Your co-op, July 2002

Policy governance

Our board of trustees, along with boards of many cooperatives throughout the country, conducts its business using the policy governance model. In this model, the board drafts policy in four categories to direct the cooperative:

• Ends: The board defines which human needs are to be met, for whom, and at what cost. Written with a long-term perspective, these mission-related policies embody the board’s long-range vision.
• Executive limitations: The board establishes the boundaries of acceptability within which staff methods and activities can be left to staff.
• Board-staff linkage: The board clarifies the manner in which it delegates authority to staff, through the CEO, as well as how it evaluates staff performance on the ends and executive limitations policies.
• Board process: The board determines its philosophy, its accountability, and specifics of its own job. The effective design of its own board processes ensures that the board will fulfill its three primary responsibilities: maintaining links to the membership, establishing the four categories of written policies, and assuring executive performance.

For further information on the policy governance model, visit the website, www.policygovernance.com, or feel free to contact the Board Administrator, at board@pccmarkets.com or 206-547-1222.

PCC Board activities

The next board meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 30 at the PCC Offices. The first meeting of the new board term was June 25. We’ll report on that meeting in August, as it occurs after the publication deadline of the July Sound Consumer. An opportunity for members and staff to address the board is scheduled, as always, at 7 p.m. Please note that the agenda for each board meeting is not firm until approximately one week before the meeting and so is not available in time for publication of open session times in the Sound Consumer. Please check the website at Board Meeting closer to the time of the meeting for more details on the agenda, or call the office at 206-547-1222 if you don’t have Web access.

Business basics

Each year about this time businesses all over the country issue their annual reports and PCC is no exception. The annual report for 2001 made its first appearance at our annual meeting in April. Like all annual reports, PCC’s annual report contains a summary of the audited income statement and balance sheet for PCC as well as information on activities during the past year. Feel free to pick one up at the stores or contact the office for a copy (206-547-1222).

How to get in touch with us — email us at board@pccmarkets.com

What do YOU think?

What would be an incentive for you to attend the annual meeting?

PCC’s board and management organize an annual meeting every year in April to report to the membership on the cooperative’s financial resources, how those resources have been translated into services, and to initiate discussion on the mission and direction of the co-op. This meeting is only lightly attended by the member-owners of the co-op. We would like to hear from you, long-time or recent member of PCC.

Tell us what would be an incentive for you to attend the annual meeting? What can the board and management provide or organize that would make it worth your time to attend? What day of the week would you prefer? What activities could be linked to the annual meeting?

Email us your response to board@pccmarkets.com , or address your letter to the PCC Board of Trustees, 4201 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105. You can also call and leave a message with the Board Administrator, at 206-547-1222.