GOVERNING BOARD MEETING
September 30, 2003
Marriott Conference Center
Moorhead, MN

Strategic Planning Minutes

The vision, mission, and goals are complete. These strategic plan items will be presented to the general membership at the Wednesday general session.

The board plans to continue to refine the objectives at the January meeting. The board also plans to approve the vision, mission, and goals at the January board meeting.

This meeting discussed a three-fold approach:

1. Refine the current objectives
2. Decide which committees are tied to the objective
3. Have the trustees roll the plan out to the membership at their district meetings

TO DO TASKS
Each council will review the goal-associated objectives and refine the number to 5 or less objectives by the end of the conference or the following week. Below are the goals and the assigned council

1. Provide educational opportunities to increase the drinking water community's knowledge (Training Council)
2. Promote an active and diverse membership (Public Affairs)
3. Identify, develop, maintain, and enhance partnerships with others to leverage our resources (MAC)
4. Optimize organizational structure and administrative practices (Administrative)
5. Promote an effective legislative and regulatory environment for the water community (WUC)

What do we want trustees do?
education (district schools)
district ambassadors/mentors
provide information to members and non-members
increase participation and membership (trustees should be on membership committee)
represent your district on the WUC (have a phone conference, does AWWA have the ability to help us with that?)

What does the trustee at large do?
should be the assistant to the Secretary/Treasurer

Review annually how the section is following the goals/objectives (This could/should be a section-position task - assigned to someone)

Encouraging volunteerism. There are multiple openings on National level councils, committees, and divisions.

Vision
The Minnesota Section of the AWWA will be the leading force in Minnesota dedicated to safe drinking water.

Mission
Our Section will provide information, education, and networking opportunities to the drinking water community to promote public health, safety, and welfare.

Goals And Objectives (achieve in the next 3-5 years):

1. Provide educational opportunities to increase the drinking water community's knowledge
    · Educate industry members
Partner with MRWA and MDA schools to provide additional training
Ensure there are technical and professional training opportunities for members
    · Increase public awareness of water issues
Promote attendance at Drinking Water Institute for Teachers and partner with SMM for financial sessions
Continue to enhance participation and activities at State Fair
Create and distribute brochure on fluoride and bottled water
    · Provide training on Emergency Response Planning
    · Provide training on safe work atmospheres for water and wastewater industry
Create a safety component to the already regularly scheduled education programs

2. Promote an active and diverse membership
    · The membership committee shall regularly (bi-annually) reinforce the value of membership to Minnesota's members
Writing and placing articles in Breeze newsletter
Discussing activity at the Annual Conference.
    · The membership committee shall provide mailings specific to MN Section members
Write letters encouraging membership renewal
    · Grow membership
Have a goal of 25 new members per year and 400 total by 2008
Add 10 small utility systems per year for 5 the next years
Increase volunteerism by 10% of total membership annually
Increase operations level memberships by publicizing more educational opportunities for maintenance, distribution and meter reading personnel
    · The section shall develop programs to increase diversity in the water profession such as creating an Ad Hoc Diversity Committee
    · The section shall recruit women and minorities to AWWA thereby increasing memberships
    · The Board shall increase MN Section Involvement on National AWWA Committees
    · The committee chairs shall recognize achievements of MN Section Members

3. Identify, develop, maintain, and enhance partnerships with others to leverage our resources
    · Enhance partnership with Rural Water and MDH to connect with small systems, promote education to small systems, and to provide regulatory information to small systems
Maintain a booth at RWA Conference and annual schools and seminars
Give out free AWWA memberships as door prizes at Rural Water and MDH events
Provide AWWA information and assistance to RWA/MDH meeting and education coordinators
Offer to provide resources at events
    · Form a task force to identify and develop new partnerships
    · Increase outreach effort to identify potential partners
    · Develop and strengthen partnerships with MN Water Quality Association; MWOA; DNR; MMUA and Universities
Involve this list as speakers in training and educational events

4. Optimize organizational structure and administrative practices
    · The Board will annually hold a Leadership Retreat in conjunction with the January board meeting
    · The Board will review administrative and organizational documents
Administrative Council review the strategic plan annually
Board review the bylaws every 3 yrs
Board review the financial practices annually
Board conduct a financial audit annually
Board review management practice and processes every 3 years
Board review the organizational structure every 3 years
Board should provide training opportunities for board members annually
    · The Administrative Council should evaluate technology in relation to income and expense bi-annually
    · The Board should create and maintain Board training materials annually

5. Promote an effective legislative and regulatory environment for the water community