parliamentary procedure

What if a colleague says something outrageous and insulting?

By Ann Macfarlane / February 14, 2024 / Comments Off on What if a colleague says something outrageous and insulting?

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.…

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What is the chain of command in your nonprofit organization?

By Ann Macfarlane / January 10, 2024 / Comments Off on What is the chain of command in your nonprofit organization?

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…

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Can we pull back an item that was postponed two months ahead?

By Ann Macfarlane / December 7, 2023 / Comments Off on Can we pull back an item that was postponed two months ahead?

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…

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Does Robert’s Rules support quorum busting?

By Ann Macfarlane / November 27, 2023 / Comments Off on Does Robert’s Rules support quorum busting?

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…

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What justifies calling a Point of Order?

By Ann Macfarlane / November 8, 2023 / Comments Off on What justifies calling a Point of Order?

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…

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Less Is More: Action Minutes Save Time, Serve the Agency Best

By Ann Macfarlane / October 27, 2023 / Comments Off on Less Is More: Action Minutes Save Time, Serve the Agency Best

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…

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Can we amend land acknowledgement motion to include national anthem and state song?

By Ann Macfarlane / October 19, 2023 /

Dear Dinosaur: Our school board will be passing a resolution to institute a protocol for a Native Land Acknowledgement at school events. A board member plans to move to amend the motion to have it apply to our national anthem and state song. Can they do this? Answer:  According to Robert’s Rules of Order, amendments…

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Will a Vote of No Confidence remove the chair?

By Ann Macfarlane / September 22, 2023 / Comments Off on Will a Vote of No Confidence remove the chair?

Dear Dinosaur: We have a small group in our Precinct who are trying to remove the Chairman and causing chaos, infighting, and name calling. They are going to call for a Vote of No Confidence at our next meeting. We have adopted Robert’s Rules of Order but don’t have any bylaws. How can we stop…

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Is the Planning Commission a rubber stamp?

By Ann Macfarlane / August 15, 2023 /

Dear Dinosaur: Some of the citizens in our area accuse the Planning Commission of being a rubber stamp for staff recommendations. How should we respond? Answer: If your Planning Commission fulfills your duty of reviewing staff recommendations carefully, asking pertinent questions, deliberating on those recommendations, listening to the public, and allowing every commissioner’s opinion to…

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Insulting body language – what to do

By Ann Macfarlane / July 26, 2023 / Comments Off on Insulting body language – what to do

Dear Dinosaur:  We have a board member who rolls their eyes, sighs, shrugs their shoulders or grimaces while others are speaking. How can this be addressed? Answer: The rules of parliamentary procedure, and specifically Robert’s Rules of Order, require that all members of a body show courtesy and respect. We suggest requesting that the board…

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