Q&As

A consent agenda, sometimes called a consent "calendar," is a component of a meeting agenda that enables the board to group routine items and resolutions under one umbrella.

As the name implies, there is a general agreement on the procedure. Issues in this consent package do not need any discussion before a vote. Unless a board member feels that an item should be discussed and requests the removal of that item ahead of time, the entire package is voted on at once without any additional explanations or comments.

Because no questions or comments on these items are allowed during the meeting, this procedure saves time.

Items included in a consent agenda

Routine, standard, non-controversial, and self-explanatory are adjectives that well describe consent agenda items. The following are some examples.

• Committee and previous board meeting minutes
• Office reports
• Routine correspondence
• Minor changes in a procedure (E-mail is added as an acceptable method of communication to announce a change in a meeting schedule)
• Routine revisions of a policy (Changes in dates or dollar amounts due to changes in laws)
• Updating documents (Address change for the main office)
• Standard contracts that are used regularly (Confirmation of using the traditional in-house contract with a new vendor)
• Confirmation of conventional actions that are required in the bylaws (Signatory authority for a bank account or acceptance of gifts)