Parliamentary Procedure Q&A
Q:
We post the minutes of the previous meeting in a cospicuous place (and the president brings the assembly's attention to these minutes) before each regular meeting.
We do not publish these minutes in any other way.
Members express the desire to not have the minutes read aloud.
The president asks for corrections (there never are any) and then receives unanimous consent for approval of the minutes.
No member has ever objected to this procedure.
General Robert talks about "custom" being a valid consideration for meeting procedures.
Do you agree that this is a correct way to approve the minutes of a previous meeting?
- Bobbi King, Nov. 18, 1999
A:
As long as an undocumented custom is in violation of your parliamentary authority (RONR?), you will have members - especially new ones - object to its use.
I recommend documenting your procedure for the approval of minutes in a Special Rule of Order (see RONR pp. 88-89) in the following way:
- Follow the procedure in your bylaws for previous notice.
Notify the membership of the intention to create a special rule of order documenting your organization's procedure for the approval of each meeting's minutes.
The notice must specify the date the motion will be made.
- At the specified meeting, during the time for general orders, gain recognition from the Chair, then say,
In accordance with notice given at the last meeting [or by whatever method was used to give previous notice], I move that the following resolution be adopted as a special rule of order: "Resolved, That ...,"
specifying the proposed procedure.
- The Chair then opens the motion to debate.
- Adoption of the special rule of order requires:
- Previous notice plus two-thirds of the votes cast; or,
- A majority of the entire membership.
The Special Rule of Order should then be kept with the organization's bylaws, in the possession of the secretary.
Every member should get a copy (and a copy of the bylaws if they don't already have one).
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