Minutes
Question
It is not specified in our articles of association as to when the minutes of the general meeting have to be sent out. Is it sufficient to enclose these with the next invitation to the general meeting or should they be sent out as soon as possible after the meeting in question?
Answer
There are no legal regulations on the distribution of minutes. If the articles of association do not specify anything in this regard and there are no long-standing, appropriate customs in place, the committee can distribute the minutes as it sees fit.
The benefit of a prompt distribution is that the members - and especially also the absent members - are informed of the relevant resolutions in a timely manner. If the minutes have to be approved by the general meeting, they are referred to as "draft minutes". The timely distribution of the draft minutes following approval by the committee allows for members to be called on to raise any objections they may have. Where necessary, the committee can then present an amended version to be voted on at the next meeting. Under Article 75 of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB), a member can challenge resolutions that breach the law or the association's articles of association before a competent court within one month of receiving the minutes. This is another reason why early distribution makes sense. Otherwise, a complaint could still be filed after a year.
If the invitation is sent out via e-mail, the minutes can be attached as an additional document. If the association has an internal area on its website, the document can be stored here and the members informed accordingly.
Conclusion:
- The minutes serve to provide information to members, a fact that speaks in favour of their prompt distribution.
- To ensure that the members can approve the minutes at the general meeting, they need to be familiar with their wording, which represents an argument for distributing the minutes (again) together with the invitation.
- To save paper, it is advisable to make use of electronic options. When doing so, however, consideration has to be given to members who are not electronically networked.
- As a rule, the minutes are signed by both the minute-taker and the chairperson.
- The committee can also govern the distribution of minutes by presenting a corresponding motion to the general meeting. This means that member wishes can be accommodated. This does not require a corresponding provision in the articles of association. Instead, a meeting resolution recorded in the minutes suffices.
Question
I have recently been elected to the committee of an association, have assumed the role of secretary and take the minutes during meetings. The chairperson is now requesting that parallel minutes also always be taken, meaning that two people take minutes to make sure everything is recorded. I find the work that this entails to be excessive and believe it shows a lack of trust. Furthermore, we approve the minutes at the start of meetings so that it is possible for any corrections or additions to be made. Do I have to accept this instruction?
Answer
I completely understand how you feel here. I would like to make the following comments in this regard:
- When it comes to taking minutes, the amount of effort involved should be limited. You need to take into account what purpose the minutes fulfil. In most cases, the objective is to record resolutions in a manner that makes them comprehensible. In the vast majority of cases, verbatim minutes are not required. Given the lack of resources within committees and where the agenda contains "innocuous" items, taking parallel minutes doesn't make sense.
- The chairperson is not allowed to rule on everything on their own authority. If anything, I would ask for a discussion and, where necessary, a vote on the taking of minutes within the committee.
- The ability to delegate is an important prerequisite for performing the role of chairperson. This enables the chairperson not only to reduce their workload, but also to gain motivated committee members.
