Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JANUARY 20, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: BOARD ADMINISTRATION 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN - MOTION 43 RESPONSE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE response to Motion 43 (Garcetti, Solis, and Najarian) that directed the Board Clerk to prepare a Strategic Plan (Attachment A).
Issue
ISSUE
Directors Garcetti, Solis, and Najarian introduced Motion 43 (Attachment B) at the May 20, 2021 Executive Management Committee meeting, and the Motion was formally approved at the May 27, 2021 Regular Board Meeting. This Motion amended Metro’s Administrative Code to refer to the Board Secretary as Board Clerk, and directed the Board Clerk to prepare a strategic plan, including but not limited to:
1. Delivering continuous improvement to encourage meaningful public engagement and improve accessibility of Board meetings, materials, and public comments; and
2. Continuation of effective public engagement options developed as Metro and L.A. County jurisdictions responded to the pandemic and its recovery process.
Background
BACKGROUND
Led by the Board Clerk (formerly the Board Secretary), the Office of Board Administration (Board Administration) is currently a 22-member team. Board Administration is comprised of the Board Office, Legal Services, the Dorothy Peyton Gray Research Library and Archive, and the Records Management Center. The Board Clerk, as the agency’s record keeper, is responsible for keeping accurate minutes, and for producing Committee and Board Meetings. The department handles public records requests, claims for damages, electronic records management, and manages the research library and archive. As the department has moved away from a paper process and embraced technology in multiple facets of business operations, the need for innovation has increased exponentially. Board Administration no longer solely plays an administrative role at Metro but is an important strategic partner for the agency. This team is composed of future-thinking, highly skilled individuals who strive to keep Metro transparent, responsive, equitable, and accountable. Transparency and public engagement are crucial to the democratic process, and to quality decision-making by our Board of Directors. As the conduit between the public and the Board of Directors, we aim to remove any barriers to access.
As such, the Board Administration 5-Year Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan) lays the foundation for tackling the following challenges, as identified by the department: interdepartmental communication, effective public engagement, and access to information.
Although not included in the Strategic Plan, the team had some early wins:
• Beginning in July, in coordination with the Office of the CEO, agencywide board report and agenda system training was reinstated.
• In August, in coordination with County Counsel, the Board Clerk held Brown Act and Robert’s Rules of Order Training for Metro’s Advisory Committee Managers.
• Beginning in September, public comments emailed and/or made during Committee and Board meetings have been categorized into the following categories: for, against, item needs additional consideration, or general comment. These are then included with the Board meeting minutes.
• Since November, Metro’s Claims for Damages form has been available online in Spanish. Previously it was only available online in English. Additionally, both forms are now fillable PDFs.
• Beginning in November with the start of the new Carl Warren contract for legal claims, lessons learned have been identified and the Legal Services Team and the Project Manager in Risk Management have created an improved path forward for processing claims, handling customer complaints stemming from non-responsiveness, and miscommunication.
• Beginning in November, the Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library implemented an E-books platform and an engineering standards digital library for employees, both of which can also be accessed by remote workers.
• In late November and early December, outreach began on creating an On-Boarding program for new Board Members and Board Staff.
Additionally, the Information Technology Department has been testing different virtual platforms for hosting Committee and Board Meetings, as well as other public meetings. Based on their findings, the option of moving from the current platform to a more user-friendly platform is on the horizon.
Lastly, as the recovery process continues and meetings are held in-person again, the public will continue to have the option to participate via telephone for submittal of comments at Committee and Board meetings in addition to in-person, US Mail, and email options.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Findings
The Board Administration 5-Year Strategic Plan has four goals, each with subgoals and yearly milestones. The Strategic Plan is a roadmap for Board Administration and gives our customers a clear picture of where we plan to be and how we will get there in five years.
The goals, with some highlighted subgoals, are:
1. Ongoing workforce development.
• Subgoal 1.3: On-Boarding Program for Board Members - Develop a comprehensive on-boarding program to welcome and orient new Board members.
2. Responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization.
• Subgoal 2.1: Comprehensive Research Support - Leverage the Library’s unique collection of resources, and its staff’s research expertise, to assist the Board of Directors, employees, and the public, in making key decisions.
3. Enhanced public engagement with Metro’s Board of Directors.
• Subgoal 3.1: Public Comment Systems - Evaluate and implement additional options to promote public engagement at meetings while running meetings as safely as possible.
• Subgoal 3.3: Public Access to Archived Board Meeting Documents - Improve internal and external access to records of past Board decisions so it’s easier to evaluate future decisions in context.
4. Improve agencywide Strategic Knowledge Management, utilizing innovations in preservation, access, and curation of Metro’s information.
• Subgoal 4.4: Archival Management - The Dorothy Peyton Gray Transportation Library and Archive is the largest transit operator research library and archive in the nation, and it is vital to successfully manage, curate, and guarantee viability of the collection into the future. This includes establishing curation of the agency’s data as a new standard research service.
Considerations
Board Administration conducted comprehensive research to assemble this Strategic Plan, including reviews of Los Angeles City’s Office of the City Clerk’s FY18-22 Strategic Plan, Los Angeles County’s Executive Office FY17-21 Strategic Plan, and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Transit Board Member Handbook (2018).
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the budget with this action. However, projects and initiatives contained within the Strategic Plan will require funding. Budget development and requests for funding will follow the appropriate process and will be initiated based on meeting yearly milestones.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The Chief Executive Officer’s realignment at the end of September brought the Research Library, Archives, and Records Management Center under the Office of Board Administration. Consolidation of these departments reduces barriers to Metro knowledge by providing a one-stop shop for a large amount of Metro’s information.
The Strategic Plan seeks to optimize this new alliance by supporting one another in curation of knowledge and utilization of technology to meet the Strategic Plan goals. The result will be more equitable access to information for internal staff and the public. Additionally, the Strategic Plan mitigates barriers to accessing information by increasing engagement with the Board in multiple formats of communication and different languages. For example, optimizing search capabilities of historical board actions, integrating an online translating service for forms, and continuing to provide telephone access for public participation and submittal of comments at Committee and Board meetings in addition to in-person, US Mail, and email options.
Ultimately, this will provide a more transparent and responsive agency.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This recommendation supports Metro’s Vision 2028 goal 5 to provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization. Further, the goals contained within the Board Administration 5-Year Strategic Plan are connected to the following Metro subgoals under goal 5:
• Subgoal 5.3: Metro will develop a transparent data management policy that addresses open data, data storage, and data protections.
• Subgoal 5.4: Metro will apply prudent commercial and business practices to create a more effective agency.
• Subgoal 5.7: Metro will build and nurture a diverse, inspired, and high-performing workforce.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will return annually with an update on milestones achieved and will return in FY2028 with an updated 5-Year Strategic Plan.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Board Administration 5-Year Strategic Plan
Attachment B - Motion 43
Prepared_by
Prepared by:
Matthew Barrett, Director, Library Services & Records Management, (213) 922-7444
Christina Goins, Deputy Board Clerk, (213) 922-4610
Omar Camacho, Sr. Manager, Systems Projects, Research & Records Information Management, (213) 922-2335
David Lor, Principal Transportation Planner, Research & Records Information Management (213) 922-2883
Shelly Ray, Principal Transportation Planner, Research & Records Information Management (213) 418-3040
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Collette Langston, Board Clerk, (213) 922-2837
