Problem: Teleconferences are prohibited bby RONR unless explicitly authorized by the Bylaws. "The bylaws may authorize a board or committee (or even a small assembly) to meet by videoconference or teleconference." -- RONR (10th ed.), p.482, l. 28-30.
Solution: Authorize small boards (such as the LNC Executive Committee) and small committees (such as the Audit Committee and the Judicial Committee) to transact business by teleconference or videoconference.
Benefit: Makes legal current practice.
Note: The chair can't see members to know when they wish to be recognized, and the more members are on a telephone call, the harder it is to avoid chaos when trying to recognize the next person to make a motion or debate the current one. Fewer than ten members is a reasonable practical limit to maintain coherence.
Article 12: MEETINGS
1. Boards and committees having fewer than ten members may conduct business by teleconference or videoconference.
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2 comments:
Why just ten? With webconferencing software it is possible to have the entire LNC meet online if necessary, which does save on costs for travel etc. for the members.
I propose the following:
Electronic Meetings
The Board of Directors, Executive Committee, standing committees, and special committees are authorized to meet by telephone conference or through other electronic communications media so long as all the members may simultaneously hear each other and participate during the meeting.
It is taken from the By-laws of the National Association of Parliamentarians (which are worth studying as a model). http://parliamentarians.org/doccenter.php?id=29
The proposed limitation to ten makes some sense for telephone conference calls, but we have other options that can make it feasible for meetings of much larger numbers. One such tool is Virtual Board Room http://www.prweb.com/releases/virtualboardrooom/onlinemeetings/prweb2749544.htm which I am currently investigating to see whether it might be suitable.
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