MEMBERS’ MANUAL Boards & Commissions
Boards & Commissions
Roles & Responsibilities
BOARD MEMBERS
Boards assist the Edmond City Council by providing a preliminary public hearing for issues that may go before the Council, by making recommendations to the Council, by advising City staff, or by providing programming and activities that enhance the quality of life in Edmond.
This manual is designed to serve as a guide to current and potential board members to maximize their benefit to the Council and the Edmond community.
In this document, the term “board” applies to all public bodies created by the City of Edmond, including but not limited to trusts, boards, commissions, task forces, and committees.
Who May Serve
To serve on most boards, the member must be a resident of Edmond. An exception may exist when members are nominated by a non-City entity, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Edmond School Board or the University of Central Oklahoma, as approved by the City Council.
When a Council Member or the Mayor nominates an individual to a City board, the name is placed on the appropriate Council agenda, and the appointment is voted on by the full Council. Those interested in serving on a board should complete an online application found at www.edmondok.gov/bcapp.
Board members represent the City of Edmond, and for many citizens, may be their only contact with the City. It is important that members follow the City’s ordinances, resolutions, and other rules. Members should be aware of and avoid conflicts of interest, should not solicit or accept gifts, and should not use City property for personal use.
Board members will, at the beginning of their term, sign a written acknowledgement stating that they are in compliance with the City’s Conflict of Interest policy, Section 63 of the City’s Charter.
To maintain eligibility, board members must continue to meet residency requirements as outlined in the governing documents, be in compliance with the City’s Conflict of Interest policy, and meet attendance requirements. Sometimes a person may be appointed to serve on a board that is created for a specific purpose or for a specific length of time. The ordinance or resolution creating the board will contain specific information regarding that board’s rules.
Board Terms
Most council appointments are for three years and are generally limited to three, three-year terms. The Council may make an exception in order to provide for continuity of historical knowledge. Terms commence in either June or October and are staggered as much as possible by year. Appointments by non-City entities, such as the Chamber of Commerce or Edmond School Board, may be for other periods of time.
What Makes a Board?
The majority of boards in the City of Edmond are advisory boards. This means the boards make recommendations to the City Council. They are charged with reviewing issues, hearing concerns of citizens, understanding and exploring possible options, and/or providing feedback and recommendations that Council or staff may act upon.
Attendance
Every effort should be made to attend all meetings. The inability to attend a meeting should be communicated to the staff liaison by the member as far in advance of the meeting as possible, so that the ability to have a quorum can be determined.
Quorum
In order for a board to meet and conduct business, a quorum must be present. A quorum is a simple majority of the current membership, unless the ordinance or resolution that created the board specifies the number needed for a quorum. Unfilled positions do not change the requirements for a quorum. Quorums are determined within ten (10) minutes of the posted meeting time. If there is no quorum, the meeting is cancelled and any business to be conducted must be re-posted on another agenda with appropriate public posting.
Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the chair in order to conduct business that needs action prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. The same rules regarding posting, attendance and quorum shall apply.
Meetings
The City requires that all boards must comply with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
There are three primary features of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act:
• The public must be permitted to attend the meeting.
• An agenda of the meeting including the date, time and location must be posted for public viewing 48 hours in advance or as prescribed by the City Attorney.
• Minutes of the meeting must be kept and made available to the public.
Boards should establish a regular meeting time and place, with meetings to occur on a regular basis. Schedules for all meetings must be published in advance for each calendar year.
All items are placed on the agenda by the chairperson, in consultation with the staff liaison. All agendas posted by the staff liaison should follow a standard template and be created in the City’s agenda software. If a board member would like to add an item, the chairperson should be contacted with the request at least (5) business days before the meeting.
Agenda items should indicate if they are for discussion only or for consideration, which provides an item to be voted on by the members. Only subjects listed on the posted agenda can be considered for that meeting.
Proceedings of each meeting shall be recorded in the form of minutes. The minutes will be written by the staff liaison and must be kept on file and available to the public if requested.
For consistency, boards should conduct meetings in accordance with standard rules. These rules should match, as closely as possible, the rules adopted by the City Council for their meetings.
Orientation
After an appointment is made, prior to the next board meeting, the board chair and staff liaison should meet with new members where they will be provided with:
• The current roster, including contact information (name, address, telephone and cell phone numbers and email) of all members;
• Staff liaison contact information;
• Meeting time and location;
• Any budgets/financial reports pertaining to the board;
• The three most recent agendas, minutes and supporting documents; and
• Any by-laws or organizational documents of the board.
• Any mission statements, annual plans, goals and objectives or programming plans for the current and future year.
New member orientation serves as an opportunity to explore with the new member any particular interests, abilities, or experience that the new member brings to the board. Such a meeting would also allow the new member to ask any questions regarding their
new role. A brief explanation of the City’s structure, budgeting process, interaction with other City departments and key names and positions for those departments can also be expected.
Staff Support
The City Manager’s Office appoints a staff member, termed a “liaison,” to support the board. The liaison will prepare the agenda (with the help of the chair), post meeting notices, and keep attendance records for the board. The staff liaison may also act as recording secretary for the board. It is important to understand that the board does not supervise or manage the staff liaison, and while the board may request assistance from staff, the board may not direct them to perform work on behalf of the board.
The board may, however, request information or resources from other departments as needed through the staff liaison.
See “Staff Liaison Roles and Responsibilities” section for additional information.
Review Process
The City Council may periodically determine if any boards will be required to participate in a review process.
The review will consist of two parts: the report and the work plan.
The report should include:
• A summary of the board’s activities from the previous year;
• Posted agendas for each board meeting;
• Approved minutes for each meeting; and
• Each recommendation made to Council.
The work plan includes:
• Goals and objectives for the next plan year which focus on long-range strategic issues;
• Proposed activities for the next year that will assist the board in achieving their goals and objectives;
• Any request to revise the board’s by-laws, rules, procedures or mission statement; and
• Requirements for administrative and staff support.
The report may also include a recommendation on whether the board should continue, be dissolved, or have its assigned duties and responsibilities changed or transferred to another board. The review allows the members to rate their actions during the previous year to determine if they were in agreement with the board’s mission.
The report and work plan should be submitted to the City Manager’s Office for initial review and then submitted to City Council.
Successful Meetings
A successful meeting involves effective communication between individuals or groups which derive from good meeting planning and good facilitation skills.
Meetings should be under the control of the chair. Members are responsible for ensuring that the meeting is conducted in an orderly and professional manner. The published agenda should be adhered to, and decisions made in a timely manner in order to ensure due process. Members should stay focused and avoid
becoming overly involved in non-pertinent details or requests for additional information. Issues should evolve to a consensus, and members should strive to make informed decisions. Strategies include keeping an open mind, hearing all the testimony or information before discussing the pros and cons of an item, asking for clarification when needed, remaining focused on the facts, listening carefully before making or announcing a decision, and avoid making the discussion personal.
Successful Boards
Being a member of a board for the City of Edmond is an opportunity to serve your community. You have been appointed to help the City Council make sound decisions for the citizens of Edmond.
Timely attendance is crucial. Members should arrange personal schedules in order to be at the meeting, on time and available for the duration of the meeting. This will ensure that a quorum is present, and the business of the meeting can proceed.
Members should prepare for each meeting by reading and reviewing the agenda in advance of the meeting and spending as much time as necessary to become thoroughly familiar with each item. It is key to know the facts in order to make an informed decision. Members are encouraged to ask the staff liaison for additional information on any agenda item. This would include requests in advance of the meeting in order to allow the meeting to flow appropriately.
Be professional. To avoid the impression of bias or conflict, be mindful of greeting audience members, applicants, or acquaintances prior to or after a meeting.
Be polite and impartial. Assist those who are not familiar with the protocol.
Be attentive to those who are presenting their point of view. This is an important issue to them, and their voice should be heard.
As a public official, it is a board member’s responsibility to know and follow the rules and regulations that govern the board.
Board Documentation
Not all of the boards of the City of Edmond are defined by a city ordinance or resolution or have written policies and procedures. This manual is intended to provide guidance for boards lacking these documents. While boards are encouraged to create mission statements and policies and procedures to provide direction in their deliberations and actions, all documents should be in accordance with any existing ordinances or resolutions pertaining to the board.
This manual covers the essential aspects of board membership and strives to serve as a guideline to being an effective member. Members should contact the City Manager’s Office with additional questions.
Roles & Responsibilities
STAFF LIAISONS
Boards are an established feature of Edmond’s municipal government. They offer citizens an opportunity to participate in the City’s governmental affairs. However, boards cannot perform effectively without support from City staff. Accordingly, the City Manager’s Office will appoint a staff liaison to provide support to a board. This section covers the general responsibilities of the staff liaison.
Statutes that Apply to All Boards
Oklahoma law requires that all boards comply with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. The three central features of the Act are:
1. The public must be permitted to attend meetings;
2. An agenda of the meeting must be posted for the public to see; and
3. Minutes of the meetings must be kept and made available to the public upon request.
Boards should also comply with the Oklahoma Open Records Act, or any other state or federal laws that pertain to their specific board and applicable City Ordinances. The City Attorney’s Office will supply any other appropriate documents as needed.
Meetings: Scheduling Rooms
A schedule of meeting dates for the entire year should be filed by December for the following year. Once the schedule has been approved, the liaison should arrange for a meeting room.
Selecting one location for all meetings is recommended. Staff should at this time address any known conflicts, such as legal holidays, when a quorum would be unlikely/impractical.
Video Recording
Upon occasion, a board may wish to have a meeting recorded or televised; if so, please contact the Marketing and Public Relations Department to discuss the possibility.
Agenda Preparation
All boards for the City should operate in a similar manner so that the board system is as open and transparent as possible. Staff liaisons should use the City’s agenda management software program to create meeting agendas for the board (contact the City Clerk’s Office if you need training on this software). All agendas must include the date, time, location, and all issues that will be considered. Items should be stated as ‘Discussion’ (non-voting) or ‘Consideration’ (voting). All items on the agenda must have enough information in the description so that any reasonable person will be able to understand what the board intends to discuss during the meeting.
The agenda should be compiled by the staff liaison with input from the board chair. If a board member wants to include an item on the agenda, he or she must contact the chairperson, who should notify the staff liaison. The request to place an item on the agenda should be submitted to the staff liaison at least five (5) business days before the meeting.
Open Meeting Act
The Oklahoma Open Meeting Act can be found within Oklahoma Statutes, sections 301-314 of Title 25.
It is the responsibility of all board members to be knowledgeable about the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the requirements that pertain to their board’s meetings. The penalty for willful violations of the Act is a fine up to $500 and/or imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year.
The following information covers some of the highlights of the Act and members are encouraged to review the complete Act in more detail.
The act requires all public bodies to establish a regular meeting schedule for each calendar by December 15th of the previous year. This schedule must include the date, time, and location of meetings. Calendars of regular meetings must be filed with the City Clerk’s Office. Changes in regularly scheduled meetings require a 10-day notification to the City Clerk’s Office. In addition to the calendar notice, all meetings require a notice to be posted in the City Clerk’s Office 24 hours prior to the meeting, excluding weekends and holidays. This notice must include an agenda which will limit the topics to be discussed at the meeting. Notice for reconvened meetings must be provided in the original meeting. Meetings that do not appear on the filed schedule require notice to be placed outside the main office 48 hours in advance of the meeting and be transmitted to all individuals and news agencies who request it. The act does allow emergency meetings in dire situations, provided that every attempt is made to notify the public.
Quorum
Staff liaisons should call or otherwise contact board members; preferably at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, to determine that there will be sufficient members in attendance for a quorum. A quorum is a simple majority of the total number of authorized board members, unless otherwise provided in the board’s governing documents. For a seven-member board, four members are generally required for a quorum. Vacant seats do not change the number necessary for a quorum.
If there is no quorum within ten (10) minutes after the starting time, the meeting must be rescheduled. No discussion or action can occur.
Any member who indicates they cannot attend or does not attend the meeting should be noted as absent in accordance with the attendance policy, even if the meeting is ultimately cancelled.
If a meeting is to be cancelled, the staff liaison should provide the City Clerk’s Office with a Notice of Cancellation.
Attendance and Conflicts of Interest
Prior to the meeting, members should review the upcoming agenda to identify potential conflicts of interest. If there is an item on the agenda that would be a conflict for any board member, they must recuse him or herself and they cannot take part in any discussion or vote on the issue. In the City of Edmond, members with a conflict typically remove themselves from the room at the time the agenda item is heard. All recusals should be announced by the board members and noted in the written minutes.
Minutes
Under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, all meetings must have written minutes. Minutes must be recorded by the staff liaison. Templates for the preparation of minutes are available from the City Clerk’s Office.
Minutes should include, at a minimum, the following:
• A list of board members, showing who was present and absent;
• The time the meeting was called to order;
• The subject of each deliberation (taken from the agenda);
• Each vote, order, decision or any other action that was taken;
• The names of presenters, if there were any;
• The names of any guests providing comments, as well as the gist of their comments, if there are any;
• The names of any staff providing comments, as well as the gist of their comments, if there are any;
• If and when any members leave the room for a discussion and when they return;
• The time the meeting adjourned; and
• The manner and time of notice required by the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
Minutes should be approved at the subsequent meeting of the board. Once the minutes have been approved, and signed by the board chair, they should be kept on file with the staff liaison. Once they are approved, minutes should also be placed on the City’s website, using the City’s agenda management software.
Tracking and Reporting Requirements
Staff liaisons must track and report to the City Manager’s Office any problem noted as soon as possible with the following issues:
• If a member misses three (3) consecutive regular meetings, 1/3 of all regular meetings
in a 12-month period or is in violation of the attendance requirements as contained in a board’s governing documents;
• If a board member has any change in their contact information, address, employment, etc. The City requires that members be residents of the City of Edmond, unless exempt by an ordinance, state or federal law, or any other exception. If a board member moves out of the city, the staff liaison needs to notify the City Manager’s Office as soon as possible;
• If a board is failing to meet for any reason for more than six months; and
• If a board member resigns, the staff liaison should make every effort to get the resignation in writing, either in hard copy or electronic. When a board member resigns, the resignation must be sent to the City Manager’s Office upon receipt. The City Manager’s Office will notify the appropriate council member of the vacancy.
Appointments or reappointments are made by City Council at regular meetings. The City Manager’s Office will notify the liaison of all appointments or reappointments. When an appointment is made, the liaison should consult with the board chair and arrange to:
• Contact the new member;
• Advise of the meeting date, time, and location;
• Provide copies of the Boards and Commissions Manual, by-laws, procedures and any defining ordinances or resolutions;
• Ensure that all member information is current in the City’s tracking database; and
• Participate in an orientation with the new member.
Board members cannot participate in a meeting until a signed copy of the Conflict of Interest form has been filed.
New Member Recruitment
Board members should assist in the recruitment of new members when there are vacancies. The most effective means of recruitment is face-to-face contact with citizens who have shown an interest in a particular board. All interested parties should complete an application which can be requested from the City Manager’s Office or found on the City website, www.edmondok.gov/bcapp .
Staff Liaison Responsibilities
Staff liaisons, or their designated staff when appropriate, should:
• Ensure compliance with the ordinance, by-laws and state or federal laws, if any are applicable to the board;
• Assist the board chair in keeping the board’s activities within the scope of the board’s mission;
• Ensure the board’s actions are in compliance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, the Oklahoma Open Records Act, and the Municipal Code;
• Work closely with the board chair to construct the agenda, and, if applicable, maintain the budget and provide monthly financial reports to the board;
• Prepare the agenda and send a notice to the City Clerk’s Office to post the meeting in compliance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act;
• Prepare agenda packets and distribute to board members by their preferred method of receipt;
• Take minutes of the meetings and post the approved minutes;
• Revise or cancel meetings, if necessary;
• Manage new officer elections each year;
• Track attendance of board members and report any problems to City Manager’s Office;
• Report any changes in board members’ personal data to the City Manager’s Office;
• Arrange for any necessary City staff to attend the meetings to respond to questions from the board or to make presentations;
• Report any resignations immediately to the City Manager’s Office and assist the board chair with the recruitment of new members;
• Provide backup documentation to board members in a timely manner; and
• Assist the board chair with other duties as requested.
Election of Officers
Once a year, the staff liaison should schedule an election of officers. For some boards this occurs during the first meeting of the year, for others it may occur in June. Officers are elected for one-year terms. The number of terms they may serve is dependent on the ordinance or governing documents of that board. Staff liaisons must notify the City Manager’s Office of the names of the officers for tracking purposes every time there is an election held.
Packets
The staff liaison will provide back-up documentation for the agenda items in a timely manner before the meeting. It is recommended that the materials be sent via email at the time the agenda is posted. However, liaisons should confirm with each board member the preferred method of transmitting information. Staff liaisons should ensure only critical staff attend board meetings to conserve staff resources.
Public Notice
Anytime a majority of the board will be gathering outside of a regularly scheduled meeting, a Public Notice is required by law to be posted. The Staff Liason is responsible for posting the notice on the City’s agenda managment software and submitting the notice to the City Clerk’s office 48 hours in advance.
Oklahoma Open Meeting Act GUIDELINES
Board
members are responsible to have knowledge of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the requirements that pertain to their board’s meetings. Penalty for willful violations of the Act is a fine up to $500 and/or imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year.
Prior to a Meeting
Notice of meetings must be provided to the City Clerk’s Office prior to meetings. Written notice of the date, time, and place of meetings must be filed with the City Clerk’s Office by December 15th of the preceding year for regularly scheduled meetings. This schedule can be changed by written notice not less than 10 days prior to the scheduled meeting. Special meetings can be held by posting an agenda no less than 48 hours prior to the meeting. (Other rules apply to emergency or continued or reconvened meetings).
The agenda (including date, time, and place of meeting) of regular meetings must be posted at least 24 hours before the meeting in prominent public view. This excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. For example, so an agenda for a regularly scheduled meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, must generally be posted by 10:00 a.m. on the preceding Friday.
Agendas should state the purpose of the meeting and clearly describe each agenda item so that an ordinary citizen with no specialized knowledge of the board’s prior action or deliberations will be able to understand from the agenda what the board will be doing at the meeting.
Places and Times for Meetings
Meetings must be held at places and times that are convenient to the public.
Voting
The vote of each board member must be publicly cast and recorded. Votes will be recorded in the minutes. If a motion carries unanimously and the minutes record the required information regarding which board members were present and absent at the meeting, an entry stating “Motion passed 5-0” or “Motion passed unanimously” is sufficient. However, if a motion passes with a vote of 3-2, the minutes must record the way each member voted.
During the Meeting
While enacted to encourage and facilitate an informed citizenry’s understanding of government, the Act does not guarantee a citizen the right to participate in the discussion or decision-making process at an open meeting. The Act provides that a person attending a public meeting may record the proceedings by videotape, audiotape or by any other method as long as such recording does not interfere with the conduct of the meeting.
What Constitutes a Meeting?
The Act’s definition of a “meeting” is sufficiently broad enough to include not only an officially scheduled, formally convened gathering of a public body, but also any informal gathering where a majority of the public body’s members are present and conducting business. The “conduct of business” includes not only taking official action, but the entire decisionmaking process in which the public body is engaged, including mere discussions and deliberation where no final action is taken. As a result, informal gatherings of a majority of board members trigger the requirements of the Act whenever public business is discussed. When a majority of the board members are together, it will be considered a meeting, and an agenda must be posted, and other rules of the Act followed. The Act also states that a public body cannot use electronic or telephonic communications to circumvent the Act, which could include emails and phone calls.
What to do if it is discovered that an action inadvertently did not comply with the Act?
If a board discovers that an action inadvertently did not comply with the Act, corrective action can be taken. The proper procedure is to begin the entire Oklahoma Open Meeting Act process over again, from filing notice to the posting of an agenda, holding an open meeting at which votes are publicly cast and recorded and so on.
This guide lists some of the major points of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, but certainly doesn’t cover the entire Act and all of its requirements. Boards should maintain a copy of the Act with the staff liaison to review if there are questions about meeting requirements.
Meeting Rules
For consistency, boards should conduct meetings in accordance with standard rules. These rules should match, as closely as possible, the rules adopted by the City Council for their meetings.
Conflict Resolution
BOARD MEMBERS
Board members are provided with positive options for resolving conflict that may arise during the course of a meeting.
Conflict resolution seeks to recognize and address underlying issues. It involves taking action to keep a conflict from escalating. As a board member, efforts should be made to manage conflict before it escalates.
What is Conflict?
Conflict is a struggle between people with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals. Conflict among groups of people working together is common because reasonable people often have different points of view. Although few people go looking for conflict, more often than not, conflict is a result of miscommunication between people. Conflict is not necessarily bad; it can serve to improve outcomes and decisions made by a group.
Understanding the nature of conflict and how board members can influence the results is the key to effective conflict management.
Reasons Behind Conflict
The primary reasons behind most conflict are:
• Differences
• Needs
• Perceptions
• Power
• Values
These are not negative things but they can become the cause of conflict when they are not understood or accepted. Determining how people feel or what they are thinking may help identify some of the reasons behind the conflict.
Differences are opinions that are unlike or dissimilar. It is not difficult to feel threatened or vulnerable when someone has a different opinion. Sometimes differences of opinion in one area may affect or damage a relationship in another area. But differences can also be beneficial and allow participants to see issues with an open mind. Boards have a responsibility to allow differences to be heard in a respectful manner.
Needs are conditions that are believed to be necessary or critical. They are not the same as desires, which may not be essential. Needs, on the other hand, are essential because they contribute to our self worth, our motivation and our performance. If needs are ignored, obstructed or confused with desires, they can be a reason behind a conflict.
Perceptions are an understanding based on the senses or the mind; they are an immediate and intuitive recognition or appreciation of an issue. Each individual has a unique perception of the
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world and the people in it, upon which actions are based. Edmond is a diverse city with many different life experiences and educations that shape individuals’ perceptions. Conflict may arise when others approach an issue from a different perception. Recognizing and helping others understand these varying perceptions is an important part of managing conflict.
Power is the ability to do or act. It can be positive when it means the ability to perform or act effectively. But in a conflict, power should not be used incorrectly to exercise control or to dominate. True power in managing conflict comes through understanding the differences, needs, perceptions and values of others.
A value can be a belief, a principle or a behavior that an individual thinks is extremely worthwhile. It is something of significant importance. Conflicts occur when a person interprets a value or principle of another person to be only a preference. Values can be a powerful force behind a person’s position in a conflict and it is important to respect those values during a conflict.
Responding to Conflict
Responding to conflict is a delicate balance between cooperation and assertiveness. People choose to respond to conflict in various ways. Some people choose to compete with others in order to win, whereas others choose to avoid a conflict all together. Some people will accommodate others by letting them have their way and still others try to find a compromise or collaborate to obtain a mutually acceptable resolution. The key is to choose the approach according to the needs and importance of the conflict. Two goals of every conflict are to clarify the issue and maintain the relationship.
Sometimes board members have a choice whether or not to be involved in a conflict. Several issues should be considered before a decision is made.
• The relative importance of the issue.
• The impact on the relationship with the other party.
• The potential consequences of engaging in the conflict.
Consideration of how an action or inaction will impact the board and its goals should be carefully weighed in advance.
Active Listening
In addition to knowing the reasons for the conflict, understanding the feelings of those involved in the conflict is also important in resolving the conflict. One way to do this is through active listening. Active listening is a way of listening and responding to others that improves shared understanding and trust. It is an especially useful skill in a conflict.
Active listening takes practice. It requires focusing on the speaker’s message instead of on the distractions of the presentation or the atmosphere and listening for ideas and not just facts. With active listening, the message takes precedence over the messenger; complete thoughts are identified from beginning to end. An active listener asks questions to clarify what has been said before presenting his or her own ideas.
Members should follow good listening rules:
• Be attentive;
• Be nonjudgmental;
• Allow people to finish;
• Stay on subject; and
• Make sure you understand what the speaker is saying before formulating your own position.
Steps to Resolve Conflict
Public meetings can be challenging but they are an important part of the democratic process. As a board member, efforts should be made to ensure that meetings are as effective as possible. The member’s role is not to eliminate conflict, but to guide the conflict to positive results.
Some suggestions to minimize conflict in a meeting are:
• Come prepared to every meeting, actively listen and ask pertinent questions;
• Carefully explain the purpose of the meeting, the expected outcomes, and the ground rules for the meeting;
• Be unconditionally constructive and address people with respect at all times;
• Treat all sides fairly and help balance emotion and reason;
• Focus on the issues, not the people, and separate relationship issues from substantive issues. Ask specific and neutral questions;
• Accept and deal seriously with difficult people and avoid repetitious debate with speakers and other board members;
• Provide for balanced discussion on proposals and motions by inquiry, listening and gaining understanding by using persuasion, not coercion;
• Ensure that all points of view have been heard;
• Always provide time for consultation with other members and staff before decisions or agreements are made; and
• Ensure that all solutions can be supported.
