In preparing for a board meeting, a good place to begin is to clarify what details are useful to someone making decisions about the direction of a system (board of directors) compared to someone responsible for day-to-day operations (operators, superintendents and managers).
The board needs to understand the following:
- Compliance status
- Large operational changes
- Results of tracking goals and key performance indicators
- Exceptional employees
- Bad news
- Resources required to operate
- Overview of asset condition
- Large issues with contractors
But they generally do not need to understand most of this:
- Day-to-day problems
- How to operate the system
- Minor employee and customer issues
- Detailed status of assets
- Most issues with service providers
- Small details of purchasing decisions
Your board is looking to you as a trusted advisor and really do want to know your advice on how to proceed.
Board Meeting Agenda
For most board meetings, there is an agenda prepared and specific items will be placed on the agenda. Commonly, an agenda will also include supporting materials to provide board members with a chance to get up to speed on specific items prior to the actual meeting. Agenda items should be clear and to-the-point. Photos are excellent, especially if detailing condition of utility assets or highlighting employee achievements.
Most of the time staff presenting to a board will have a presentation and/or handouts prepared. Focus on being succinct and straightforward, with a clearly spelled out recommendation if that is the reason for communication. Briefly detailing the following will help board members be comfortable in their decision-making:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
- How
Board Questions
Once the presentation and handouts have been presented, the boards are generally given the opportunity to ask questions. If you are not comfortable with this, consider practicing with someone who is willing to ask tough questions. You want to ensure your responses are:
- Always honest
- Not speculative – don’t lie or guess. “I don’t know, but I’ll look into it,” is a great response.
- Made in a cool manner – if you are getting frustrated (or a board member is), many items can wait until the following board meeting to be resolved.
Work Sessions
Many utility boards will also have some regular version of “work sessions” where staff and board members are allowed to discuss items without a requirement to vote on a course of action immediately following the presentation. These are often held a week or two before regular meetings and give board members time to consider their decisions before voting.
Work session items can typically take more time than during a board meeting and include more in-depth discussion of options, operations, finance and managerial concerns. Sometimes, work sessions may be held on topics without voting planned in the future. Common items here include:
- Updates on construction progress,
- Compliance status updates, and
- Presentation of potential action items at a very high level.
- For example, details about a stormwater utility, potential changes to billing practices, etc.
Feedback is generally sought from board members, which is then used by utility staff when preparing presentations for the board meeting.