Academy/Motions & Parliamentary Procedure
Motions to table
"Let's table it" and "lay on the table" are not the same move. Knowing the difference keeps a decision from disappearing.
To lay on the table sets a pending motion aside temporarily so the board can handle something urgent, then pick it back up later in the same meeting or session. It does not postpone a decision to a future date. If you want to revisit something next month, use Postpone to a Certain Time instead.
What laying a motion on the table actually does
Robert's Rules gives Lay on the Table a narrow job. It sets aside whatever motion is currently pending so the board can deal with something more urgent right now, a fire alarm, a resident emergency, a call that cannot wait. Once the urgent matter is handled, the board can take the tabled motion back up, usually later in the same meeting. That is the whole function, and Robert's Rules itself is blunt about how rarely a genuine occasion for it comes up.
"[Lay on the Table] is rarely needed, and hence seldom in order."
Source: Robert's Rules of Order, Official FAQ, The Robert's Rules Association
If nothing urgent has interrupted the meeting, tabling is the wrong tool, even if "let's table it" is the phrase that comes out of your mouth.
Why "let's table it" usually means something else
Most of the time a board member who says "let's table this" actually means "let's decide this next month." Those are different outcomes. Tabling has no built in return date, and using it to defer or bury a motion is a misuse of the motion, not just a matter of phrasing. A motion set aside this way can be brought back later in the same session, but nothing about the motion itself schedules that. If the board's real goal is to move a decision to a specific future meeting, tabling will not get you there.
The motion that actually schedules a future decision
The tool built for that job is Postpone to a Certain Time, sometimes called Postpone Definitely. It names a specific future meeting or date and brings the motion back then, on the agenda, without anyone needing to remember or re-raise it. See Postponing consideration for how to run one. If your board frequently needs to push agenda items to a later date, it is worth learning this motion instead of reaching for table out of habit.
Check your bylaws before you rely on Robert's Rules alone
Robert's Rules only fills the gaps your governing documents leave open. Whether your association's bylaws name a specific edition of Robert's Rules, or a different parliamentary authority altogether, changes which rulebook actually governs a motion to table. Check your bylaws and declaration first. Most community association governing documents adopt some form of parliamentary procedure by reference, so before assuming a Robert's Rules answer applies, confirm what your own documents actually say.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
During a heated budget discussion, a director says, "let's table this until next month's meeting." What actually happens if the board votes to lay the motion on the table?
A board wants a repair bid to come back for a decision at next month's meeting. Which motion actually accomplishes that?
Mid discussion, a director moves to lay the motion on the table so the board can address a resident who just arrived reporting an active leak. What should the chair do?
- Robert's Rules of Order, Official FAQ, The Robert's Rules Association
- Parliamentary Procedure: Why Robert's Rules HOA Meetings, CAI / HOAresources
- RONR 12th ed. Quick Reference Guide, Robert's Rules Association (further reading)
Related elsewhere in the Academy
Motions & Parliamentary Procedure