DECISION-MAKING
We are adding articles about various Maui Forum business issues. Please go under the "Articles" tab/link above to select the specific article of your interest. If you know about an article, website link, or other reference to helpful information please
send it to us.
Proposal for Guidelines for Forum Decision-Making
INTRODUCTORY NOTES: Decisions around recommended operational guidelines for a particular Forum group are usually made at organizational meetings of that specific group. Committed Forum groups may choose to endorse or reject guidelines approved by the Maui-wide council. Group decisions are also sometimes needed for special or emergency situations during regular Forum meetings. Applicable to all these situations, this decision-making process is designed to be flexible and efficient, while supporting participation for all members who have an interest in a specific matter and encouraging evolving improvements in guidelines for Forum activities. All decisions are considered guidelines or recommendations, unless they are specified as rules, in which case the consequences of breaking a proposed rule must also be specified and agreed upon by the group. An approved proposal, guideline, recommentation or rule is only in effect as long as it remains unchanged by the group that created it; and modifications to or deletions of previously approved proposals may be considered by the group whenever it so chooses.
Members who wish to make proposals are asked to notify the coordinator a few days before the meeting. If the proposal is substantive, the proposer is asked to notify the entire group by email as much as a week in advance.
In the meeting, a group member has up to three minutes to make a proposal to the group. To maximize clarity throughout the decision-making process, proposals are written down.
Everyone else in the group then has one minute to speak about the proposal. During her or his one-minute, anyone can suggest a friendly amendment to the proposal (e.g.: “Would you consider adding this to the proposal/guideline, or changing it in this way...?”), and the proposer can say yay or nay. If the group needs additional discussion before a vote, the proposer becomes the temporary Chair, recognizing members who raise their hands. The proposer may respond to questions and comments by other members. A pen or pencil is kept available for noting friendly amendments accepted by the proposer, so a finalized proposal can be read aloud prior to voting.
When the group seems ready to vote, a vote can be taken by the proposer and 2/3 majority is required to pass the proposal/guideline. Majorities sufficient to pass proposals are taken based on those voting, and does not take abstentions into account. Only one vote can be taken on a finalized proposal.
