Wynn]

Our small condominium association has documents that may not be as well-drafted as they could be. The only reference to "committees" is that the President's duties include that he or she "shall be a member of all committees". No language anywhere about authority to appoint committees. Do the governing boards of all organizations, by right, or by the Rules, which our documents call for to govern our proceedings, have the right to appoint committees without specific language authorizing same? Thank you.

If the bylaws do not list any standing committee, the assembly of the society can create them, and under certain conditions, this will require previous notice and a two-thirds vote. See RONR(10th ed.), p. 473, l. 27 - p. 474, l. 23.

Special committees can be created by the assembly of the society or the board, and the committee reports to the body that created it.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Our small condominium association has documents that may not be as well-drafted as they could be.

The only reference to "committees" is that the President's duties include that he or she "shall be a member of all committees".

No language anywhere about authority to appoint committees.

Do the governing boards of all organizations, by right, or by the Rules, which our documents call for to govern our proceedings, have the right to appoint committees without specific language authorizing same?

Yes.

Any deliberative assembly, like a board, like a general membership, can make a motion to create a committee, to populate ("appoint") that committee, to instruct ("charge") that committee.

You do not need authorization at the level of bylaws to create committees.

See the motion, "Commit or Refer" in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR 10th ed.).

For that matter, even a committee is free to create a sub-committee. - That's how flexible it is.

[New Secretary]

Yes.

Any deliberative assembly, like a board, like a general membership, can make a motion to create a committee, to populate ("appoint") that committee, to instruct ("charge") that committee.

You do not need authorization at the level of bylaws to create committees.

See the motion, "Commit or Refer" in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR 10th ed.).

For that matter, even a committee is free to create a sub-committee. - That's how flexible it is.

Thank you for your responses.

As a follow-up: Practicalities aside, do the rules provide that there must be an odd number of members on a committee?

[George Mervosh]

Thank you for your responses.

As a follow-up: Practicalities aside, do the rules provide that there must be an odd number of members on a committee?

No.