Model Cities Properties

“The executive committee is comprised of board officers and chairpersons of any committee comprised by the board. The executive committee is authorized to act on behalf of the board on items that require action prior to a board meeting.”

“The organization has two classes of membership: voting membership consists of those individuals that are members of the board of directors of model cities of st. Paul, inc. Non-voting membership consists of persons who are volunteers providing services for the organization including members of any committees.”

“The voting members of the organization elect the organization's board of directors.”

“The form 990 is emailed to the finance and audit committee upon receipt and after review by staff. The committee reviews and makes a recommendation for the treasurer to present to the full board. Prior to the board meeting the form 990 is e-mailed as part of the board packet. If applicable, questions are discussed at the board meeting and a resolution offered for a vote to adopt and the form 990 is then filed.”

“Governance policy gb-23 on ethical conduct states a conflict of interest policy shall contain standards and codes of conduct which ensure that board directors, board consultants, contractors, staff or volunteers are not in a position of conflict of interest or the appearance of conflict of interest and do not use the agency relationship for personal gain. A disclosure questionnaire is required of each individual covered by the policy annually and the form is reviewed by the ceo to determine who had or will have the potential to be involved in an activity that might be interpreted as a possible conflict of interest. No board member, staff person, consultant or volunteer shall have direct or indirect financial interest in the assets, leases, business transactions, or professional services of the agency, except as expressly defined in the by-laws. This does not preclude the board from recruiting and electing board members who are vendors or service providers of the agency. The policy goes on to say that no director shall be the blood relative of the first order to any agency staff person. Board members cannot receive honoraria for work on behalf of the agency, except as specified in the by-laws. Neither the board members, nor their family members, shall be entitled to preferential treatment for services. At any time when a conflict of interest exists, the board director, volunteer, or consultant is to disclose the relationship and cannot participate in any vote or decision taken with respect to such transactions or services. Similar rules apply to staff. Staff signs off on the employee handbook that states no employee can participate in the recruitment, interviewing, hiring, or supervision of a relative. No transfer of property or lending of money is allowed between the agency and board officers, directors or staff. All employees shall disclose any conflict of interest regarding his/her work, and shall refrain from engaging in activities which may be perceived as being a conflict of interest. All proceedings related to conflicts of interest are documented in the meeting minutes or as otherwise appropriate.”

“A comparable wage study is performed to identify the agency's comparability with market wages and benefits with other similar non-profit agencies. Final wages are influenced by funds available. The wage study is presented to the board along with model cities pay ranges. The board determines the compensation for the ceo based on the study. The office manager presents the comparable wage study to the ceo for review and approval. A listing of all job titles, current wage ranges, market ranges, and recommended revisions are included in this final study. If approved, the ceo presents the final study to the board of directors for their adoption. The comparable wage study was done in may 2021 using data presented by the minnesota nonprofits salary & benefits survey that they collected in july 2019 and by the occupational employment statistics survey from the bureau of labor statistics and state workforce agencies with the wage ranges established becoming effective in january 2020. The next wage study will be performed in 2021 and will become effective in 2022.”

“The organization includes its financial information in an annual report - distributed to approximately 1,000 recipients which includes funders, donors, organizations, public officials, and other interested parties.”

“There were no changes to the process from the prior year.”