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GP116 – Cost of Governance

Effective: 9/25/2012
Revision: 1/28/2014

The Board will invest in training and preparation to govern with excellence.

Accordingly:

  1. Board skills, methods, and supports will be sufficient to assure governing with excellence.
    1. Training and retraining may be used liberally to orient new members and may be offered to candidates, as well as to maintain and increase existing member skills and understanding.
    2. Outside monitoring assistance may be arranged so that the Board can exercise confident control over organizational performance. This includes, but is not limited to, fiscal audits, surveys, or other practices by the Board.
    3. Outreach mechanisms will be used as needed to ensure the Board’s ability to listen to owners’ viewpoints and values.
    4. The cost of governance is not limited to leadership excellence. Good governing requires adequate resources to ensure the desired outcome of Board policies. Resources will be allocated for:
      1. Agenda production
      2. Transcription and production of minutes
      3. Response to constituent concerns
      4. Board communications
      5. Staff training in governance, public engagement, and customer service issues
  2. Costs will be incurred prudently, though not at the expense of good governance as follows:
    1. Sufficient resources will be budgeted within the General Fund to conduct Board professional development and supplemented with grants and contributions.
    2. Sufficient funding will be budgeted within the general funds to conduct audits and other third party monitoring or organizational performance.
  3. The Board will approve an annual plan derived from the perpetual calendar (see GP102 Board Responsibilities, GP103 Board Members’ Principles of Operation – Conduct and Ethics) and will include a review of the budget to guarantee issues, including an extensive policy review, will be conducted every year following the legislative session to ensure compliance with legislative changes.