Board Information Request Procedure

Administrative Procedure

The Board shall have the right to receive information regarding College operations in order to perform its duty as an oversight body and to make policy decisions. Moreover, individual Trustees shall have the right to receive information in order to perform their duties as Trustees.

These procedures shall be designed to ensure that the Board receives complete, accurate, and consistent information in a timely manner. Except for situations that are pre-determined and mutually agreed upon by the CEO and Board, the Board or any individual Trustee will direct requests to the CEO. The CEO shall have the discretion to direct other College employees to respond directly to Board or Trustee requests.

Requests for information may be made in two ways:

1. By Board Action/Resolution.
2. By individual Trustees in the performance of their duties as defined by the Michigan Community College Act and Board Policy 1.5.

Requests for information shall be categorized as follows:

1. Existing Information – documents or reports that are already prepared.
2. Customized Information – documents or reports that need to be modified to meet the needs of the Board or a Trustee, and which require staff effort to prepare.
3. New Information – the development of a document or report, to meet the needs of the Board or a Trustee, where data from one or more sources requires significant staff effort to collect and prepare.

The process for Board requests shall be:

1. By Board action or resolution.
2. If the request is for existing information, the CEO will provide the information to the Board as soon as it is practical to do so or within five business days from the properly-noticed meeting in which the request was received.
3. If the request is for customized or new information, and deemed reasonable and feasible by mutual consent of the Board and CEO, the CEO will provide the Board with a projected timeframe for the completion of the information within five business days from the properly noticed meeting where the request was made.
4. In the event the CEO needs additional information from the Board to respond to the Board’s request for customized or new information, the CEO may contact the Board Chair for clarification and the Board Chair and CEO may agree upon a revised timeline for completion.
5. In the event unforeseen circumstances arise or changing priorities alter the CEO’s ability to provide the customized or new information within the agreed-upon timeframe, the CEO will notify the Board and will provide a revised time for completion.
6. The Board may withdraw a request for customized or new information by Board action or resolution at any properly-noticed meeting.

The process for individual Trustee’s request shall be:

1. A verbal or written request made to the CEO.
2. If the request is for existing information, the CEO will provide the information to all Trustees as soon as it is practical to do so or within five (5) business days from receipt of the request.
3. If the request is for customized or new information, the CEO will acknowledge the receipt of the request in writing to all Trustees, thus ensuring transparency and open communication among all Trustees.
4. If the request is for customized or new information, and is also deemed reasonable and feasible by the CEO, the CEO will provide the information to all Trustees in a timeframe agreed to by the Trustee and CEO. If the CEO decides that the request for customized or new information is not reasonable or feasible, the CEO will direct the requesting Trustee, if he or she chooses to pursue the request, to make it at the next properly-noticed Board meeting so that the rest of the Board
   can have input on the request. In the event unforeseen circumstances arise or changing priorities alter the CEO’s ability to provide the customized or new information within the agreed upon timeframe, the CEO will notify all Trustees and will provide a revised time for completion.
5. If the Board deems an individual trustee request for customized or new information to be unreasonable or not feasible, the Board may (at a properly-noticed meeting) take action to delay, suspend or direct the CEO to not respond to the request.
6. The Trustee may withdraw a request for customized or new information at any time. The request must be presented in writing.

The following guidelines shall be observed:

1. Trustee requests for information shall be limited to information related to their role as individual Trustee, as noted in Policy 1.5, and not to use the services of College staff to conduct investigations, perform research, or obtain information for personal purposes.
2. In situations other than those predetermined by the Board and CEO, if a Trustee contacts an employee for information, the employee will refer the matter to the CEO or Cabinet-level supervisor. The purpose is to ensure the Trustee receives a timely, accurate, and complete response.

Change Log

• 04-17-2018  Initial procedure approved by Board to become effective 7/1/2018 | Board of Trustees
• 07-01-2018  Effective date of procedure | Board of Trustees
• 04-28-2020  Board review; no change | Board of Trustees