Postby Paul de Marseilles » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:46 am
Your Excellency,
I was wondering when someone would be asking about that.
From a non-Board viewpoint, I may be able to identify some of the problems associated with your question.
I believe that the principal problems are two-fold: (1) an empty position and (2) timing requirements.
The Position of Secretary of the Board of Directors has been vacant since December of last year.
I was the last individual to hold that position.
I published the meeting minutes and did the revisions to the L.I. and related bylaws which were subsequently published on the Imperial Website.
I did not volunteer to fill that position again for several reasons including, but not limited to, (1) the immediate prospect of involvement in a 7 to 8 month trial with the corresponding time commitment to that mundane responsibility and (2) a certain degree of unpleasantness which was being encountered.
The Empty Position Issue-
Under L.I. Version 15.1, Section III, (C)(1)(j), all meetings must be called and coordinated through the office of the Secretary of the Board of Directors.
If there is no Secretary, there is no regular meeting of the Imperial Estates.
The Timing Issue-
Under L.I. Version 15.1, Section III, (C)(1)(d), the Agenda for the Imperial Estates meeting must be published at least 60 days in advance of the meeting.
Under L.I. Version 15.1, Section III, (C)(1)(f), individuals must have at least 15 days prior to the publication deadline in order to propose items for consideration on the Agenda.
In the past, members of the Empire have been given between 60 to 90 days to submit items.
If a meeting of the Imperial Estates were to be announced today (August 16, 2008) and individuals were to be given 90 days in which to submit items, the deadline for publication of the Imperial Estates Agenda would be December 2, 2008 (90 plus 15 days) and the Imperial Estates Meeting could be held no sooner than February 3, 2009 (60 days after publication of the Agenda).
If individuals were to be given 60 days in which to submit items and a meeting was announced today, the deadline for publication of the Imperial Estates Agenda would be November 1, 2008 (60 plus 15 days) and the Imperial Estates Meeting could be held no sooner than January 2, 2009 (60 days after publication of the Agenda).
If individuals were to be given 30 days in which to submit items and a meeting was announced today, the deadline for publication of the Imperial Estates Agenda would be October 2, 2008 (30 plus 15 days) and the Imperial Estates Meeting could be held no sooner than December 2, 2008 (60 days after publication of the Agenda).
These time lines are based upon the following assumptions: (1) the meeting was announced today, (2) the immediate opening of submission of items, and (3) the immediate appointment of an individual to that position.
Please note that an emergency meeting of the Imperial Estates can be called at any time by the Board of Directors with approval from a simple majority of the Imperial Estates. In the past, we have generally given 15 day notice of an Emergency Meeting.
I hope this posting may help identify some of the present problems and provide an explanation as to why it is unlikely that there will be an Imperial Estates Meeting this year.
In Service,
Paul de Marseilles
Baron Sir Paul de Marseilles, KP, KBn, LoE