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performing a civic duty without compensation. The least the civic body should do, is cover the unpaid CBMs for the actions they take or fail to take when acting as members of the Board. If they tell you they have none, we suggest you get uninvolved quickly. The job can be a nightmare of legal fees even a judgement against you. Most CBMs are covered by the municipality as a matter of policy, however some still are not. If in doubt ask your legal counsel for an opinion. Tired Eyeballs This is a disease contracted by CBMs for Park Rec. All staff people send you paper to read, study, analyze, .. and to comment upon at the drop of a hat. They do not understand that CBMs look for reasons not to read 100 page books written in technical language that they do not understand. The SOLUTION to tired eyeballs is a heart to heart talk with your administrator. You do not want anything put in your mail that does not have a cover letter from the administrator. The letter states what the enclosure is and what the administrator's recommendation for board CBM action. This sure cuts out a lot of un- necessary paper in CBM wastebaskets. The Board Members' Authority You are part of a group, or board; you have 14% of the action from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. every other Monday night. You do not have authority any other time. You do not give staff instructions, overrule softball umpires, change game schedules, issue press releases, tell employees to clean up their act, or all of those other things. You tell the administrator; he or she is responsible for the day to day operation, in- cluding all staff. Of course you can talk to the staff — anytime — as you go to different parks and visit various programs. Ask them about what is going on, how the residents like it, etc. The only no -no is do not give them instructions; that's not your job. Tell the administrator what you saw and what your thoughts were about the program, he needs to know. 14 Length of Board Meetings Board meetings are where we minutes and waste the hours American way. The longer the meeting, the less gets done. /1: approve the This is the Any board meeting lasting more than 2 •rj�2 hours is a waste of the time of those l a attending. Get the garbage off the •� agenda. Don't chatter about details. Speak up on the issues — but only once. Restating your case weakens your position each time you speak. Ruthlessly insist upon organized, well run meetings so the time of every board member will be saved. You will be surprised at how fast you will get unanimous support. Stick to Agenda or Why Have One If you want to get home by midnight you must stick to the agenda. Most gavel holders are shy about interrupting other CBMs, but if Board conversation wanders all over the field it's a long night. Item 7 is the Country Western Dance Classes and that's all we talk about until we dispose of this item. When you ask for the floor your subject should be the Dance Classes, NOT anything that comes to your mind. Exaggeration in Speech Some people use this for emphasis. Do not be one of them. Your remarks quickly get dis- counted heavily by the other CBMs. "A lot of people have been calling me." Now all the others get some calls, not many, and neither do you. When a CBM says lots of people have been calling me, the other CBMs say to each other, "I wonder who called?" The same goes for "many people stopping me on the street," means one person. It is better to state that Susie Smith called me about the boys' soccer program and I said that I would bring her concern before the Board at the next meeting. (Be sure you call Susie back after the meeting.) 15