Minutes:

[Townofwilliamstown]

After an Executive Session a decision was made. Session ended and in regular meeting a motion was made. How would you add the motion in regular session without subject knowledge of the Executive Session. Personnal issue and discussion, then motion made outside Executive Session.Any sugestion how you would do this?

[Robert B Fish]

After an Executive Session a decision was made. Session ended and in regular meeting a motion was made. How would you add the motion in regular session without subject knowledge of the Executive Session. Personnal issue and discussion, then motion made outside Executive Session.Any sugestion how you would do this?

The minutes of the executive session are kept separately and are approved only in an executive session.

-Bob

[Gary c Tesser]

The minutes of the executive session are kept separately and are approved only in an executive session.

-Bob

And REAL minutes record what the assembly did. Discussion belongs in someone's diary or blog, not here. So it shouldn't be a problem.

[Townofwilliamstown]

I know no motions are to be made in EX Session. You have to come out to make a motion about the discussion in Ex Session. Question is how do you put the motion in the minutes after you come out of Ex Session without disclosing the discussion in Ex Session.

[David A Foulkes]

I know no motions are to be made in EX Session.

Oh, really?

[Gary c Tesser]

I know no motions are to be made in EX Session. You have to come out to make a motion about the discussion in Ex Session. Question is how do you put the motion in the minutes after you come out of Ex Session without disclosing the discussion in Ex Session.

No, admin, that's not so. You can do anything and everything in executive session that you can do out of it. The only difference between them is that the people attending at an executive session are prohibited from telling anyone else what occurred. (Couple of exceptions -- mainly, that everyone who had a right to attend that executive session can be freely informed.)

[Townofwilliamstown]

I don't think motions can be made in Executive Sessions. Any decision made in Ex Session that would require a motion needs to be done in regular session after the Board leace Ex Session?

[Rev Ed]

No admin, a motion can be made in Executive Session, especially as most Board will run their entire meetings in Executive Session.

[Townofwilliamstown]

Sorry I brought this up but it may be my fault as a municipality we can't discuss what ocurred in Ex Session. I'll just find the right wording for the motion else where. sorry for taking up your time.

I always have had good information before with your site.

Thank you

[Matt Schafer]

There are many organizations that have rules requiring that certain motions be done outside of executive session in order for them to be valid, but those rules are unique to those organizations. The earlier responses to your questions are based on what is in RONR, and RONR does not place any restrictions on motions that can be made in executive session.

But let's get back to your original question. If you did have an executive session, and needed to make a motion after executive session ended so that the motion is valid, how did the chair state the question when the vote was taken? If I understand your concern correctly, the motion would need to be specific enough to make the vote meaningful, yet leave out the details subject to secrecy. The chairman should have balanced these concerns when stating the question and putting the vote.

The exact wording of the motion that the chair used when putting the vote is what you record in the minutes. This is true whether executive session is involved or not. RONR (10th ed.), p. 42, l. 33 to p. 43, l. 1.

Since you're working under custom rules that aren't in RONR, your organization will need to interpret those rules. None of us here can help with that. And since you're a municipality, there may be legal concerns that are best addressed to a lawyer.

[Gary Novosielski]

I know no motions are to be made in EX Session.

Who told you that? Do you have special rules that mandate that? You might, but they're not in RONR.

You have to come out to make a motion about the discussion in Ex Session. Question is how do you put the motion in the minutes after you come out of Ex Session without disclosing the discussion in Ex Session.

Okay, suppose you decide to make the motion in open session, you just move it and vote on it. None of the "discussion" would be disclosed, only the resulting decision on what to do. Was that supposed to be a secret too? Isn't someone going to find out, as soon as you actually do it? (Depending on the action you decide to do.)

For instance, you might go into executive session to consider bids on painting the clubhouse, and you want to keep the discussion secret till you pick a contractor. But when you vote to award the contract, people are going to find out. And if not, they'll certainly suspect something when they see the clubhouse being painted.