Re: Efficient board meetings, revised

On Sat, Oct 16, 2004 at 11:30:49PM +0100, Ian Jackson wrote:
> * Various legalities mean that we have to have a meeting. It's

Just to clarify: yes, we must have a meeting, but we are only mandated
to have actual meetings quarterly -- that is, once every three months.

The bylaws prescribe the business that is to be conducted at those
meetings, which, I will note, we have not generally followed very
well.

There is also one annual meeting on July 1 each year, and our bylaws
mandate that it be held "electronically".

The meeting once a month thing is actually of somewhat questionable
validity itself. The only mechanism for that in the bylaws is that of
special meetings, which "may be called by the President when he deems
it in the best interest of the organization or by two members of the
board. Notices of such meeting shall be mailed to all members at
their addresses as they appear in the membership roll book at least
two weeks but not more than 30 days before the scheduled date set for
such special meeting. Such notice shall state the reasons that such
meeting has been called and the business to be conducted." Which we
also have not really followed to the letter, and that ought to be
fixed too. If we really are to have these monthly meetings, we ought
to amend the bylaws to recognize them as normal meetings, or comply
with the special meetings procedure.

Also, if you are to consider an e-mail vote a "meeting", you should be
aware that the bylaws would require this 2-week advance notice prior
to the vote, unless it happens to be a quarterly meeting. Therefore I
think attempts to call e-mail voting a "meeting" are rather flimsy.

-- John