The Town of Carrboro is recruiting for a Carrboro representative to serve as Board Member of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA).
The position will become available upon the completion of a term held by Robert Morgan that is set to expire on June 30, 2021. The Carrboro Town Council will consider applicants for appointment in June 2021.
Interested Carrboro residents may apply at http://www.townofcarrboro.org/FormCenter/Town-Clerks-Office-25/Advisory-Board-Application-97
Please learn more at https://www.owasa.org/board-of-directors/ and review the Board Member Job Description below:
OWASA Board of Directors
Board Member Recruitment Statement
Governing a critical public utility effectively requires a group of dedicated volunteers with a broad range of knowledge and experiences. The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) Board of Directors is unique in that it is in fact a governing Board and, therefore, does not simply advise the elected bodies on issues. Our Board of Directors addresses a wide variety of issues including infrastructure investment, employee compensation and benefits, finance and rate setting, customer service and affordability, environmental protection, forestry, public health, and community engagement, among others. Experience in these areas can be helpful, but specific technical experience is not required; the only true qualification needed is a genuine commitment to serve the community. Former Board members have found serving on the Board to be a meaningful and rewarding experience, though this level of community service does require a significant investment of time and energy to prepare for and attend meetings. OWASA embraces diversity and inclusion in everything we do, and we encourage all interested candidates to apply with Carrboro, Chapel Hill, or Orange County for appointments to our Board of Directors.
Organization
OWASA is a public, non-profit agency, designated by the NC General Statutes as a special purpose unit of local government, to provide water, sewer and reclaimed water services to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. OWASA is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors.
Mission Statement
We are a community-owned utility providing our customers high quality and reliable water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services through responsible and creative stewardship of the resources we manage.
Board Appointments
Appointments to the OWASA Board of Directors are made by the Chapel Hill Town Council (appoints 5); the Carrboro Town Council (appoints 2); and the Orange County Board of Commissioners (appoints 2). Board members serve staggered three year-terms, subject to the power of each appointing body to remove its appointees with or without cause.
Board Authority
The Board of Directors is solely responsible for the governance of OWASA, and acts in a fiduciary position with respect to the entire service community. Its primary duties include establishing policy to assure that OWASA accomplishes its statutory mission and complies with its contractual and other legal duties, including sole responsibility for adopting budgets, rates, fees and charges. The Board is responsible for hiring of the Executive Director, General Counsel and Auditor.
Board Member Responsibilities
Must take an Oath of Office to discharge faithfully the duties of his/her office, to abide by the constitution and laws of the United States and of North Carolina, and to exercise his/her best judgment as a member of the Board of Directors.
Regularly attend Board and Committee meetings.
Each Board member should prepare for and participate fully in an effort to contribute his or her knowledge and skills to the collective deliberations of the Board, to the end that the Board’s decisions and policies are the product of nine members’ efforts, skills, and experiences, and thus stronger by way of the Board’s deliberative process, and thus more assuredly in the best interest of the organization.
- Must vote and shall not be excused from voting except on matters involving consideration of his/her own official conduct, or where his/her financial or personal interests are involved; must disclose potential conflicts of interest, and may ask the Board of Directors to recuse him/her from duty to vote based upon conflict of interest.
- Must be aware and abstain from any conflict of interests.
- Keep an open mind, deliberate together, and foster a positive working relationship with other Board members and staff, and take care to act in compliance with Open Meetings and Public Records Laws.
- Acts in a position of trust for OWASA’s current and future customers and for the community and other stakeholders.
- Have a genuine interest in OWASA’s continued success.
Board Member Time Commitment
The OWASA Board meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. The first meeting of the month begins at 6:00 P.M. and is held in the OWASA Community Room (400 Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro); and the second meeting of the month begins at 7:00 P.M. and is held in the Council Chamber at Chapel Hill Town Hall (405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill). During declared State-level emergencies, the Board can meet remotely per amended N.C. General Statutes 166A - Public Bodies/Remote Meetings During Declared Emergencies, Section 4.31.(a) Article 1A. The Board of Directors does not meet the fourth Thursdays of November and December due to the holidays.
- Board members are expected to prepare for Board and Committee meetings by reading the agenda and supporting documents, which typically total 50-100 pages and may take two to three hours of document review.
- Board members are also expected to serve on one or more Standing Committees of the Board. The number of Committee meetings can vary greatly, but there are generally one or two different committee meetings per month.
- Board Member Compensation
- Board members receive lifetime pass to the OWASA recreational facilities, $50 compensation for attendance at each Board Meeting, Special Meeting, Work Session, and Standing Committee meeting of the Board. In lieu of a meeting attendance payment, the Board Chair receives a $250 monthly stipend regardless of the number of meetings attended.
For More Information
Please visit the OWASA website at www.owasa.org or contact the Clerk to the Board at 919-537-4217.
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