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Formal Motion?


Guest Linda Russo

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Our board votes on many things and they are recorded as such. But when we accept new members, we prepare a formal motion that says they are approved. When someone is not approved, is a formal motion necessary? How would we word such a motion? Or would we record it in the minutes that an applicant was denied membership? Thanks.

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Our board votes on many things and they are recorded as such. But when we accept new members, we prepare a formal motion that says they are approved. When someone is not approved, is a formal motion necessary? How would we word such a motion? Or would we record it in the minutes that an applicant was denied membership? Thanks.

How else would you know that someone was not approved, except by "a formal motion"? In either event, the motion should be stated in the form "That [name of propsective member] be accepted into membership." Then you record whether the motion was adopted or lost. If adopted, the person is now a member; if lost, he or she is not. Don't over-complicate it. And by all means, do not allow a motion "That [name of prspective member]'s application for membership be rejected." That leads to all sorts of issues (e.g., what happens if such a negatively-worded motion is defeated?).

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Thank you! That is what I thought. Our current secretary prepares very detailed minutes of our meetings, which I understand should be much more vague. The board believes that she should prepare detailed minutes for them and share only a recap with the membership. I appreciate your help!

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Our board votes on many things and they are recorded as such.

But when we accept new members, we prepare a formal motion that says they are approved.

When someone is not approved, is a formal motion necessary?

What do you mean?

(a.) AFTER THE FACT, you prepare a formal motion which says that he is approved?

(b.) BEFORE THE FACT, you prepare a formal motion IN ANTICIPATION that the motion will be approve?

When someone is not approved, is a formal motion necessary?

If you had pre-prepared the formal statement (saying that he is approved), isn't it too late to ask, "Is a formal motion necessary (viz., when we just now rejected the prospect)"?

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Our board votes on many things and they are recorded as such. But when we accept new members, we prepare a formal motion that says they are approved. When someone is not approved, is a formal motion necessary? How would we word such a motion? Or would we record it in the minutes that an applicant was denied membership? Thanks.

I don't understand. Before you prepare the motion and vote on it, you somehow decide if the member is admitted? How? If you do not make a motion and vote on it, how do you predict whether the member will be accepted when you finally do? If you decide by voting, then what are you voting on, if not a motion?

I'm curious about all those other "board votes" that take place. If they're not voting on motions, what the heck are they recording "as such"? Motions are the things you vote on. All votes are "formal".

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I don't understand. Before you prepare the motion and vote on it, you somehow decide if the member is admitted? How? If you do not make a motion and vote on it, how do you predict whether the member will be accepted when you finally do? If you decide by voting, then what are you voting on, if not a motion?

I'm curious about all those other "board votes" that take place. If they're not voting on motions, what the heck are they recording "as such"? Motions are the things you vote on. All votes are "formal".

Like many other things, the normal procedure of "motion-debate-vote" is sometimes looser in small boards. See RONR, 10th ed., pg 470, lines 33-35.

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Thank you! That is what I thought. Our current secretary prepares very detailed minutes of our meetings, which I understand should be much more vague. The board believes that she should prepare detailed minutes for them and share only a recap with the membership. I appreciate your help!

Depends what you mean by "very detailed." If you mean verbatim transcription of debate (and other such commentary), that shouldn't be in the minutes. They should reflect what was done at the meeting, not what was said. Additionally, minutes of Board meetings aren't necessarily shared with the membership, unless a motion is adopted at a membership meeting to have the Board minutes read, and perhaps under another circumstance or two. It sounds like there's a bit o' subterfuge going on here, or perhaps the Board just likes the feeling of power they think they hold over the membership (when it is really the other way around). It's like they're keeping two sets of books.

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