Posts
“On the honor system” In the May newsletter I wrote about a president who declined to provide financial information to his HOA board of directors. He used the phrase “on the honor system.” When my friend, a board director, insisted on seeing details before approving checks, the president and board resisted, finally voting her off…
Read More
Dear Dinosaur: One of our councilmembers puts question after question after question to the staff at meetings. Sometimes our meetings are five hours long! What can be done about this? Answer: This certainly can be a problem! We suggest that you discuss the matter with the council chair, mayor, and/or city manager, and see if…
Read More
Dear Dinosaur: At a recent citizen advisory committee meeting, a colleague made hateful statements about a minority group as a whole. This was in response to diversity training we had received. I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. Answer: It is indeed shocking when someone makes outrageous statements attacking a category of people.…
Read More
Homeowner and condo associations generate the highest number of inquiries to our “Dear Dinosaur” advice column. Month after month, we receive messages about HOA boards that appear to be unresponsive to homeowner members, dysfunctional, or otherwise incompetent. (To be fair, we also receive inquiries from board members about homeowners who are making life difficult for…
Read More
A reader asks, “Where can I find the chain of command from the chairperson on down?” Several thoughts come to mind. This article covers nonprofit organizations—governmental bodies are different. A nonprofit organization is not like a profit corporation In a profit corporation, there is a boss who is in charge of the entire organization. This…
Read More
Dear Dinosaur: How can I find out about state laws pertaining to my organization? Do I have to hire an attorney? Answer: You can learn about your state’s laws pertaining to your type of organization on your own. You do not have to have a law degree to read the law and understand its plain…
Read More
Dear Dinosaur: At our December board meeting, the board postponed an agenda item to early February. Is there any proper way to pull the item back early? Answer: Interestingly enough, Robert’s Rules allows an item to be postponed only to the next meeting, if it falls within a quarterly interval. You can read more about…
Read More
Dear Dinosaur: Recently, two board members walked out during a roll call vote knowing that they were going to lose on the vote. Their departure ended the meeting because there was no longer a quorum. At the next meeting, they cited “Roberts Rules” that said they had a “right” to walk out as a filibuster and…
Read More
Guest post by Nicole Schenk The motion Point of Order is a request to the chair to enforce a parliamentary rule, which a member is claiming has just been broken, or is in the process of being broken. Calling a Point of Order is a basic right of every member. It is one way to…
Read More
This article describes the benefits of action minutes. It was first published on the MRSC blog. MRSC is a private nonprofit organization, formerly known as “Municipal Resources and Service Center,” serving local governments in Washington State. The insights described here apply to local governments across the nation. If your council, commission, or committee takes detailed…
Read More
