Custer148
Masonic Traveler
NE GL finally got educated, after a couple of years of the Craft asking to allow the regular communications to go without having to read the minutes, they brought it up at Annual Communication and it passed virtually unopposed. Now all my lodge does (sorry -- all the Sec (that's me)does) is print out the minutes (I use a laptop to keep minutes on) and bills and hands them out prior to the meeting. If there is anything in the minutes or bills a brother doesn't understand they bring it up and it is discussed. In the 3 years we have been doing this no one has brought anything up to discuss. We use our meeting time for more important things.Unfortunately, no. According to the Wisconsin work (the Alaska work and the Texas work), all money going out of the Lodge must be paid with the consent of the Brethren. As long as that is the case, it takes an assembled Lodge to pay the bills.
Now this idea is wonderful. I've also toyed with the idea of approaching a Master and presenting them with the idea that the minutes, the treasurer's report, the list of bills to pay, etc. (in other words, the boring grunt work) be published in the monthly Trestleboard and distributed well in advance of the Stated Meeting so that when we meet, we can just do an action vote on that stuff and not waste lots of time on it. Wisconsin (Alaska and Texas, too) makes it difficult to just have 'fun' meetings: petitions must be read, interview committees assigned, blahblahblah. But at least some of the drudgery could be contained, if not eliminated. And a Festive Board sounds very, very nice.
Is there a reason (in your lodge's bylaws or in your GL bylaws) that your lodges couldn't use a consent calendar to vote on the minutes, the treasurer's report, monthly bills etc. at one time? Instead of having to vote on each item individually.