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County attorney tells board 'parliamentary procedure is a shield, not a sword' and reviews meeting rules
Summary
Andy Phillips, counsel to the Wisconsin Counties Association, told the Winnebago County Board that meetings should follow a hierarchy of rules—state statute, local rules, then Robert's Rules—and emphasized the chair's role, consent agendas, walking-quorum (Badke) notices, and minutes best practices.
Andy Phillips, counsel for the Wisconsin Counties Association, gave a broad tutorial on running effective county meetings and parliamentary procedure, telling supervisors that the governing hierarchy of rules starts with state statute, followed by local rules and ordinances, and then Robert's Rules of Order.
Phillips emphasized the chair’s role as the enforcer of decorum and a manager of debate: the chair should recognize members, restate motions for clarity and enforce rules on points of order. "Parliamentary procedure is a shield, not a sword," Phillips said, arguing that procedure should facilitate deliberation rather than be used tactically to obstruct.
He walked the board through practical topics that frequently cause confusion: the differences between a motion to table and a motion to postpone; the use of unanimous consent on routine items; when supermajority requirements are met by unanimous consent on a consent agenda; and why a "friendly amendment" is not a recognized procedural category under Robert's Rules. He recommended a concise cheat sheet (available from the Wisconsin Counties Association) as a practical tool.
Phillips also outlined the "walking quorum" issue arising from the Badke opinion and recommended a clear notice on agendas informing the public that a quorum of another committee might attend while no official action by that other committee will be taken. On minutes, he advised that minutes should reflect the official business transacted rather than verbatim debate to avoid endless disputes about wording.
Supervisors asked procedural clarifying questions about consent agendas, abstentions and closed session attendance rights. Phillips answered that any single county board member has the right to attend any committee meeting (per board rules), that abstentions for conflicts should be placed on the record, and that only the board decides whether to go into closed session.
Phillips left printed cheat-sheet materials with the clerk and offered follow-up trainings for board members.
