Policies and Policies and ProceduresProcedures

Policies and Procedures

One of the primary responsibilities of every conservation district board is to provide guidance and leadership to the district supervisors, district staff and volunteers.

While almost every district has policies, very few of them are written down and easily available for staff and board guidance. During times of challenge and change, written policies can make the difference between success and ‘going back to the drawing board’.

Written policies are an important management tool to capture the products of the board’s decision-making actions and provide guidelines and directions for the daily operations of a conservation district.

A supervisor should know their district’s policies and procedures and why they are important.

“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility…in the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have…is the ability to take on responsibility.” Michael Korda – writer, novelist, and former editor-in-Chief of Simon & Schuster

What is policy and procedure?Policy

Policy is a consistent guide to be followed under a given set of circumstances.

The key work here is guide.

A good policy will not lock you into rigid procedures or decision making. It will provide guidance for handling a wide range of organizational and programmatic issues, and will establish a framework for both management and staff decision making.

Good policies are: broad, current, comprehensive, inviolate, written to specify responsibility for action, and used frequently.

ProcedureA procedure is a sequence of steps for completing a given activity.

Procedures outline the manner in which a particular policy is to be implemented, but it cannot take the place of that policy. Procedures change often as dictated by factors such as staffing, equipment, space, and technology.

P & PExample

A school board sets a curriculum (policy) that schools must follow and the learning expectations for each grade level.

The principal has the duty of monitoring teachers, determining if the teacher is teaching according to policy and if not what procedures need to be taken. (procedure)

Why Do We Need Policies?In these times of increased visibility and responsibility for conservation districts, it is more important than ever that district boards and staff conduct district business in ways that are efficient, professional and above-reproach.

Conservation districts must be aware that they are public entities and are responsible for implementing approaches to district operations that abide by state and federal law.

Too often policies and procedures are created to make sure a bad decision made in a crisis is never repeated. Conservation districts that practice proactive policymaking can save themselves a great deal of anguish in a crisis situation that demands instance response.

Making PoliciesMaking policy and procedures does not have to be difficult or time-consuming. District policies and procedures should always be written to conform to legal, moral and ethical mandates. Most policies and procedures dealing with how a conservation district conducts business on a day to day basis can be developed through a series of simple questions:

1. For which district situations, issues, programs or procedures do we need policy establishing clear guidelines and procedures?

a. They will usually be the ones that involve (1.) interaction between people-whether it be internally involving those associated within the district or externally when dealing with the public (2.) the ability to do something (or not have to do something) and (3.) money.

2. Do we have any legal or programmatic guidance on how these issues, programs, or procedures should be handled?

a. These would be things like Employment Laws, the Ethics Act and guidelines in the programs such as the nutrient management program or the nonpoint source pollution abatement program.

3. What do we intend this policy to do? / What outcomes do we expect to see? / What is the purpose of this policy?

a. Policies should be necessary and should be used to ensure fairness and consistency. They can also be helpful in situations where it is helpful to take out the human factor in a decision. An example might be decisions about who gets to go to requested training or meetings and the type & amount of expenses that will be reimbursed.

Make it OfficialAll conservation district policies and procedures (as well as position statements) should be officially adopted at a monthly district meeting.

Process for policy adoption:1.Once developed into a final draft, a proposed policy or procedure should be distributed and discussed at a district meeting.2.The official adoption of the policy/procedure should be done at the following district meeting to allow the district supervisors time to contemplate the intent and consequences.

NOTE: It is recommended that personnel policies should be reviewed by your local Conservation Specialist.

Why Create Policies? More efficient internal operations – policies can spell out how the office should run,

the types of communications that should occur among staff and between staff and supervisors, etc.

Professional public image– i.e. Public Access to District Files. The public does have access to it. It makes the district more professional to have a written policy that outlines the procedures and can be given to the public so it doesn’t look like the District wasn’t prepared for the request and is reacting by just making things up as they go along.

Help with orientation of new supervisors & staff– New supervisors and staff have a lot to learn about what the district is and what the district does. Having established policies that outline required training and related information they can refer to when needed, can reduce their confusion and give them a greater understanding of the goals and character of the district.

Time savings– Thinking ahead about how specific situations and issues will be handled eliminates having to discuss and debate how to handle these situations and issues every time they come to the forefront.

Why Create Policies? Legal requirements– Some laws require employers to adopt certain policies to guide the actions

of their staff and management. Example: Non-Discrimination Policy and Policy against Sexual Harassment in the workplace.

Contractual requirements– for funding, as a state agency or other agreements.

Reduce the possibility of District being seen as arbitrary, biased or unfair.– Having – and following – a policy when dealing with the public and with district employees shows that the district wants to be fair and consistent in how it conduct its business. Of course, in this case, following the Policy is just as important as having it.

Capture Board decisions – District Boards often make “policy” decisions when they are dealing with an unexpected wrinkle or turn of events in a program.

If the Board takes the time to analyze the situation and look at the best possible solution, their decision should be recorded. That way, if similar situations occur in the future, the District won’t have to search back through months or years of minutes to find out how the District resolved the situation initially.

What Type of Policies? Personnel– Districts with employees need to establish policies. Districts with

district employees can look to the CSCB and to other districts for examples of what’s necessary and useful. Many policies are defined by state and federal law – such as overtime compensation.

Use of vehicles, equipment, electronic communications– These types of policies are becoming more and more necessary as districts grow. Policies to guide behavior in using district equipment and facilities may reduce the district’s degree of fault if lawsuits with these items occur. The disregard of such policies can also establish a legal basis for terminating an employee’s employment.

Staff appearance and conduct– These policies are important to the district’s professional image. Again, the disregard of such policies can establish a legal basis for terminating an employee’s employment.

Board functioning– Examples of these policies would deal with Ethics, Open Meetings, Open Records, the board’s working relationship with the district employees, and even how the board sets policy.

Types ofPolicies

Fiscal matters– These are important to every district. They can cover:– How bills are paid– How funds are handled– What bank accounts the district maintains– Whether or not staff/supervisors can use credit cards

Dealing with the public– These are also very important to every district. Their greatest impact may be felt when a district doesn’t have a policy in place when they should.

Example: District participation at a board meeting when a controversial issue is being discussed. How that meeting will be conducted and how much input will be accepted from concerned citizens should be decided on – and made known to the public – before the discussion and debate begins.

Where do I keep the Policies?P & P Manual

All policies should be kept in an easily accessible and track-able format. A simple policy and procedure manual is just a collection of policies and procedures that have been agreed upon during meetings and reviewed and/or updated periodically.

The Policy and Procedure Manual (P&P) should not be a dust collector referred to as a reference of last resort after a problem has developed.

In today’s environment, it needs to be a living document of policies and procedures that forms the foundation of any conservation district.

Why are they important?

Basis for defending an action, a behavior, or a practice before an arbitration body.

A P&P manual gives the consistency necessary to deliver services in an efficient and logical manner.

Memos and oral tradition are insufficient vehicles to disseminate policies and procedures.

It exists to answer the what and how of operations.

As is the case in medical record’s parlance, “if it isn’t written, it didn’t happen.”

Maintain and reviewJust as important as creating a policy manual, a conservation district needs to maintain and review the manual it creates. One of the first policies you may want to consider is a policy on how policies are created, adopted, reviewed.

District policies/procedures should be reviewed with all new (and existing) district staff and supervisors as part of an established orientation process.

Remember, too, that investigations into some business situations and issues (such as accusations of sexual harassment) actually look at whether or not training is held – sometimes on an annual basis – to deter the situations or issue being investigated.

If such training is not conducted, the conservation district can be held partially liable for the actions.

KEY POINTS• A supervisor should know their district’s policies and

procedures and why they are important.

• Policies must be officially adopted at official District meetings.

• Policy is a consistent guide to be followed under a given set of circumstances.

• A procedure is a sequence of steps for completing a given activity.