Highlands Council

“The bylaws were changed to increase the number of voting members on the board of trustees from a maximum of seven to a maximum of fifteen.”

“The president, treasurer, executive director and controller will review the form 990. The president will sign and a final copy will be sent to board members for their records before filing with irs.”

“The purpose of the conflict of interest policy is to protect the interests of highlands council when contemplating entering into a transaction that might benefit the private financial interests of any interested person (director, principal officer or member of a committee with governing board delegated powers). Per the policy, the interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and all material facts to the directors and members of committees considering the proposed transaction. Such directors or committees decide if a conflict of interest exists and reviews the conflict of interest. After disclosure and any discussion with the interested person, he/she shall leave the governing board or committee meeting while the determination of conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The minutes of the governing board and all committees with board delegated powers shall contain the names of the persons with an actual or potential conflict of interest, the names of the persons present and the content and record for discussions and votes relating to the transaction. Each director and officer shall periodically sign a statement that affirms that they have received a copy, understand and agree to comply with the conflict of interest policy.”

“The council allows the public to access governing documents and the annual budget via their website. Any other financial information and the conflict of interest policy is available to members upon request. Non-members may request information via written request.”

“The highlands council staff is small, but the volunteer commitment is huge! Total volunteer time dedicated to highlands council's community building efforts are over 3,000 hours annually. In fy20 over 100 community volunteers were engaged on highlands day, with over 50% of the volunteers between the ages of 14-18. These volunteers work a minimum 3-hour shift, totaling over 300 hours of service on one day alone! Other volunteer roles include writers for the community media (120 hours), community group leaders and committees (1200 hours), youth advisory board members (600 hours), community garden ambassadors and garden volunteers (500 hours), special event committees (620 hours), and the board of trustees (30 hours in meetings alone). Volunteers are provided worthy work and rewarded for their time with fun benefits that often include commemorative t-shirts, meals and snacks during the time of service, appreciation events, and print media recognition. Highlands council recognizes a community volunteer of the month and annually, from the twelve, selects a community volunteer of the year.”