SAP 1211.20

WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT

STANDARD ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE

# 1211.20 Duties of Board of Directors

Effective Date: 24 August, 2011 Review Date: August, 2014 No. of Pages 4

1. Purpose

To outline the duties of the Board of Directors as a body of elected individuals who

represent the residences of the Western Coventry Fire District in carrying out assigned

tasks and responsibilities that may change from time to time as specific needs arise.

2. Governing District documents:

Western Coventry Fire District Charter

Western Coventry Fire District By-Laws

3. Scope

This administrative procedure, in addition to all other approved District Standard

Administrative Procedures, applies to all members of the Western Coventry Fire District

Board of Directors. This administrative procedure is broad in its scope but is limited and

governed by the Charter and By-Laws of the District. The members of the Board of

Directors serve as representatives of the District taxpayers, and as such, act as the liaison

between the taxpayers and the Western Coventry Fire Department.

4. Duties

The Board members have overall duties consisting of the following:

4.1 Take reasonable care when making decisions for the District.

4.2 Act in the best interest of the District.

4.3 Act in accordance with the District's mission.

4.4 Stand aside when there is a conflict of interest.

5. Responsibilities

5.1 General

The Board of Directors shall be responsible and accountable for the overall management

of the District, the general terms of which are described in the Charter and By-laws. This

responsibility includes but is not limited to the direct oversight of the performance of the

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Chief, assuring of the use of sound and generally accepted organizational, business and

fiscal practices throughout the Department, the assurance of the following of all

applicable Federal and State laws, the creation of and upholding of District rules,

regulations, policies and procedures that are determined by the Board to be applicable

and are formally adopted.

5.2 Specific

The following are examples, but not a complete list, of specific responsibilities:

5.2.1 Review and approval of all significant contracts entered into by the District.

5.2.2 Determine appropriate insurance coverage for the District.

5.2.3 Responsible for the establishment of adequate internal controls for the

DistrictlDepartment.

5.2.4 Ensure that the District and Department remains in compliance with all applicable

Federal and State laws and regulations.

5.2.5 Approval of any unbudgeted expenditure.

5.2.6 Review and approval of all major organizational decisions, plans and commitments.

5.2.7 Responsible for monitoring the other elected officials to insure that they are in fact

satisfactorily performing their assigned functions and responsibilities.

6. Conduct

Members of the Board shall conduct themselves in a professional and dignified manner.

Members of the Board shall perform his or her duties in a manner he or she reasonably

believes to be in the best interest of the District and with such care as an ordinarily

prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. The thoughts,

ideas and wishes of all District taxpayers as they pertain to the Department including

those of the members of the Department are to be treated with respect when shared with

board members.

6. Meetings

Meetings will be held to conduct the business of the Fire District and to maintain

oversight of the Fire District and Fire Department. Meetings will be generally conducted

in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order. The Chairperson of the Board with the

approval of the Board may modify this formal procedure. Board of Directors' Meetings

will generally be scheduled on at least a monthly basis and will be publicly announced in

accordance with the RI Open Meetings Act (OMA). Except where authorized under the

RI Open Meetings Act, these meetings will be open to the public and will provide a

forum for Board members to be briefed on activities of the Fire Department and the

various working groups assigned by the Board. In accordance with the OMA, the Board

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may take formal action and/or vote only on those subjects announced or published in the

meeting agenda. The meeting agenda will generally be drafted by the Chairperson of

Board of Directors who will forward the agenda to the District Clerk in sufficient time to

be publicly posted as required by the OMA. From time-to-time, sensitive issues may

require closed sessions that must be announced and conducted in accordance with the

OMA.

8. Participation

8.1 For the purpose of efficiently carrying out the business of the District, each Director

is required to attend, at a minimum, eight of the previous twelve official meetings as of

the current date that call for the Board of Director's participation. Whether a meeting is

called to order because a quorum is present or postponed or canceled because a quorum is

not present, the Clerk shall be asked to record the names of all Board members that are

both not available and available to participate at the time of the scheduled formal

meeting. The Clerk shall also be requested to keep and post a record of the availability

and attendance of all Board members. Should a Director not comply with this attendance

requirement, the remaining board members may elect to request the resignation of the

non-complying Director and ask the Moderator to recommend to the Board a candidate to

fill the then vacant position for a period of up to the following Annual District meeting at

which time, the voters shall be asked to vote for a replacement Director .

.~ 8.2 Each Director has a responsibility to inform the Chairperson in a timely manner of

any inability to be available for any future scheduled meeting or inability to be available

for any extended period for unscheduled District business.

8.3 Each Director has a responsibility to inform the Chairperson in a timely manner of

any loss or change in his/her typically used channel of communication such as Email and

telephone numbers.

9. Chairpersons Duties

In accordance with District By-Laws, members of the Board of Directors shall elect the

Chairperson of the Board annually. The Chairperson shall generally be the Board's

single point of contact for the Fire Chief and inquiries made to the District regarding

matters pertaining to the District other than operational issues that will be dealt with by

the Chief. The Chairperson shall be responsible for the scheduling and conduct of regular

meetings of the Board of Directors and keeping the Board apprised of matters impacting

the District. The Chairperson shall be responsible for the orderly preparation of the

District Budget to be presented for taxpayer's approval at the Annual District meeting. In

the event the Fire Chief and the Administrative Assistant are one-and-the-same, the

Administrative Assistant shall report to the Chairperson of the Board for supervision.

The Chairperson shall prepare with the assistance of the remaining Board members, an

annual report to be presented at the Annual District meeting

10. Duties of Committees

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The Board may appoint Committees to ensure an equitable distribution of effort by

individual members of the Board of Directors and to provide an advocacy for specific

areas of interest to the Board. Such groups shall generally consist of any combination of

Board members, the Chief and taxpayers at large and be chaired by a Board member who

will regularly report to the Board regarding activities of that group.

The Board member assigned to a committee will be responsible for bringing to the

Board's attention such matters that may require Board action. This Board member thus

becomes an advocate and facilitator for the subject tasked to the specific committee and

is responsible for conducting work sessions as may be necessary to gather information

from groups or individuals who may have an interest in or knowledge of the subject.

11. Budget Preparation

The Board of Directors is responsible for the setting ofparameterslguidelines and

timetable for the preparation of the District's annual budget. In addition the Board is

responsible for assigning responsibility for the detailed preparation ofthe various budget

line items and for the subsequent review and modification, if necessary, and for the

presentation to the taxpayers at the Annual District meeting.

12. Member Qualifications:

Members of the Board of Directors shall be taxpayers in good standing (not in arrears in

payment of fire taxes to the District) and residents of the Western Coventry Fire District,

a minimum of 18 years of age and prepared to contribute an appropriate number of hours

to complete the duties of Board Members and their respective committees. Members

shall be prepared to represent the taxpayers in matters involving management of the Fire

District. Previous life, academic andlor business experiences of a broad and practical

nature is positive and desirable credentials as qualification for membership on the Board.

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