Posted by Sarah Loats
Generally, the credit union's bylaws will determine the procedures of a meeting or election. Your credit union's bylaws should be some version of NCUA's Standard Bylaws. I've had a couple questions this week about meetings and elections, neither of which were answered by the Bylaws, so I thought I'd send along a little tip.
The Bylaws don't answer every procedural question, so where else can we look for our answers? NCUA legal Opinion Letter No. 97-0330 states that it is NCUA's policy to refer FCUs to Robert's Rules of Order when the bylaws are silent on a particular manner.
In addition, if your credit union has adopted NCUA's most recent version of the bylaws, you probably have a specific authority to refer to. This version of the bylaws direct credit unions to pick an authority to use for meetings of the members. Article IV, Section 4 states, in part:
"To the extent consistent with these bylaws, all meetings of the members will be conducted according to ________________________. The order of business for the annual meeting may vary from the suggested order, provided it includes all required items and complies with the rules of procedure adopted by the credit union.
The credit union must fill in the blank with one of the following authorities, noting the edition to be used: Democratic Rules of Order, The Modern Rules of Order, Robert’s Rules of Order, or Sturgis’ Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure."
Having the a copy of the bylaws and a copy of Robert's Rules of Order or one of the other authorities listed above should prove useful in answering meeting and election questions that come your way.
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