Transcript How to Work with Government

How to Work with
Government
Building & Maintaining
Relationships
Involve & Inform

Keep lines of communication open
– Invite legislators and local officials to annual
summer tour, flood control dam inspections
and fall Awards banquet
– Send monthly meeting agenda the week
before District board meeting (as well as a
public meeting notice at the start of each
calendar year.)
– Provide newsletters to government officials,
producers and agency personnel, as well as
annual reports, ACKNOWLEDGING SUPPORT
from localities
Involve & Inform
– Attend local public meetings to keep
abreast of current local issues and
address natural resource concerns
– Encourage participation in District’s
Strategic Plan development
– Take an active role in locality
Comprehensive Plan reviews &
development of ordinances
– Make displays available for government
offices
Working with our Legislators
Attend VASWCD Legislative Day in
January
 Work closely with Association’s Legislative
Committee chair
 Respond to legislative alerts from
Association with e-mail, phone contacts
and written correspondence
 Work with NACD legislative contact on
federal issues, including Farm Bill, dam
rehabilitation and conservation funding
issues

Budget requests to localities

Make formal written budget requests in a
timely manner
– Categorize requests (operations, employee
compensation, watershed)
– Describe what funds will be used for
– Calculate benefit ratio (for every $ received,
__X__ benefit in services)
– Include current financial reports, Annual Plan
of Work, & Annual Report
– Meet one on one with local gov’t. officials/staff
– Report income generated in-house (through
sales/rentals, etc.) and by grants
SWCD’s – We have a mission!
 Market
your SWCD
 Make sure local governments &
legislators know who we are and that
we have a mission
– Directors are elected officials, and are
the local voice for natural resource
issues
– Districts are established by state law
and are a viable source of technical
expertise in the arena of conservation.
Tips For
Running Effective
Meetings
An Efficient Agenda






Day, Date, Time, Place
Meeting Call to Order
Declaration of Quorum
Additions to Agenda
Approval of Minutes (Date)
Treasurer’s Report (Date)
AGENCY REPORTS
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
DCR-Division of Soil & Water Conservation
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
Virginia Cooperative Extension
VA Dept. of Forestry
U.S. Forest Service
Planning Commissions
VA Dept. of Environmental Quality
VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries
VA Dept. of Health
Shenandoah RC&D
Augusta County Agricultural Coordinator
Agenda (con’t.)


DISTRICT REPORTS:
– Dam Safety & Maintenance
– Finance-Legislative-Personnel
– Education
– Agriculture & Cost-Share
– Forestry & Riparian Buffer
 Easements
– Land Use
 Water Monitoring
OTHER BUSINESS
Minutes Packets
 Send
out minutes/agenda/related
documents the week before the next
meeting.
 Send as attachments by e-mail,
whenever possible
 Post agenda to web-site
 Encourage written agency reports in
the interest of time (to be used as
attachments to minutes)
Committee Structure
 Dam
Safety & Maintenance
 Finance-Legislative-Personnel
 Education
 Agriculture & Cost-Share
 Forestry & Riparian Buffer
– Easements (Sub-Committee)
 Land
Use
– Water Monitoring
Encourage Commitment from
Individual Directors
 Committee
structure
– Committees are set up based on
Strategic Plan goals
– Encourage participation based on
individual’s interest/expertise
– Schedule committee meetings on annual
calendar
– Decisions/recommendations made in
Committee - brought to the full Board
What makes a quality SWCD?
 Trained,
professional staff who work
as a team
 Dedicated Directors
 Active, involved Associate Directors
 Good working relationship with
agency partners
 Mutual respect