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Organizational Guidelines

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(Revised January 21, 2015)

Meetings

  • The Partnership will follow the calendar year, January through December.
  • Beginning in 2015, meetings will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in January, March, May, July, September and
  • December. A November meeting would be reserved for the Elected Officials Caucus. Breakfast will be served at 7 a.m., meetings will begin at 7:30 a.m., and conclude at 9:30 a.m.
  • Hosting of the meetings (and funding the cost of breakfast) will rotate among the Partners – allowing visitation of multiple locations around the county.
  • Generally, there will be 7 meetings a year with the following months devoted to specific agendas:
    • July – Group requesting membership to give a presentation, if the organization meets membership criteria.
    • September – Discussion of the group requesting membership status.
    • November – Elected Officials Caucus in lieu of an official meeting.
    • December – The Partnership will host a “legislative” workshop, inviting select state and federal elected officials to attend and discuss upcoming legislative needs or concerns.
  • Meetings are public, however, the attending public needs to contact the Chair with a request to be added to the agenda. Unless added to the agenda, the attending public will be present as observing guests.

Meeting Agenda

  • Jurisdictional Updates
  • Featured Speaker or Program (if any)
  • Partnering Reports
  • Follow-Up Items (if needed)

Meeting Ground Rules

  • Treat all as peers
  • Maintain one conversation
  • Listen actively to assure understanding
  • Be on time and remain for the entire meeting
  • Assure maximum interaction among the participants
  • Make decisions only by informed consent – at no time is there voting in the Partnership decision-making process.

Roster

  • Each Partner will designate representatives to the Partnership meetings as follows: A primary and alternate elected official, and a senior staff member. These people, and their contact information, will be recorded and the information distributed on a Roster.
  • Partnership members will be notified of each meeting by the Chairing jurisdiction. Members may submit requests to the Chair for specific agenda items to be included. Such requests shall be submitted no later than 10 days prior to the meeting.
  • Some groups, such as the Housing Partnership, Douglas County Youth Initiative, Sheriff’s Department, and other elected officials are not expected to attend each meeting but may request, or be invited by the chair, to give reports.

Membership Criteria

  • The Partnership of Douglas County Governments is by definition an organization of governments within Douglas County. Applications will be accepted from local governments in Douglas County as defined by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
  • The cost of membership is defined only as the cost of serving breakfast as the monthly meeting host, which rotates among the members and the administrative cost incurred during the year in which the member government serves as Chair of the Partnership.
  • Many of the activities of the Partnership of Douglas County Governments revolve around municipal functions and coordination. Should any population served by a metropolitan district establish a city or town serving the same population, membership in the Partnership shall move from the metro district to the new municipality as soon as the new municipality is able and willing to join.
  • Further clarification if needed regarding membership can be found in the Resolution Establishing the Partnership of Douglas County Governments and updated August 8, 2006. No further criteria are necessary to determine the membership in the organization.

Media Relations/Communications

The Partnership Chair PIO or communications staff may represent the chairing entity to assure coordination and communication between Partnership organizations, and may also attend Partnership meetings.

  • The Partnership Chair will summarize information items at the end of the meeting and determine if there is a media opportunity appropriate to pursue.
  • With authorization to proceed, the Chair will draft or direct the drafting of the appropriate document and solicit approval from a media relations management committee appointed by the Chair.
  • Should a need arise for an interview, statement or other direct contact with the media, the Partnership Chair, or their designee, will act as spokesperson.
  • Significant media efforts such as news conferences or events will be coordinated at the direction of the Partnership Chair with consensus from the organization.
  • For any media inquiry occurring outside of a Partnership meeting, the Chair, in consultation with the media relations committee, will be authorized to prepare a response on behalf of the Partnership

Partnership Projects

Partnership members may present proposals for Partnership Projects which are consistent with Partnership Mission. By consensus at Partnership Meetings, the Partnership will determine whether to pursue the proposed projects

Partnership Chair Responsibilities

  • Serves as official Chair of Partnership meetings;
  • Set an annual schedule of meetings, and assures timely distribution of agendas, meeting materials, and minutes of meetings;
  • May cancel Partnership meetings in the event of insufficient scheduled business or planned attendance by members;
  • May call special meetings as deemed necessary or appropriate;
  • The Chair position will rotate among the Partners, according to the following schedule:
    • 2015 – Town of Castle Rock
    • 2016 – Town of Parker*
    • 2017 – City of Lone Tree*
    • 2018 – Douglas County Government / Larkspur
    • 2019 – Douglas County Libraries
    • 2020 – Douglas County School District
    • 2021 – Highlands Ranch Metro District
    • 2022 – City of Castle Pines
    • New Partners, if any, will simply be added to the end of the list.

Partners may defer or swap their “years,” with the mutual consent of a Partner following them in the rotation.

* The Town of Parker and the City of Lone Tree have agreed to switch years; Parker will serve as the Chair in 2016 and Lone Tree will be the Chair in 2017.

Partnership Vice-Chair Responsibilities

  • Serves as the Chair of Partnership meetings in the absence of the Chair
  • Becomes chair of the Partnership in the following year

Elected Officials Caucus

This event is held in November of each year and is organized and hosted by the incoming chairing entity.

The goals of the Elected Officials Caucus include:

  • Reviewing and celebrating Partnership accomplishments of the year
  • Encouraging a broader connection among Partnership governing bodies
  • Presenting a unified front for the county to officials representing areas larger than the county

Invitees to the Elected Officials Caucus should include:

  • Partnership representatives and governing bodies
  • Partnership spin-off groups (Douglas County Housing Authority, Douglas County Youth Initiative, etc.) and their governing bodies and key staff
  • State and federal representatives
  • Other interested elected County officials (Assessor, Treasurer, etc.)
  • Others, at the vice-chairs discretion, depending upon the focus of the caucus