Member ballot: Vote to get confusion off the MTA

Matanuska Telephone Association members received a somewhat daunting ballot in the mail recently, but MTA staff said the proposed changes will help bring MTA's bylaws and articles of incorporation up to date.

During the past year, the MTA board has worked to implement the suggestions found in the "Carver Guide, Basic Principles of Policy Governance," a guide which the board agreed to follow to more effectively fulfill their duties.

"I'm really impressed," said MTA Senior Executive Assistant Connie Egger. "They're really committed to it. It's nice to see that."

Egger explained that the seven bylaw amendments are a result of a bylaw review that was completed by two board members and an MTA attorney. For the most part, she said, the changes bring the bylaws and articles of incorporation in line with existing practices at the utility.

The offices of vice president and treasurer would be, if the proposal passes, eliminated. But Egger said the offices were mostly namesakes anyway.

"A treasurer is bogus," Egger said. According to the bylaws, the treasurer has custody of all association funds and is responsible for the receipt of … and for the deposit of all monies in the name of the association. But those duties have not been performed by the board treasurer -- at least not for a very long time.

"The board never does that," Egger said. "Perhaps, when they had a small company, they did that."

Other items simply give the board a little more flexibility. The nomination approval time line, for example, would stipulate actual months, instead of a window of days, in which the board must approve an election nominating committee. Similarly, the bylaw setting out the regular meeting schedule of the board is proposed to be changed from monthly to a minimum of quarterly meeting dates.

"There are times of the year when the board really doesn't need to meet," Egger said.

That's not to say the board will cut its meeting schedule to just four meetings. Meetings will be, Egger said, as often as necessary in order to complete business -- most likely 10 to 12 times a year.

Board members will be required to attend 20 percent of all meetings held -- including special meetings and workshops. The bylaw, according to information from the co-op, would make the meeting requirements stricter and would also eliminate the term "excused absence."

The change to MTA's articles governing compensation would, pending approval by members, outline that the board is responsible only for approving the salary and compensation of the chief executive officer. The article now states the board is responsible for fixing "the powers, duties and compensation of officers, agents and employees …"

"The board doesn't set the salary for people at MTA," Egger said. "The way this reads … we just have to clean it up."

Perhaps the biggest change proposed would increase the board size from five to seven and establish districts to ensure broader membership representation. This was the only proposed change that did not have the unanimous backing of the board.

"Increasing the board size was very difficult for the board," Egger said. "The five-member board is working very well."

While Egger said strategically, for her, a larger board would prove more difficult because scheduling meetings could become a problem, the goal of the increase is to boost member representation, specifically for members in the northern Mat-Su.

"No matter how hard you try to get a candidate from there, they just don't file," Egger said.

In addition to the seven proposed changes to the bylaws and articles of incorporation, two board seats are slated to be filled. Three candidates filed -- Benny Cottle, Bill Hogan and Al Strawn.

MTA's annual meeting will be the last chance for members to cast their votes. The meeting will be June 12 at Raven Hall, with voter registration beginning at 5 p.m. The business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with an address by 2002 Iditarod champion Martin Buser.