Patrol Leader's Council

The Patrol Leaders' Council

Members of the Patrol Leaders' Council

The Patrol Leaders' Council is the group of Patrol Leaders who plan the Troop's Program. The Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC) consists of the following members:

The Senior Patrol Leader - The SPL is the leader of the troop and offers guidance and support to the other patrol leaders.
The Assistant Senior Patrol Leader - The ASPL is the aid to the SPL. They offer guidance and support to the scouts in other troop positions such as the troop Scribe, Quartermaster, and Historian.
- Scribe - The Scribe is not a member of the PLC but actively works with the PLC to create and share plans for the troop program. They report directly to the ASPL. They attend PLC Meetings to record meeting minutes.
Patrol Leader(s) - Each patrol elects a Patrol Leader to represent them in the PLC.
- Assistant Patrol Leaders(s) - APLs are not members of the PLC. If their Patrol Leader is absent then they will take their place in the PLC temporarily.
Troop Guide - A member of the older scout's patrol who helps guide the new-scout patrol leader. They are a voting member of the PLC.

Patrol Leaders' Council Meeting

The PLC typically meets monthly to discuss and plan upcoming troop meetings, activities, and events.

Editor's Note: The PLC meets monthly, yes. But they can also meet informally before or after regular troop meetings to quickly go over the plan for next week's meeting or an upcoming event.

One of the main differences between Scouting BSA and Cub Scouts is that the parents and adult leaders lead the Cub Pack. But in BSA, the youth and Scouts lead the Troop. The Scouts get to decide what they want to do (with oversight and guidance from the Scoutmaster) rather than being told what to do by their parents. It allows them to plan, make mistakes, and build character in a safe, low-stakes environment. The PLC Meeting is where the planning happens. Without a good plan, you're planning for failure.

Okay, so. How Does a PLC Meeting Work? Most of the official Scouting BSA materials are not super helpful when getting into the nitty-gritty of the PLC meeting. They offer you a PLC Meeting Agenda, which helps. But some scouts look at the agenda and go "Hmm, what a curious piece of paper with things and stuff written on it. It's probably not important lol" and toss it out.

Editor's Note: I think this might be for a multitude of reasons, but one of them is likely that we haven't properly trained our troop leadership on meeting agendas and planning. Another reason might be because our troop never really emphasized planning on the part of the scouts. It was always a grownup thing to plan the meetings and the events and such. If I'm going to be a good Assistant Scoutmaster, then I want to give that agency and control back over to the Scouts. They should have the power to choose what outings they want to do and when. It's not the parent's job to plan out the hiking trip. It should be the scout-elected leaders.

PLC Meeting agendas and the official BSA "Monthly Planning and the PLC" troop leader resource can be found on the scouting resources page. But it doesn't go into much detail on how to "ACTUALLY RUN" the PLC meeting. Do you understand my struggle? When the SPL opens the PLC meeting and gets to the "Old Business" part of the agenda, what does that mean exactly? What are the underlying rules of the meeting? How do we get stuff done?

I'm glad you asked because I have an answer! It's called Robert's Rules of Order, or, more broadly, Parliamentary Procedure.

A Guide for SPLs: How to Run PLC Meetings

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when running PLC meetings:

Follow your agenda. As the SPL you are in charge of the meeting and you can create a meeting agenda to bring and distribute to the other PLC members. A meeting agenda template can be found here. You can also change that meeting agenda to cover whatever you need to cover that week. Is there a big event coming up that needs more planning than usual? Give it more time on the agenda.
Be fair to the other members of the PLC. Each member of the PLC should be given the same voice and the same rights as any other member. Don't exclude anyone. Each PLC member has the right to speak during discussion time and the right to vote on discussion items. If multiple people want to speak at the same time then you decide who gets to speak first, when they're done you should allow the other member to speak before moving on to new hands being raised.
You do not have to over-control the meeting. Let members of the PLC speak when they have the floor and do not interrupt them. Listen to them while they are speaking and give them all of your attention.
Votes should be yes/no. (not multiple items if you can help it) If you have multiple items that could be voted on but only one can be chosen (for example, what do we want to eat for dinner on Saturday?) then you should choose to vote on a plan that compromises somewhere in the middle. Let's say you're deciding on your meal plan and you have a member of your troop who can't eat red meat because of their diet. You should include an option for them in the vote to make sure they're able to eat with the group. That means in addition to having hamburgers, you'll also have chickenburgers. or turkeyburgers? (non-red meat stuff). When it comes to the vote it should look something like: Should the troop buy hamburgers and turkeyburgers for the meal on Saturday night? (yes/no).

Let's say you NEED to have multiple options for voting (for whatever reason). You should try implementing some multi-option voting practices like Quadratic Voting or Ranked Voting, rather than simple majority voting. If you stick with majority voting you will have to cast runoff votes where the lowest-scoring options are eliminated from the ballot until a majority vote is reached. For votes with many options, this will take many runoff votes. This method of runoff voting is called Exhaustive Ballot, which works, but might take more time than necessary. Remember, PLC meetings are about getting things done.

The majority decides. If your PLC has 5 members and 3 of them vote to go on a hike, then the troop is going on a hike. A majority vote is more than 50% of the members voting to do something. Let's say you only have 4 members, you will need 3 votes for a majority vote since having only 2 votes is not more than 50%. (Ties are not a majority. A majority is more than half.)
Review old business. Follow up on the stuff you all did last month. What was the last outing you all went on? What went well? Was there anything that could be improved for the next outing? You could even review the last few meetings if you want. What went well at the meetings? What could be improved next time? Etc. Make sure everyone has a chance to voice their concerns to you and make sure to praise those people who you think deserve it.
Ask for patrol input. Ask your patrol leaders to gather information from their patrol members about their experience with scouting, what they like, and what they want to do. This could help you create better plans for other meetings and outings.
Plan the agenda for next month's meetings. For every weekly meeting, there should be an agenda, even a loose agenda, of what the scouts are doing, who teaches the scout skills, and what game you're going to play. Time should be set aside in each meeting for scout skills, patrol meetings, and what game you're going to play at the end. Members of the PLC can teach the scout skills, run their patrol meetings, and referee the games. A scout-led troop means that the scouts are in charge, leading, and teaching each other, even during regular meetings. Occasionally an expert might teach the entire troop a skill, this time would be set aside at the beginning of the meeting with the "Group Instruction" section. You can find fun troop meeting activities on the Troop Program Resources Page. You can also find program features there too which include filled-out meeting agendas for the month's topic. You get to decide what you want to do! Make it fun!
Plan the main event for the month. Typically, this is an outing or service project that the troop is leading up to at the end of the month. This might be a backpacking trip, canoe trip, climbing trip, or ski trip. You don't have to plan a high adventure outing every month, since most of the time scouts will be more willing to go on smaller camping or hiking trips that don't require a lot of funds to participate. You want to make sure that no stone is left unturned. Who is going to the event? Who is paying for the campsite (which adult should be responsible for renting it? This is typically a committee member.) What are you going to be doing there? Do you have an agenda for the event? Do you have a campfire ceremony? Will the patrols be cooking together or separately as patrols? What lessons did we learn last time we had an outing? What needs to be packed in the trailer? Are we taking the trailer? Who is bringing the trailer? Do you need to prepare the trailer beforehand by going through the patrol boxes? What items do you need to buy if you want to do the event? How much do we expect it to cost? The main point is to ask as many relevant important questions as possible. Remember to settle disputes by letting the majority decide. Establishing order and calling votes is the smoothest way to get things done.

Basic Rules for PLC Meetings

If you don't want to get too deep into the Parliamentary Procedure stuff, try implementing these simple rules at your PLC meeting:

The SPL runs and organizes the meetings, and follows the meeting agenda.
If the SPL is not present, the ASPL will run the PLC meeting.
The SPL announces if a Quorum is present. (Depending on the size of your group, if there are enough members of the PLC present, are you able to make decisions for the whole meeting or not? If you are then a Quorum is present. If there are not enough members then a Quorum is not present and the PLC meeting should be rescheduled. You can still go over plans and prepare for the upcoming meetings and stuff, but you can't make decisions for the entire troop if it's not present. It's up to each PLC to decide the definition of a Quorum. Typically, this is a majority of the membership. So if you had 5 members and 3 showed up, then you have a Quorum, but if only 2 show up then a Quorum is not present.)
The SPL decides what topics to discuss based on the meeting agenda.
The SPL may decide to accept topics of discussion from the other members of the PLC in addition to any on the meeting agenda.
The SPL will open the discussion by proposing a motion to the PLC, usually in the form of a question. (for example: "Should the troop hike at JMF on the 15th?")
Members are entitled to speak for, or against, the motion during discussion. Usually by arguing why they do or do not want to go through with it.
Members should address the SPL when making their speeches. Members should not argue with each other over a motion by going back and forth.
The SPL decides who gets to speak first if two or more people want to speak at the same time.
Members will not interrupt another member who is speaking.
The SPL will bring matters to a vote once everyone has had the opportunity to speak.
Members are not allowed to speak more than once per discussion item. Asking questions or offering a brief suggestion does not count as your speech.
A Majority Vote is required to decide whether or not to accept or reject a motion. (This means you need more than half of the votes to decide something. For example, you need 3 votes if you have 4 members.)
A Supermajority vote is required to change, add, or remove rules from this list. By default, a Supermajority is two-thirds of the total membership (including those who are not present)
Members must raise their hands and say "aye" to cast their vote.
Members may only cast one vote per motion. (Members can't vote for both aye and no. Members who abstain from the vote automatically vote "no.")
The scribe records the vote results in the minutes and presents the minutes at the next meeting. (This should include the tally of votes as well as the motion itself. For example: "Should the troop hike at JMF on the 15th? 3 Votes for AYE. One Vote for NO."

If you want to hand out very simple reference cards at the PLC meeting to keep everyone informed, you can print these five simplified rules:

The SPL is the Chair of the meeting. The SPL is the judge during discussions, must announce the current item on the agenda, and gets to decide who speaks first during discussions.
The SPL decides which topics should be discussed and offers them to the PLC.
Members have a right to offer discussion items outside of discussion.
Members have a right to speak during the discussion. (Do not interrupt other members).
The Majority Decides the outcome of a discussion item when it comes time to vote.

How to 'Actually' Run a PLC Meeting Using Parliamentary Procedure.

To zoom out, this is the basic democratic process. If your group is a democracy that needs to get stuff done (like the PLC) then you will use parliamentary procedure to make sure that the majority decides and that the minority is heard. This is fundamental democracy stuff right here.

I'm not going to get too deep into this, but here's the idea. If you're a group of three or more people that wants to get things done, you use parliamentary procedure. Members of the group have certain rights within the group meetings like the right to attend meetings, the right to speak, the right to make motions, and the right to vote. The group, as a whole, makes motions to decide what to do as a group. The members vote on the decision of the motion, either to accept the motion or to dismiss the motion. Here are the fundamental principles of parliamentary procedure regarding PLC meetings:

Fundamental Principles of PLC Meetings

Majority Rule - The way the PLC makes decisions for the troop is by using the Majority Rule. If more than half of the members vote to go hiking, then the troop will go hiking. For example, if your PLC has 6 members then you'll need 4 votes to pass a motion.
Minority Rights - Even if you don't have enough votes to make decisions for the troop, you still have the right to introduce new motions and speak during debates.
Member Rights - Members of the PLC have certain rights that can only be taken away with a supermajority vote (typically a two-thirds vote). These rights include the right to attend meetings, speak during debates, make (and second) motions, and vote.
One Question at a Time - If a motion is brought before the council, then that motion should be debated and voted on before proceeding to another motion. There should not be more than one motion on the floor at a time.
One Person, One Vote - Your vote will count only once, and you may not vote for both "Aye" and "No" during one voting session. If you abstain from a vote you are essentially voting "No."
Only Members Present Can Vote - If you're sick and can't make it to the PLC meeting then you should contact your assistant patrol leader to see if they can take your place since you have to be present to vote. Members can be present over a virtual medium like Discord, Zoom, Facetime, phone call, etc., and still be counted as present during the attendance and can still be allowed to vote.
Follow Own Specific Rules - If you have special rules make sure you follow them. Adopting new rules to the PLC Meeting usually requires a supermajority vote since this would affect all members of the PLC. For example, if you have a special rule that says "Members of the PLC should wear their Class A uniforms to the PLC meetings." Then you should make sure to follow that rule at your meetings. When requesting to speak do you raise your hand or do you stand? Those sorts of things.

How to make a motion

A "motion" is the most basic form of business a PLC can perform. A motion is debatable, amendable, requires a second, and requires a majority vote. The steps for making a motion are as follows:

Call for Motions. The Senior Patrol Leader requests discussion items. "Are there any items that need to be discussed regarding (new business, main event planning, troop meeting planning, old business, etc.)?
Request to Speak. A member of the group stands to request the SPL's attention.
The Speaker is Recognized. The SPL gives the member the floor. "PLC Member Name, you have the floor"
Make Your Motion. The member responds by making their motion. "Thank you, SPL Name. I move that ... (state your motion clearly and sit down)"
Hear a Second. Another member may second your motion. "I would like to second that motion." If there is no second the SPL may ask "Is there a second?" If there is still no second then the SPL says "There is no second, the motion is not on the floor at this time. Are there any other discussion items regarding the current agenda topic?"
Move to Debate. If a second has been given, the SPL says "It has been properly moved and seconded that ... (restate the motion) is there any discussion?"
Stand and Be Recognized by the SPL. Members who want to speak need to stand and must be recognized by the SPL before speaking, similar to step 3. The person who made the motion has the privilege of speaking in the discussion first.
Sit Down and Listen to Others. Once a member has spoken, they sit down. (If you want to speak again, stand up and be recognized by the SPL after all other PLC members have had the chance to speak.)
End Discussion. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until there is no more discussion or until the discussion has been ended by a majority vote.
Vote. The SPL says "Hearing no further discussion, we will move to a vote. Those in favor of the motion that ... (repeat the motion)... say Aye. Those opposed say No."
The votes are tallied. If the aye's have a majority (more than half of the votes) then the motion is carried (passed, adopted, etc). The SPL says "The motion is carried." If not then the SPL says "The motion is lost." A tie vote is a lost vote since it is not a majority.

Definitions

Motion - The basic form of "business" for the group. A main motion is debatable, amendable, requires a second, and requires a majority vote. An example of proposing, seconding, and starting the discussion of a main motion would be: "I would like to move to schedule a Troop hike on Saturday." Another member says "I second that motion." The leader says "It has been properly moved and seconded that we schedule a troop hike on Saturday. Is there any discussion?"
- Side note about making motions: Motions can not be negative. Meaning that when you make a motion, something should happen when it gets passed. A motion like "I move to not attend Klondike this year" is not a proper motion since it's a 'negative' motion. Nothing would get done if it got passed. You should instead make motions that get things done like "I move that we attend Klondike this year."
Business - This is all the stuff that the PLC does. Things like deciding where and when to do something, who will do it, and what to do next. This is the stuff that the PLC needs to get done to create a solid troop program that keeps scouts coming back for more. When you make a motion to do something, you're getting business done.
Second - Most motions require a "second." Right after someone proposes a motion to the speaker, someone else, (a second person) will need to agree that the motion should be up for debate. It doesn't mean that that second person is going to vote for your motion. If a motion is proposed and a second is required but not offered then the motion is not considered by the council, and should be dismissed as if it wasn't ever brought up. Some groups make rules that if you propose a new motion and it doesn't get a second then you can not make the same motion again during the same meeting.
Rights - Members of the PLC have certain rights that can't be taken away (except through a supermajority vote). These are freedoms or entitlements that you're allowed to have and use as a member of the group.
Debate - This is the next stage after a main motion has been seconded. Each member of the group now has the opportunity to be recognized by the chair and explain why the troop should, or should not, carry the motion. When you speak during a debate you should speak directly to the chair, not to the other members of the group. If you speak during a debate you should wait before everyone else has had the opportunity to speak before requesting to speak again.
Chairperson (Chair, Acting SPL) - This is the leader of the group who is responsible for conducting the meeting. The person presides over meetings of the group and conducts the business in an orderly fashion. They make sure to follow the meeting agenda and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to speak during debates. The Chair has the same rights as a member of the PLC.
Meeting - An official meeting has an acting chairperson, an agenda, and minutes being recorded by the Scribe.
Minutes - Minutes are a log of the decisions that were made during the last meeting. They typically describe what happened at the last meeting and who was present.
Floor - When a main motion is on the "floor" it's up for debate. And when the chair gives someone the "floor" they're giving them the right to speak temporarily. When you request the "floor" you are asking permission from the SPL to make a motion or to speak during a debate.
Council (Group, PLC) - All the members of the group. The members of the PLC are SPL, ASPL, PLs, and Troop Guide. That's it :) The Scoutmaster is there in a support role and the Scribe is there to record minutes.
Majority - More than half. Not half. For 5 members of a PLC, you'll need 3 votes to pass a motion. If you had 4 members then you would need 3 votes to pass a motion.
Supermajority - a higher threshold of votes than a majority vote. By default, this is a 2/3 vote. You'll need a supermajority to create or amend the rules of the PLC meeting. For 5 members of a PLC, you'll need 4 votes for a supermajority.
Quorum - The minimum acceptable number of members needed to make decisions for the group. A Quorum usually consists of a majority of the eligible members. If your PLC consists of 6 eligible members but only 3 show up, then a Quorum is not present and you can not make decisions on behalf of the group.

Examples of Making Motions in PLC Meetings

Let's walk through a few examples of Parliamentary Procedure in action following Robert's Rules of Order. In each of these examples, the meeting has already started, the PLC is at the "New Business" portion of the meeting agenda, and there are 5 members on the PLC (SPL, ASPL, New-Scout PL, Old-Scout PL, and Troop Guide). One of the patrol leaders is going to try to make a motion to schedule a troop campout.

Example 1. Basic Process

Senior Patrol Leader (SPL): Is there any New Business?

Old-Scout Patrol Leader (OPL): the OPL stands to request the attention of the SPL.

SPL: You have the floor, OPL.

OPL: I would like to make a motion to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek. The OPL sits down after offering the motion.

SPL: Do I hear a second?

Troop Guide: I would like to second that motion.

SPL: The motion to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion?

OPL: Stands to request the attention of the SPL.

SPL: Yes, OPL?

OPL: The troop should schedule the campout at Camp Crooked Creek since we don't have any other outings scheduled this month. Also, there are some scouts in my patrol who still need camping nights to rank up to Eagle. The OPL sits down to signal he is done speaking.

New-Scout Patrol Leader (NPL): Stands.

SPL: Yes, NPL?

NPL: I think we should have separate campsites for the patrols. Sits down.

SPL: Is there any further discussion?

silence

SPL: Hearing none, we will end the discussion and bring the motion to schedule a troop campout at Camp Crooked Creek on the 19th. All in favor?

Four members raise their hands and say "Aye"

SPL: All Opposed?

One member raises their hand and says "No"

SPL: The ayes have it. The PLC has voted to pass the motion to schedule a troop campout at Camp Crooked Creek on the 19th.

Example 2. Amending a Motion

To the reader, skip to the bolded line to see the motion to amend.

Senior Patrol Leader (SPL): Is there any New Business?

Old-Scout Patrol Leader (OPL): the OPL stands to request the attention of the SPL.

SPL: You have the floor, OPL.

OPL: I would like to make a motion to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek. The OPL sits down after offering the motion.

SPL: Do I hear a second?

Troop Guide: I would like to second that motion.

SPL: The motion to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek has been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion?

OPL: Stands to request the attention of the SPL.

SPL: Yes, OPL?

OPL: The troop should schedule the campout at Camp Crooked Creek since we don't have any other outings scheduled this month. There are some scouts in my patrol who still need camping nights to rank up to Eagle. The OPL sits down to signal he is done speaking.

New-Scout Patrol Leader (NPL): Stands.

SPL: Yes, NPL?

NPL: I think we should have separate campsites for the patrols. Sits down.

SPL: I would like to amend to insert words at the end of the main motion: "And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol." Do I hear a second?

OPL: I would like to second that motion.

SPL: The amendment for the main motion has been properly moved and seconded. If passed, the main motion would read "Move to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek. And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol." Is there any discussion on the amendment?

NPL: I think the amendment looks fine.

OPL: If the campsites are next to each other then that would be okay for us.

SPL: Is there any further discussion on the Amendment?

SPL: Hearing none, we will vote to amend the motion to say "Move to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek. And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol." All in favor?

5 members raise their hands and say, Aye.

SPL: All opposed?

Silence.

SPL: The amendment to insert after the main motion "And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol." has passed. The amended motion "to schedule a troop campout on the 19th at Camp Crooked Creek. And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol." is now on the floor for debate. Is there any discussion?

silence

SPL: Hearing none, we will bring the motion to a vote. To schedule a troop campout at Camp Crooked Creek on the 19th. And to reserve two campsites, one for each patrol. All in favor?

Five members raise their hands and say "Aye"