Water Environment Federation Board of Trustees’ Meeting October 1, 2004 New Orleans, Louisiana
Minutes
1) Call to Order
President Larry Jaworski called the Board of Trustees’ (BOT) meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 1, 2004
2) Determination of Quorum
Executive Director William Bertera declared that a quorum of the 2003-2004 Board of Trustees was present.
3) Introduction of the 2004-2005 Board of Trustees
President-elect Lynn Orphan introduced the members of the 2004-2005 Board of Trustees. The members included: J. Michael Read, Mohamed Dahab, Mike Godfrey, Larry Jaworski, Carolyn Ahrens Wieland, Matt Bond, Glen Daigger, Paul Freedman, John Mele, Marie Meunier, Julian Sandino, Charles Weir, Rebecca West, and Adam Zabinski.
4) Introduction of Special Guests
Larry Jaworski introduced and welcomed Jack Hoffbuhr, Katie McCain, and Andy Richardson of AWWA.
5) AWWA President Comments
AWWA President Katie McCain thanked WEF for the opportunity to address the Board of Trustees. She noted that AWWA is pleased about working with WEF on the Joint Management Conference; Water Reuse Conference, and the progress that is being made on both. McCain reported that AWWA appreciates WEF’s support for Water for People, and in return AWWA is working to boost their support of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize program.
6) Approval of Agenda
The following items were added to the agenda: Two-city Rotation, Item #16; Transportation at Future WEFTEC’s, Item #17; and Update on Performance Measures, Item #18.
It was moved, seconded, and voted to approve the Agenda as amended. 7) Review of Action Matrix
Larry Jaworski reviewed the status of the Follow-up Matrix with the Board of Trustees.
8) Consent Agenda a. Ratification of the July, 2004 Board of Trustees’ Minutes b. 2004 Member Association Awards c. Quarter Century Operators’ Club Awards
It was moved, seconded, and voted to approve the Consent Agenda as presented.
9) Treasurer’s Report
a. 2004 Budget Update Mike Godfrey reported that WEF is projecting a positive net balance of $460,000 to reserves. He noted that this amount is subject to change pending the outcome of WEFTEC.04.
b. 2005
Mike Godfrey reviewed the PowerPoint presentation that will be presented to the House of Delegates at their Saturday, October 2nd meeting. This presentation included the 2005 budget that the Board of Trustees approved at their July 2004 meeting. He reported that he will be reviewing WEF’s sources of income and expenses, and their relativity to WEF’s Strategic Goals. Godfrey will also review the changes in WEF’s fiscal year starting in 2005 and the reasons behind the change.
10) WERF Update
Lynn Orphan reported that, the WEF President and President-elect currently sit on the WERF Board. Orphan discussed possible alternatives to provide more continuity and will come back to the Board of Trustees at their November meeting with a firm recommendation for approval.
11) Strategic Issues Discussion
a. Membership – Follow-up from July Meeting
Larry Jaworski reported that during their July meeting, the BOT discussed WEF’s membership structure. He noted that WEF has grown from being a municipal wastewater organization to a water quality organization, and that the current membership structure is outdated.
Adam Zabinski, Membership Committee Chair, updated the BOT on proposals to be discussed during the 2005 WEFMAX meetings and ultimately presented to the House of Delegates at their October 2005 meeting. Zabinski solicited comments from the BOT for the Membership Committee to consider discussing at future WEFMAX meetings and stated reported that membership will also be discussed in length at the House Strategy session on Saturday, October 2, 2004. An update and recommendation will be brought forward to the BOT at their April meeting.
b. Future Issues & Assignments
Future ideas regarding membership were also included in the Membership discussion.
12) Committee Leadership Council (CLC)
Lynn Orphan reviewed the CLC structure and its history. She reviewed the agenda for the upcoming CLC meeting and the itinerary for the HOD focus groups sessions on Saturday, October 2, 2004. Orphan reviewed talking points for the BOT members to use during their assigned focus group meetings, and the role of the BOT members during the meetings.
13) Global Issues Update
a. WEF/AWA MOU
As an information item, Larry Jaworski reported that the Australian Water Association withdrew as a Member Association and entered in to a Partnering Agreement with WEF.
b. AIDIS
Larry Jaworski reported that while attending the AIDIS meeting, he had very productive discussions with their leadership regarding their challenges as a Member Association.
c. IWA
Larry Jaworski reported that he and Mohamed Dahab attended the IWA conference and held productive meetings with the IWA leadership. He reported that IWA and WEF will be exploring opportunities for the two organizations to work together.
d. Stockholm International Water Institute/Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Lynn Orphan reported that she and Bill Bertera attended the Stockholm International Water Institute Symposium (SIWI), and presented a brief history of the SIWI/WEF relationship. Orphan noted that WEF currently has members sitting on the SIWI Program Committee; Nominating Committee; and is active in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize judging. Orphan reported that WEF plans to continue in committee roles, and is discussing with SIWI how WEF can provide a technical workshop at future symposiums.
e. United Nations
Lynn Orphan reported on meetings that she, Larry Jaworski, Bill Bertera, and Eileen O’Neill have attended at the United Nations (UN). She noted that partnering with the UN fits WEF’s global policy and that WEF is working with the UN to provide technical input on sanitation, public health, and clean water.
14) Long Range Planning Committee Update (LRPC)
a. Issues Addressed This Year
Chuck Weir submitted a report outlining the issues addressed by the LRPC during the past year, to include Governance implementation; House of Delegates job description; and linking the Strategic Plan to the budget planning process.
Weir also reviewed the itinerary and procedures for the CLC meeting; Strategy Sessions, and Focus Groups meetings that will take place on Saturday, October 2, 2004.
b. Agenda for Next Year
Chuck Weir reported that the 2005 agenda will be driven by issues identified from the Strategy Group sessions that will take place on Saturday, October 2, 2005.
15) HOD Meeting
a. Meeting Structure
The structure of the House of Delegates meeting was discussed by Chuck Weir under the Long Range Planning Committee Report.
b. BOT Role
Michael Read reviewed the role of the Board of Trustees as it relates to the strategy and focus groups meetings and the meetings of the House of Delegates.
c. HOD Update – future topics & assignments
Michael Read stressed the importance of the HOD Update as a communications tool between the BOT and the HOD. He reported that the next issue of the HOD update will include an update of the BOT meeting and the outcome of the Strategy Sessions.
16) Update on Two-City Rotation
Larry Jaworski reported that after review, the decision to go to a two-city rotation is still economically viable; therefore there will be no change in the decision previously made by the Board of Directors (now known as the House of Delegates) to implement the two-city rotation for WEFTEC starting in 2012.
17) Transportation Issue at Future WEFTEC’s
There was concern regarding the policy where members who do not book their hotel through WEF’s housing company might not be allowed to use WEF buses There are no plans to implement such a program. Tim Ricker reported that WEF is aggressively monitoring the conference hotels to insure that contracted hotel rates are not being undercut on the internet.
18) Continuation of Discussion of Performance Measures
Paul Freedman presented a draft Implementation Plan for Performance Measures, which was developed from discussions during the July 2004 Board of Trustees meeting. Freedman reviewed the draft and in light of time restraints, deferred discussion until the November 2004 Board of Trustees meeting.
19) Larry Jaworski reviewed the Officer Meeting Agenda and noted that all items discussed in the officers meeting was discussed during the Board of Trustees meeting.
20) Committee Liaison Reports
John Ironside reported on the major reorganization of the Collection Systems Committee.
It was moved, seconded, and voted to adjourn the meeting of the 2003-2004 Board of Trustees at 4:10 p.m. Respectfully Submitted,
______Lawrence P. Jaworski William H. Bertera WEF President WEF Executive Director
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