Performance Monitoring & External Relations Committee: Members & Responsibilities
- The Board of Directors Chair will appoint the chairs and members of the Planning & Development and Performance Monitoring & External Relations Committees to an annual term.
- Each Board member should be assigned to one (but only one) of the Governing Committees (Note an exception: that Governing Committee chairs also serve on the Board Operations Committee). This will ensure that each Governing Committee has a “critical mass” of members and will guard against Board members’ overextension and the dilution of governance.
- The Chief Executive Officer is an ex officio, non-voting member of all Board Governing Committees and should whenever feasible attend Committee meetings.
- Committee action will be taken by a vote of the eligible voting members. A quorum for the purpose of conducting committee business consists of two voting members.
- Only Directors serve as members of the Board’s three Governing Committees.
- The Board Governing Committees may create advisory sub-committees consisting of non-Directors to assist them in carrying out their responsibilities.
- It is recommended that, to qualify as a Governing Committee chair, a Board member should have served at least a year as an active member of that Committee (after the Committee structure has been in existence for two years).
- Board members should make a commitment to attend Committee meetings regularly, be prompt and be prepared.
- All matters coming to the full Board should go through the appropriate Governing Committee and be introduced by Committee members. No action items should be introduced directly to the full Board, without having come through the appropriate Board Governing Committee, and all reports to the Board should be made by Governing Committee members (with the sole exceptions of the regular Chief Executive Officer report to the Board and when non-board advisory sub-committee members or staff members present special briefings under the aegis of the Governing Committees).
- Committees should meet far enough in advance of the regular Board meeting that Committee recommendations can be prepared in a full and timely fashion for transmittal to the full Board. Committee meetings should never be held in conjunction with the regular Board meeting since this would lead to ritualistic, rather than substantive, Committee sessions.
- Whenever a Governing Committee believes that the full Board should be involved in-depth in dealing with an issue, the Committee should take the initiative in recommending to the Board Operations Committee that a special full Board work session be held as part of the regular Board meeting.
- Governing Committee chairs and members should be rotated among Committees regularly to ensure that their governing experience is richer and more diverse. It is recommended that Committee chairs and members be rotated annually when feasible, and that no Committee chair or member serve a term of more than 2 consecutive years.
- The Committees should receive strong staff support, including the preparation of agendas and reports to the Board. The Chief Executive Officer and her Executive Team should work closely together to ensure that the Board’s Governing Committees are well staffed. A member of the Chief Executive Officer’s Executive Team should be assigned to serve as Chief Staff Liaison to each of the Governing Committees.
- While the Board Operations Committee should be involved in developing the Board agenda, it should not pre-review or revise the content of Governing Committee reports and recommendations to the full Board. All Board Governing Committees report directly to the full Board.
The Performance Monitoring & External Relations Committee is accountable for overseeing STA operational and financial performance, for updating of STA (non-governing) policies meriting Board attention, and for building a positive STA public image and maintaining relationships with the community at large and key stakeholders, in this capacity:
- Reaching agreement with the Chief Executive Officer on the key elements of an operational and financial reporting process, including the content, format, and frequency of performance reports to Board, and overseeing implementation of the process.
- Designing processes for gathering performance information other than formal reports, such as Board member facility visits.
- Reviewing performance reports in Committee meetings and reporting operational and financial performance to the Board at its regular business meetings.
- Reviewing operational policies meriting the Board’s attention (such as policies to govern STA financial management, contracting, and the like), identifying the need for revision, and recommending policy revisions to the full Board.
- Presenting an overall assessment of the past year’s operational and financial performance at annual strategic planning work sessions involving the full Board of Directors.
- Providing counsel to the Chief Executive Officer on major internal administrative system upgrades (e.g., a major MIS upgrade) involving significant costs.
- Ensuring that STA’s desired image is regularly updated.
- Overseeing the development and implementation of strategies for STA image building, marketing and public relations and for maintaining close, positive relationships with key external stakeholders.
- Overseeing the development and implementation of legislative/governmental relations policies and strategies.
- Recommending to the Board positions on legislative issues.
- Coordinating Board member speaking in appropriate forums on behalf of STA.
- Fashioning strategies and plans intended to enhance external communication.
- Approving Scopes of Work for Contracts in excess of the Chief Executive Officer’s authority.
- Recommending to the Board of Directors award of contracts in excess of the Chief Executive Officer’s authority.
Members
Council Member Pamela Haley
Chair Performance Monitoring & External Relations Committee
City of Spokane Valley
10210 East Sprague Avenue
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Council Member Lori Kinnear
Chair Pro-Tempore
City of Spokane
808 West Spokane Fall Blvd.
Spokane, WA 99201
Council Member Veronica Messing
Ex-Officio
City of Airway Heights
(Appointed by Airway Heights)
1208 South Lundstrom
Airway Heights, WA 99001
Council Member Don Kennedy
Ex-Officio
City of Medical Lake
P.O. Box 369
Medical Lake, WA 99022
Rhonda Bowers
c/o Spokane Transit
Labor Representative: Non-Voting
1230 West Boone Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
