Understanding Board Policy
In 2001, the MTA Board of Directors adopted a new form of board governance – the Carver model of Policy Governance®. One of the most difficult issues faced by boards is how to define their relationship to both management, and the planning and execution of the day-to-day operational activities of the business. The Carver model simplifies these concerns by applying the following main themes:
The Board’s only employee is the CEO
The Board’s only link to the activities of the business comes through their governance policies. The Board creates policies with broad and specific values, and then turns the business over to the CEO to manage
Under the Carver model, there are several types of policies. One example is the Executive Limitations policies (EL). Your Board has created nine broad ELs. Basically, they set out what a CEO cannot do in his or her day-to-day and strategic management of the business. One of these has to do with Treatment of Consumers, which is identified as EL Policy 1.2.
Each EL has one broad provision, and may have many further provisions which are more specific in nature. In general, the policies are applied by the CEO and his/her performance is evaluated by the Board, in part through the policy monitoring process, which works as follows:
• The Board creates its policy provisions
• The CEO is required to interpret the policy provisions
• The Board determines whether or not the CEO's interpretations meet a reasonable interpretation test
• The CEO provides annual monitoring reports to the Board, including evidence to support his/her compliance with his interpretation of the policies, during that reporting period
• The Board determines whether or not the CEO has demonstrated compliance, via their review, and in some cases, an independent third party review, of the monitoring report
In the MTA Board's EL, Treatment of Consumers, there is 1 broad provision, and 7 further policy statements. Further provision #5 requires the CEO to in-part, “…inform the consumers of this policy or to provide a communication channel for persons who believe they have not been accorded a reasonable interpretation of their protections under this policy.”
The following is the Board’s policy on “Treatment of Consumers” in its entirety. Please take the opportunity to review the Board Policy, as it clearly defines the expectations you should have regarding how you will be treated by MTA as a consumer of our products and services.
Should you have questions or concerns about your protections as a MTA consumer under this policy, contact Jackie Kenshalo, MTA’s Manager of Public Relations at (907) 761-2424, or CEO Greg Berberich at (907) 761-2410.
POLICY TYPE: EXECUTIVE LIMITATIONS
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1. |
Use application forms that elicit information for which there is no clear necessity. |
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2. |
Use methods of collecting, reviewing, transmitting, or storing client information that fail to protect against improper access to the material elicited. |
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3. |
Fail to operate facilities with appropriate accessibility and privacy. |
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4. |
Fail to establish with consumers a clear understanding of what may be expected and what may not be expected from the service offered. |
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5. |
Fail to inform consumers of this policy, or to provide a communication channel for persons who believe they have not been accorded a reasonable interpretation of their protections under this policy. |
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6. |
Increase costs to a consumer by enrolling them in new non-mandated services/features without the prior consent of the consumer. |
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7. |
Fail to investigate and provide appropriate and timely follow-up to consumer complaints forwarded by Board member(s). |
Adopted: December 12, 2001
Amended: August 6, 2003
Amended: November 14, 2007
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| Mike Combs Chief Governance Officer of MTA Board |
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