II. PACD POLICY PROCESS

What is a Policy?

A policy is a general concept, usually in the form of a positive statement, that is used to guide the long-term direction of the organization. PACD policies are formally considered at the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting (currently held in July).

Policies are not the same as positions. Positions are specific statements that relate to a particular program, legislation, or current activity. Positions are taken based on the policies of the organization and may be short-term. Positions may be considered at a meeting of the Executive Council or in between Executive Council meetings by the Executive Board.

The process to modify a current policy or to introduce and adopt a new policy is described below.

Phase I: Idea Formulation and Discussion

An idea for a new policy or an amendment to an existing policy is identified by a conservation district board, a PACD region, a PACD committee, or the PACD Executive Board. The idea is presented at a meeting where it is discussed and evaluated.

Phase II: Documentation and Formal Support

To become a policy, an idea must receive formal support. Formal support is accomplished through a proper motion that has been approved by a majority of the members attending a meeting of one of the following:

• a conservation district board;
  
• a PACD region meeting;
  
• a PACD committee (as defined in the PACD Bylaws); or
  
• the PACD Executive Board.

After obtaining formal support, the policy and supporting documentation is forwarded to the PACD Operations Committee.

Phase III: Operations Committee Review

The PACD Bylaws (Article X Section 3) states that the Operation Committee will "Review all resolutions for consistency with PACD policy and clarify resolutions for consideration by the Executive Council."

Policies are forwarded to the Operations Committee in one of two ways:

1. If the policy has received formal support at a regular PACD state meeting, a person such as the Committee Chairperson or designee must physically carry the policy to the PACD Operations Committee meeting.

2. If the motion for formal support has taken place outside of one of the PACD regular state meetings, the policy and supporting documentation must be forwarded in writing to the PACD office. In this case, PACD staff will forward the information to the Chairperson of the Operations Committee for inclusion on the agenda at the next meeting.

If the Operations Committee agrees that the policy may move forward to the Executive Council, the Committee will pass a motion at its meeting to forward the policy to the PACD Executive Council for review.

Phase IV: Preliminary Executive Council Review

The Chairperson of the PACD Operations Committee will present the policy to the Executive Council for review. If the PACD Executive Council concurs, the recommended policy will be forwarded to the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting for adoption.

Phase V: Adoption at PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting

All policies reviewed by the PACD Operations Committee and the PACD Executive Council must receive a final approval at the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting in order to be included in the PACD Policy Handbook. All policies to be voted on for adoption at the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting will be mailed to each conservation district office for review 45 days in advance of the meeting and posted on the PACD web site.

Phase VI: Inclusion in PACD Policy Handbook

The PACD Policy Handbook is updated annually after the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting and posted on the PACD web site. All new or amended policy positions are identified in the PACD Policy Handbook with the year of final approval. (Those policies without dates are policies that were approved prior to 1998.) All policies will remain in the PACD Policy Handbook until removed by the PACD Executive Council by a vote at the PACD Executive Council Annual Meeting.

Phase VII: Maintenance and Review

The maintenance and review of each policy section in the PACD Policy Handbook is the responsibility of the corresponding PACD Committee. Each PACD Committee is responsible for the annual review and evaluation of existing policies contained in the current PACD Policy Handbook to determine if an existing policy needs to be updated through an amendment or if an out-dated policy needs to be removed. PACD Committees will follow the process outlined in this document to recommend the amendment or removal of an existing policy.