Agendas & Minutes

When and where is the next Council meeting?  What is on the agenda for the next Council meeting?  What took place at the previous Council meeting?

Workgroups

Formation of the five workgroups is intended to provide an organized focus for the council's duties and will allow others to follow discussions that are of interest.

Organization of Work
The Council recognized the potential value of combining related tasks and duties into areas of focus.  From its own membership, the Council formed five workgroups, which were each responsible for addressing their areas of focus.  The Council agreed that all substantive decisions and/or recommendations made by the workgroups were to be reported back to the full membership for their consideration and final disposition.  Formation of the workgroups provided a helpful focus on the issues and had the added benefit of achieving a voluntary division of labor based on individual member expertise and interest.  Council members were encouraged to serve on as many workgroups as they wished, and many served on more than one subgroup.  The workgroups and tasks were organized as follows:

Workgroups

Tasks

1: Public Awareness & Recognition
  • Monitor the effectiveness of the statewide water conservation public awareness program developed under Section 16.401 and associated local involvement in implementation of the program; and
  • Develop and implement a public recognition program for water conservation.

2: Metrics & Trends
  • Monitor trends in water conservation implementation; Monitor target and goal guidelines for water conservation to be considered by the board and commission.

3: Regional Plan Implementation
  • Monitor the implementation of water conservation strategies by water users included in regional water plans.

4: Resource Library & BMPs
  • Monitor new technologies for possible inclusion by the board as best management practices in the best management practices guide developed by the water conservation implementation task force under Chapter 109, Acts of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003; and
  • Develop and implement a state water management resource library.

5: Certified Training
  • The Council shall conduct a study to evaluate the desirability of requiring the Board to:
    1. designate as certified water conservation training facilities entities and programs that provide assistance to retail public utilities in developing water conservation plans under Section 13.146; and
    2. give preference to certified water conservation training facilities in making loans or grants for water conservation training and education activities.

 

Decision Making Process
The operational approach adopted and practiced by the Council includes:

  1. Developing an adopted Charter and Bylaws.  The organizational charter outlines the purpose, goals, form and function of the Water Conservation Advisory Council.
  2. Holding agenda-driven, all-day meetings of the full Council every 30-90 days.
  3. Council meetings are to be posted and open to the public and provide an opportunity for public comment.
  4. Holding workgroup meetings or discussions as needed in person and/or via teleconference or the Internet.
  5. Pursuing consensus on substantive decisions made by the full Council but accepting the passage of motions by a majority vote on the basis of affirmation by two-thirds of the voting Council members present.

All Council meetings are open meetings, posted in the Texas Register and on the Council web site.  Email advisories are also issued for each meeting.  A public comment period is included in each Council meeting.  Drafts of Council documents are posted on the web site and emailed to a large number of interested parties.  Information on the draft documents and invitation to comment is also made available.  E-mails are sent to interest group members who have requested information on Council reports and activities.