How to suggest special AGM business
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What is 'Special Business'?
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Ordinary business is conducted on behalf of members by the elected
Board of Directors, NCF employees, and volunteers.  The NCF Board of
Directors meets monthly, and any member can have business considered
at any board meeting by making arrangements with a director or the
chair of the Board.

Special business involves matters not usually conducted at Board
meetings, such as calls for the resignation of a member, calls for the
resignation of a director, and changes to the bylaws.

The AGM includes election of directors, routine formal business motions
and special business.  Special business is described in NCF bylaw 32:

  Members wishing to have special business transacted at a general
  meeting shall present the business and supporting information to
  board of directors so that it may be posted in the on-line menu
  area used for the meeting. Special business includes:

    a) motions requiring the resignation of a member
       (ref. By-Law 5, requires 3/4 of votes);
    b) motions requiring the resignation of a director
       (ref. By-Law 10d, requires 2/3 of votes);
    c) motions requiring the resignation of a member of the executive
       (ref. By-Law 17d, requires 2/3 of votes);
    d) amendment of By-Laws
       (ref. By-Law 37, requires majority of directors and 2/3 of votes)
    e) motions recommending rules and regulations to the board of
       directors (ref. By-Laws 34 & 40, requires majority of votes).
         
  Notice of any meeting where special business will be transacted
  shall contain sufficient information to permit the members to form a
  reasoned judgement on the decision to be taken.

Procedure for Raising Special Business
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Special business to be considered during the AGM must be submitted to
the Secretary of the Board by February 13, 2000 by e-mail to:

  secretary@freenet.carleton.ca

Motions must be proposed and seconded by NCF members in good standing.
Special business motions and supporting material must be emailed as
a single message to the Board Secretary (above) with the subject
line "Special business motion for the AGM".  The email must include
the name of the member proposing the motion and the name of the member
seconding the motion.  Day-time phone numbers must also be provided for
these people (phone numbers will not be posted).  If the Secretary cannot
contact the parties to confirm the authenticity of the motion between
February 13th through February 22nd, the motion will be
deferred until a later AGM.

Motions may be withdrawn by the proposer by sending email to the
Secretary before March 21st.

Sufficient information must be provided to permit members to form a
reasoned judgement on the issue and the decision to be taken.  To ensure
this, a member wishing to raise special business should include
information that will be presented to members during the AGM, in the
following general format:

  Text of the motion (generally no more than 10 lines of text)
  Rationale for the motion (generally no more than 100 lines of text)

The rationale should explain why the motion is good for those who are NCF
member and good for those in the community who are potential NCF members
but who are not yet online (perhaps because they do not have the money,
equipment or knowledge to get online); how it supports the NCF mission
statement; and why it is financially viable (within the budget provided
by NCF members and others to NCF).

Current board members and NCF staff may also provide information, offer
an opinion, and/or make recommendations to members relating to special
business motions.

Special business motions of "rules and regulations" are *recommendations*
to the elected board of directors.  Recommendations will be considered by
the board of directors at a board meeting subsequent to the AGM.  As
recommendations, such motions are not binding upon the organization, but the
board can be expected to give much weight to voting results of the motion.

(Members are reminded that it is easier and effective to bring motions
to the board by simply talking with any director before any monthly board
meeting)

A newsgroup for refining and discussing special business for the AGM is
available in these menus.  Members may wish to discuss and refine any
business items before they are submitted to the Secretary.