Intermunicipal Organization/Cayuga Lake Watershed Network Joint Strategy Committee

On 23 August, 2000, the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (IO) and the Cayuga
Lake Watershed Network (the Network) participated in a joint meeting at the Ithaca Area
Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ithaca, New York. The stated purpose of the meeting was to
settle any outstanding differences between the two groups and to begin the process of defining a joint strategy to promote future cooperative efforts.

To facilitate increased effectiveness and efficiency of both organizations it was suggested that the IO/Network Joint Strategy Committee take the following actions:

• Develop a statement of common goals based on identification of organizational issues and priorities.
• Statement of common goals should then form the basis for developing a long-term plan of action that fits the visions and expectations of a ten-year management planning process into the reality of the NYDOS three-year contract.
• To aid in Joint Committee tasks, it was recommended that the Joint Committee develop and maintain a set of organizational charts that clarify the decision-making processes and committee structures of each organization.
• Develop a communications protocol for the purpose of keeping both Executive Committees apprised of the all sub-committee actions and findings. This might include taking responsibility for circulating committee-meeting minutes to the Executive Committees. Additional communication responsibilities should include timely distribution of all pending publications for review by the non-publishing organization prior to publication.
• Maintain an active and open dialog on organizational differences and work to build an intermediate process that will allow each organization to meet not only its own
  needs, but the interdependent needs of the other organization as well. (An example of an
  interdependent needs is timely provision of financial documentation for in-kind services provided.)
• Develop a separate Joint Finance Committee be formed for the purpose of keeping
  both organizations informed of pending grant applications. This will increase opportunities for
  collaborative grant applications and reduce the risk of duplicate applications.

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CLW IO 2004