SIMPLIFIED PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES
Adopted by majority vote of the Bella Vista Village Board of
Directors on August 16, 2007.
Based on Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised
The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet
devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for
every member's opinion, to arrive at the general will on a
maximum number of questions of varying complexity in a minimum
time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total
harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion.
ORGANIZATIONS An organization and the way it functions are governed by its
charter (if it is incorporated), its By-Laws, and parliamentary
rules or rules of order. Nothing in the By-Laws may conflict
with the corporate charter; the By-Laws, in turn, supersede the
rules of order. By-Laws are considered so important that special
requirements are set for changing them. These usually include
advance notice and a larger-than-majority vote for the adoption
of amendments.
Most organizations use as their parliamentary authority a
published manual, such as Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised,
which they may modify to meet their particular needs by adopting
special rules of order.
GOVERNING AN ORGANIZATION In any organization, final authority rests with the members
assembled in regular or annual meetings or conventions, though
they may not, of course, take any action that conflicts with the
charter or By-Laws.
The business of most organizations is managed by a Board of
Directors that is responsible to the membership and acts under
its general instructions and guidance. The officers and members
of the board are usually elected at an annual meeting, although
the Board is sometimes empowered to choose some of its own
members. Other members may serve ex-officio because of another
position they hold. Ex-officio members have all privileges,
including the right to vote and make motions.
Work is often carried on by committees that are either provided
for in the By-Laws (standing committees) or appointed for a
special purpose (ad hoc committees). Their powers are limited to
those specifically given them by the By-Laws or by direction of
the Board or the members. Usually they report to the Board or to
the membership meeting and are not authorized to act on their
own in the name of the organization.
OFFICERS The BVVPOA is incorporated under the laws of the State of
Arkansas and shall have officers known as corporate officers.
A President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer must be appointed. The
functional officers of the POA Board are the Chair, a Vice
Chair, and a Secretary. These officers are selected by the
seated Board members. The President of the POA is the General
Manager who hires the Treasurer.
Minutes of the regular and annual POA Board meetings are kept by
the Corporate Secretary. Minutes reflect what was done, not what
was said. The names of the presiding officers, the secretary,
and the Board members present will be reported. Insertion of a
statement by a Board member, when relevant, is permissible.
Action taken on the minutes of the preceding meeting, with
corrections, if any, will be recorded. The exact wording of each
motion will be recorded, along with the name of the mover,
seconder, and the disposition.
MEETINGS At all meetings it is up to the Chair to use the rules of
parliamentary procedure appropriately so that good order and
reasonable decorum are maintained and the business of the
meeting goes forward. At times, the technical rules of
parliamentary procedure may be relaxed as long as the meeting
accomplishes its purpose and the rights of absentees and
minorities are protected.
THE ROLE OF THE CHAIR 1. Be ready to call the meeting to order at the time set.
2. Follow the agenda and clarify what is happening and what is
being voted on at all times.
3. Deal firmly with whispering, commotion and frivolous or
delaying debate and motions.
4. See that debate is confined to the merits of the question and
that personal comments are avoided. No one should speak more
than twice on a subject, and no one should speak a second time
until all who wish to speak have had a chance to do so.
5. Talk no more than necessary. The Presiding Officer should not
enter the debate without giving up the chair to a substitute
until the motion under debate has been voted on.
6. Remain calm and deal fairly with all sides regardless of
personal opinion. To preserve this impartiality, the Presiding
Officer abstains from voting except by ballot or to cast the
deciding vote on an issue.
ORDER OF BUSINESS A quorum as prescribed in the By-Laws, must be present
before business can be legally transacted. The Presiding Officer
should determine that there is a quorum before beginning the
meeting. Every organization is free to decide the order in which
its business will be conducted, but most agendas follow a
standard pattern:
1. Call to order.
2. Minutes are read by the Secretary and corrections requested.
The Presiding Officer says: If there are no corrections the
minutes stand approved as read.
3. General Manager’s Report.
4. Treasurer's Report is given and questions called for.
5. Open Forum. Any property owner may address the Board.
6. Reports of committees. Recommendations in reports should be
dealt with as motions at this point.
7. Reports of special committees.
8. Old Business. Items left over from the previous meeting are
brought up in turn by the Chair.
9. New Business.
10. Announcements.
11. Adjournment. Chair: The meeting is adjourned.
MOTIONS Business is conducted by acting on motions. A subject is
introduced by a main motion. Once this has been seconded and
stated by the Presiding Officer, nothing else should be taken up
until it is disposed of. Long and involved motions should be
submitted in writing. Once a motion has been stated, the mover
may not withdraw it without the consent of the meeting. Most
motions must be seconded.
While a main motion is being considered, other parliamentary
motions, which affect either the main motion or the general
conduct of the meeting, may be made. In order to facilitate the
orderly and timely conduct of the day’s business, such motions
are limited to those listed below:
1. Amend. Debatable; majority vote Used when the intention is to change, add or omit words in
the main motion.
Amend the amendment: Used to change, add or omit words in
the first amendment. This motion cannot itself be amended.
Method: The first vote is on the amendment to the amendment. The
second vote is on the first amendment either as changed or as
originally proposed, depending on the first vote. The third vote
is on the main motion either as introduced or as amended.
2. Refer. Debatable; majority vote If a motion becomes too complicated through amendments or if
more information is needed, a motion may be made to refer it to
a committee for study or redrafting. This committee must report
back or act as instructed.
3. Postpone. Debatable; majority vote Consideration of a motion can be delayed until a more
suitable time, until other decisions have been made or until
more information is available by a motion to postpone to a
stated future time.
4.Withdraw or Modify a Motion. Not debatable; majority vote. Grants maker permission to withdraw or modify the main
motion as has been stated by the Chair.
5.Division of a Question. Not debatable; majority vote. If a pending motion on a subject or subjects contains two or
more parts capable of standing as separate questions, the Board
can vote to treat each part accordingly in succession.
6.Lay on the table. Not debatable; majority vote "I move that we table this motion." This postpones
consideration in such a way that the motion can be taken up
again in the near future if a majority decides to "take it from
the table."
7.Take from the table. Not debatable; majority vote.
After a question has been laid on the table, it can be taken
from the table by a majority vote as soon as the interrupting
business is disposed of and whenever no question is pending,
provided that business of the same class as the question on the
table, unfinished business, general orders, or new business is
in order. Any member can so move at a regular meeting.
8.The previous question. Not debatable; two-thirds vote "I move the previous question." This motion is used to end
debate that has become lengthy or repetitious. When it is
seconded, the Presiding Officer immediately puts the question on
closing debate. If this receives a two-thirds vote, the pending
motion is voted on at once without further discussion.
9. Reconsider. Usually debatable; majority vote. A vote may be reconsidered through this motion, which must
be made on either the same day, at the next regular meeting, or
before action is completed on the main motion, whichever comes
later. The motion may only be made by one who voted on the
prevailing side. A motion can be reconsidered only once.
The first vote is on whether the
motion should be reconsidered. If this passes, the motion in
question will be debated and be subjected to normal
parliamentary motions applicable to main motions.
10. Point of Order and appeal. A member who feels the rules are not being followed may call
attention to the breach by rising and saying: "Point of Order."
The Chair says: "State your point of order." Upon hearing it,
the chair may say: "Your point is well taken," or "Your point is
not well taken." One dissatisfied with the ruling may appeal to
the meeting for a final decision: "Shall the decision of the
chair be sustained?" This appeal is debatable, and the Presiding
Officer may enter the debate without giving up the chair. A
majority of no votes is necessary to reverse the ruling; a tie
sustains it.
11. Questions and inquiries. Whenever necessary, advice may be asked as to correct
procedures (parliamentary inquiry), facts may be requested
(point of information), or a change may be sought for comfort or
convenience (question of privilege). The Presiding Officer
responds to the question or refers it to the proper person.
12. Adjourn. Usually not debatable; majority vote If the time set for adjournment has arrived or there is no
further business, the Presiding Officer declares the meeting
adjourned without waiting for a formal motion. A member may move
to adjourn at any time except when a speaker has the floor or a
vote is in process. If the motion carries, the meeting is
immediately adjourned.
VOTING
All Board decisions must be made by a majority of all Directors
pursuant to Article VI, Section 3 of the Bylaws.
By using general consent, a formal vote can be avoided on
routine matters where there is no opposition. The Presiding
Officer says: "If there is no objection (pause)"...and declares
the decision made.
A voice vote is common practice but should not be used where
more than a majority is needed.
A show of hands is a good alternate and may be used.
If unsure of the result, the Presiding Officer should order a
rising vote or an actual count. If this is not done, a member
can insist upon a rising vote by calling out "division;" a count
can be forced only by a motion made, seconded and approved by a
majority vote.