Business Procedures for MAFPE Quarterly
Executive Committee Meetings

1. Points of Contact: Agency Principals will identify agency Points of Contact (POC) and place their names on the MAFPE Web Site http://water.usgs.gov/mafpe/exec.html. POC's will serve as their agency's day-to-day contact point and will handle meeting preparation for their principal. The ad-hoc committee will develop a "job description" for agency POC's for presentation at the next meeting.
2. Chairing Agency: The host agency Principal will chair the meeting. The Principal's POC will be responsible for organizing the meeting and reporting out afterwards.
3. Meeting Operational Needs: All meetings will be facilitated. The Chairing Agency will provide a recorder to capture meeting content. The facilitator can be supplied by the Chairing Agency or come from another MAPFE member agency. Following the meeting, the facilitator will work with the recorder to prepare a typed record of the meeting minutes for posting on the MAFPE website within 30 days. The need for a travel budget for the facilitator will be evaluated on an as need basis.
4. Decision Making: MAFPE principals only will vote on decision items. The group will strive to make decisions by consensus (i.e., I can live with it). If consensus cannot be reached, an alternative solution will be arrived at. As a last resort, a majority vote will prevail. A running list of voting members will be maintained on the MAFPE web page.
5. Hosting Meetings: MAFPE will develop and recommend a rotational roster for Agency meeting hosts. Meeting locations should be readily accessible. Those agencies that have not hosted will be put on a list for hosting the next meetings. Once an order has been established, the original order will be followed to eliminate duplication.
6. Establishing Meeting Dates: The next meeting date or a list of selected alternatives will be established during the meeting, preferably prior to the end of the day (e.g., as the first order of business after lunch).
7. Invitations to Non-principals: Non-principal invitations for the following meeting will be addressed during the current meeting.

1. Agenda Items: Meetings will generally designate agenda items for decision points, information presentations and updates, and information sharing. A desired outcome statement will follow each agenda item on the agenda. Items with decision points will be so annotated on the agenda by an asterisk.
2. Agenda Development: Agenda items for the next meeting will be solicited at each quarterly meeting. Agenda item discussion for next meeting will be briefly initiated during ongoing meeting and finalized by Host agency for the next meeting using input from Agency POC's. Agencies are expected to provide topics, issues and items for the development of a meaningful agenda. A brief summary of the previous meeting will be included in the agenda.
3. Availability of Agenda and Meeting Materials: Thirty days prior to the next quarterly MAFPE meeting, the meeting draft meeting agenda and all written materials related to the agenda must be made available to agency POC's.
4. Inter-action with Coastal America: Coastal America (MARIT) information exchange sessions for Principals will be included as agenda items twice a year (every other meeting). During at least one quarterly meeting per year, MAFPE/Coastal America staff will met separately for a half day at the same location.