A Message from President Vikki Zuehlke WCMC/CMC

Dear WMCA Members,
I don’t know about you, but if Spring doesn’t come soon, I’m hopping on a plane and going somewhere where there’s sunshine, would anyone care to join me?
Your Board of Directors braved the weather in April (it snowed again) for their meeting. It was a long one due to the February meeting being cancelled because of snow. We were provided training on the dynamics of running a successful association by Ross Ament and continued the education of the Governance Model, as well as learning about the importance of empowering the staff of the association. WMCA has a Coordinator that provides much needed organization and processing of the day to day functions of the association. What the Board learned is that it should evaluate some of the duties that Board volunteers are doing and consider having them done by staff to alleviate duplication of efforts as well as taxing the volunteers who also have full time employment when staff could handle tasks more efficiently or effectively.
We also approved the packet sent out by the Annual Conference Elections Committee which will assist you in applying for an office position with the WMCA. What a great packet of information to help you through the process! If you have ever thought about getting involved and giving back to this amazing organization, do yourself a favor and fill out that packet. New friendships, professional development and rewarding moments await!
The Manuals Committee continues to work on the policy and procedure manual. They presented the job descriptions for the offices of President, Past President, Treasurer, Secretary, 2nd Vice President and 1st Vice President. Past officers were asked to look at these positions and send comments and suggestions to the committee so it can be ready for the June meeting and approval.
Another topic we discussed was redistricting. The presentation given by Chris Astrella, Michelle Ebert and Gina Gresch was well received. The MTAW Board will be looking at the information provided and letting us know if they are interested in pursuing it further so the district lines are the same for both organizations since we sometimes share training and meeting dates. If both boards decide to move forward, these changes will most likely be made next year, we will keep you posted.
At our June meeting, the Board will be discussing the Governance Model to determine if they will reduce the size of the Board of Directors. This is one of the goals listed within the Strategic Plan to evaluate. Currently the WMCA Board has 25 voting members and what we are learning through education and training on governing associations is that the industry standard for a Board is 5-7 members. The WMCA had 14 members when it started 30 years ago and as tasks grew for the Association, new Board members were added. What we are learning is that the Board of Directors is charged with setting policy, law and procedures and then directing committees or task force coordinators to go out and complete the tasks. When a Board is too large, it is difficult to come to consensus and it becomes difficult to know who is responsible for what. The board is not nimble and opportunities are lost to progress in other areas because it becomes difficult to make decisions. At the April meeting, the Board came to consensus that they would look at 2 options in June for reducing the size of the Board with Option 1 being a 5-7 member board and Option 2 being a 12-14 member board. Once discussions start, there may be other outcomes of the numbers; it may look different than the two options. The results of the June meeting may change the WMCA Constitution if the Board votes to reduce the size. This will then be voted on at the annual conference in August. If you have questions about this, please feel free to call or e-mail me.
I’ve really enjoyed traveling the state and meeting some of you at your district meetings! I braved the last storm and met with District 2 in Tomah and District 3 in Prairie Farm. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you in May at your district meetings!
Don’t forget to look in the Quill for all the excellent training opportunities available. UW Green Bay Institute is fast approaching as well as the Master Academy. They do a phenomenal job of providing top notch education as a very reasonable rate. The 2013 conference is also right around the corner, so don’t forget to reserve your room and register for the conference when the forms come out in the next week. It’s going to be a great opportunity that you won’t want to miss!  

Vikki Zuehlke WCMC/CMC
WMCA President
Village of Waterford
123 N River Street
Waterford, WI 53185
Racine County
ph. 262.534.3980
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
 

The picture above is your 2012-2013 President Vikki Zuehlke