The following document is intended to be submitted to the LC for consideration as a set of standing rules. Discussion points:

• There is currently nothing in the quarterly report template quantifying list activity. Should there be, in order to satisfy that "group activity" criterion?
• There is currently nothing in the quarterly report template asking a WG or DG to take note of its obligations to confirm (or find new) Chairs annually, or to take note of the length of time the group was chartered for. This needs to be added to it.
• This set of rules is meant to codify what will come most naturally to the LC, such that the quarterly report mechanism can do whatever work that simple observation doesn't do. It doesn't require a particularly sophisticated annual calendar, but it does require a bit of attention on a quarterly basis.

LC Standing Rule: Shutting Down Kantara Groups

When a Kantara Work Group or Discussion Group becomes dormant or does not become properly constituted according to Kantara rules, it is prudent for the Leadership Council to ensure that the group's operations are wound down in an orderly fashion.

This document governs only the Leadership Council's actions; when a Group is shut down, additional actions may need to be taken by Kantara staff (such as website changes) and/or the Board of Trustees (such as looking after any intellectual property created by the Group).

Definitions

leadership team: The elected Chair and Vice-Chair, or several Co-Chairs, of a Work Group or Discussion Group.

dechartering: The first stage in group shutdown. An LC vote to decharter a group requires a Simple Majority (to match the standard for chartering set in Section 3.1 of the Operating Procedures). A Work Group vote to decharter itself requires a Supermajority of the Voting Members of the group.

Correct Group Formation

According to the Operating Procedures, Work Groups (Section 3.3) and Discussion Groups (Section 4.4) are required to elect a leadership team.

If the leadership team is not filled within 45 days of a Group's formation, or if 45 days pass after a one-year Chair term ends (Sections 3.4 and 4.4) without a reconfirmation vote or election of a new candidate, the LC must send a warning to the Group.

If the error is not rectified by the Group within 30 days after receiving the warning, the question of dechartering the Group must automatically be brought up at the next Leadership Council meeting.

To assist the Leadership Council, a Group must note in its quarterly reports any deadlines in the forthcoming quarter, such as:

• Pending expiration of Group Chair term (Section 3.4 requires that a Work Group hold Chair nominations at least one month before the expiration of a term)
• Pending Group lifetime expiration (Section 4.3 sets the periods for Discussion Group existence and renewal, and any Group charter can place time-based or other limits on its own lifetime)

Group Activity and Activity Reporting

Work Groups and Discussion Groups are responsible for submitting quarterly activity reports to the Leadership Council (Section 3.3.1 and 4.5).

If a Group fails to submit a quarterly report within 30 days of the end of a quarter, the LC must send a warning to the Group. If the Group fails to submit two quarterly reports in a row, within 45 days of the second failure the question of dechartering the Group must automatically be brought up at the next Leadership Council meeting.

On receipt from a Group of three quarterly reports in a row documenting no meetings held, no substantive list activity, and no document production, within 30 days of the most recent report the LC must send a warning to the Group asking for comment. If the leadership team of the Group does not respond (for example, with a remediation plan for Leadership Council discussion or a mitigating explanation) within 30 days of receiving the warning, the question of dechartering the Group must automatically be brought up at the next Leadership Council meeting.

Self-Shutdown

A Group may at any time vote to decharter itself.