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Role

Serves as the official recorder of League business.

General

• Takes minutes at all decision-making meetings of the board and at the annual meeting.

• Maintains the record of attendance at all board meetings.

• Types and distributes minutes in a timely fashion.

• Maintains a file of all written reports and minutes with corrections.

Specific

• Sends minutes with agenda (obtained from the president) and treasurer's report to board members before board meeting.

• Arrives at meeting on time; if unable to attend, arranges for a substitute.

• Verifies if quorum is present; takes attendance.

• Identifies board members in minutes by last name.

• Records motions word for word, with name of mover and vote.

• Gives some sense of the discussion, especially for controversial items.

• Attaches reports (including consensus reports) to minutes.

• Sends minutes to state League office, if so requested.

• Participates in board discussion and votes on motions.

• Submits highlights of board meeting to newsletter editor.

• Sends board changes to the LWVUS and state League office, as requested.

• Works with president to see that year-end reports of annual meeting decisions are sent to the state League.

Techniques

• Ask board members for written reports.

• Take accurate notes. (A tape recorder can be very useful.)

• Ask board members to write their motions.

• Prepare a rough draft of minutes as soon as possible.

• Have president check the minutes before sending them to board members.

The minutes are the record of League policy making. They remind board members present of decisions made and actions to be taken. Minutes let absent members know what happened at the meeting and tell future interested people why certain decisions were made and what the League's reasoning was at the time.

Good minutes contain:

• The name of the League, type of meeting, date, time and place.

• The name of the presiding officer, those present, those absent.

• A record of all corrections to the minutes.

• A treasurer's report (previous balance, income and expenditures, current balance).

• A membership report (current number of members).