A. General


The committees are the foundation of the Virginia Section. Although the Board of Trustees determines policies, provides leadership, and exercises control, it is through committee work that Virginia Section objectives are attained.

To insure that the Virginia Section membership has ample opportunity to participate in committee work, the Board of Trustees has set forth the following general policies governing committee appointments:

1.   The best-qualified, experienced members with a record of continued interest in the water supply industry and AWWA, in particular, should be appointed.

2.   A fair distribution of assignments through the geographical area of the Virginia Section should be provided.

3.   Appointees should provide a fair representation of the membership.

4.   Committee appointments should be rotated among the many qualified members.

5.   Committee membership should be reviewed and nonproductive members should be replaced at the discretion of the Committee Chair. Committee Chairs should annually verify that the committee's General Description of Duties and Responsibilities is up-to-date or provide an updated version to the Board of Trustees. In the case of new committees, the Chair should provide a new Description of Duties and Responsibilities. The normal term of office for committee chairs shall be included in committee description.

6.   Appointments should be limited to five consecutive years on the same committee if possible.

7.   If possible, the Committee Chair should have served on the committee for at least two years prior to appointment as Chair.

8.   The normal term of office for a Committee Chair should not exceed three (3) years. The Committee Chairs serve at the discretion of the Board of Trustees. Virginia Section/ VWEA joint committee chair term lengths are 18 months.

9.   All committee members shall be members of AWWA or the specifically designated representatives of Organization Members. In the case of joint committees, the committee member must be a member of either the Virginia Section or VWEA .

10. Committee members are appointed by the Virginia Section Chair on an annual basis based on the recommendation of the Committee Chair.

In order to limit the number of activities reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, the committees report to an assigned member of the Board of Trustees (see Virginia Section Organizational Chart in Section I of the Handbook). Each Committee Chair is responsible for submitting to the respective assigned Board member a copy of all committee correspondence and committee reports.

Committee Chairs are required to submit two (2) reports annually. The first report is the budget and work plan report due by the 1st day of December or a date specified by the Treasurer of the Section; and the second report is the yearly report of the activities due at the Virginia Section annual meeting. Each report should be submitted to the assigned Board member at least three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled meetings of the Board of Trustees. Committee Chairs may be invited to give their reports in person at the winter and Virginia Section annual meetings.

Committee Chairs are to provide a list of all planned committee activities for the coming calendar year to the Chair of the Education Committee by the first of December each year. This in no way restricts the committee from adding new activities during the calendar year. The dates and general content for all committee-sponsored training activities (as well target audiences), shall be coordinated with the Virginia Section Education Committee.

Committee Chairs are to report the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of committee members to the Board of Trustees at their winter meeting.