For the information of members, the following was posted on the Governors' Discussion Board today:

" Trial " On-line Governors' Meeting Going Ahead April 1-7 !!

I am pleased to announce that the Procedures' Committee ( myself as chair, Eric Van Dusen ) has unamimously accepted and approved the report of the Governors' Voting Modernization Subcommittee ( myself as chair, Lyle Craver, Chris Mallon ), outlining procedures for regular, quarterly on-line governors' meetings, subject to a successful " trial " on-line governors' meeting on April 1-7. This meeting will now be organized by the subcommittee.

Below are the new procedures:

1. The Meeting

( i ) Meetings shall be held on the CFC Governors’ Discussion Board.
( ii ) Meetings shall be held from the 1st to the 7th of every third month, beginning with the CFC AGM in July ( whether that be a normal or on-line meeting ). The meeting will start at 9:00 AM on the 1st, and conclude at 9:00 PM on the 7th ( subject to a motion amendment extension ). All times in this motion are Eastern Standard Time, and where relevant, Eastern Daylight Time.
( iii ) There shall be a quorum of 15 governors to constitute a meeting.
( iv ) Motions will be passed during meetings, and such meeting extensions as may be required due to amending motions.
( v ) The President, or someone designated by him/her as an alternate, shall chair the meeting.
( vi ) The Posting Secretary will post the agenda items to be dealt with.
( vii ) Proposed agenda items will be sent to the Secretary by 6:00 PM two days before the start of the meeting. The Secretary shall draw up the meeting agenda, in consultation with the President.

2. The Role of the Chairperson

( i ) The Chair will decide on procedural matters such as motions of order, when to close agenda items, whether to add items to the agenda after the deadline, adjournment, etc..
( ii ) In case of a tie vote on motions or elections, s/he shall have an extra tie-breaking vote.

3. Role of the Posting Secretary

The Secretary, or his/her designated alternate, shall be made a Governors’ Discussion Board Administrator. S/he shall post the meeting agenda and motions on the Governors’ Discussion Board as follows:

( i ) Agenda Items – each agenda item shall be a new thread. The opening agenda item will be “ Those Present “, where governors will sign in. It will be a “ sticky “ so it remains at the top of the page. The second last agenda item will be “ New Business “. The Chair will instruct the Posting Secretary whether to open a new thread on “ New Business “ items proposed ( i.e. whether there is sufficient meeting time left to deal with the item; etc.. ).
( ii ) Agenda Item Introductions – the Posting Secretary will post any preliminary introduction statement, giving relevant facts and issues, as the first post under agenda item headings. These will have been developed by the Secretary, in consultation with the agenda item proposer, in advance of the meeting.
( iii ) Motions – motions will be “ stickies “ at the top of the page, and will only be used for recording governor votes. No voting on motions can occur until after 9:00 PM on the 4th, to allow for initial discussion, and the filing of amending motions. Motions voting closes at 6:00 PM on the 7th. Discussion of motions will be under normal agenda item headings.
( iv ) Amending Motions – motions to amend a tabled motion may be introduced up to 6:00 PM on the 3rd. They shall be voted on by the normal motion vote closing time – 6:00 PM on the 7th. Once an amending motion is filed, the main notion sought to be amended shall be temporarily closed, pending the outcome of the amending motion.
( v ) Motion Meeting-Extension – where a motion has been “ closed “ due to an amending motion, as soon after 6:00 PM on the 7th as possible, the Posting Secretary will reopen the motion, or if amended, start a new thread on the amended motion. The meeting will then be extended to 6:00 PM on the 10th to vote on this motion ( and for no other business, except on an agenda item for discussion of the outstanding motion(s) ). Voting on this motion(s) shall be closed at 6:00 PM on the 10th.
( vi ) Posting of Meeting Agenda – As soon as the Secretary can, s/he shall post the agenda on both the Governors’ Discussion Board, and the members’ CFC Chess Forum.

4. Agenda Item Summary

At 9:00 AM on the 6th, or as soon thereafter as possible, the President will post his summary of the agenda item discussion, setting out the critical points and the majority view, if any, on any controversial issue. S/he will propose what action should be taken on the agenda item, if any, in his/her opinion. Governors will have until 9:00 PM on the 7th to respond to the President’s Summary,. Whether the President summarizes discussions during a meeting extension is optional.

5. Vote Results

As soon after the close of voting on motions as possible, the Posting Secretary will post the results of all motions, giving the names of governors and their vote, and confirm whether the motion passed or failed ( e.g. whether constitutional amendments achieved the 2/3 majority needed, and 50% quorum for non-AGM constitutional amendments ), on the Governors’ Discussion Board and the members’ CFC Chess Forum.

6. Meeting Minutes

Within 7 days of the close of the meeting, the Secretary shall prepare the Minutes of the governors’ meeting, and they shall be posted on the Governors’ Discussion Board, to allow for any corrections to be raised. After 3 days, the Minutes shall be posted on the CFC Website as the next sequential Governors’ Letter.

[ Note:
1. ...........
2. Governors’ Letters

These will be issued from time to time, containing matters the executive/governors wish to convey to the membership. The Secretary shall set the deadline for submissions. These shall be apart from the Governors’ Letters containing the Minutes of the governors’ meetings, or combined with the presentation of the Minutes. ]

The subcommittee will now be sending these procedures to the governors so they can prepare to participate in the inaugural " trial " meeting. It will be a regular governor meeting in all respects, with current agenda items, except that motions voted on will have to be re-voted on later in an authorized method ( until these procedures are passed by the governors, there is no authority for on-line governor voting on motions ).

The CFC is excited about this significant step forward, and looks forward to a successful " trial " meeting.

It will be held on this Governors' Discussion Board, so that it will remain confidential.

Bob