Tijuana River Watershed

Border 2012 Task Force Standard Operating Procedures

To ensure consistent and effective function of Task Forces, the following standard operating procedures (SOPs) were applied (in addition to SOPs and other guidelines developed and implemented as agreed upon by the individual Task Forces). Task Force SOPs addressed the following areas: Establishment of Task Forces, Task Force Representation, General Administration.

Establishment of Task Forces

All Task Forces were established to address issues of binational concern. Task Forces were established following a locally based approach. That is to say, the prime factors that guided the formation of Task Forces were publicly identified local/regional priorities as related to the goals and objectives of the Border 2012 Program.

1. New Task Forces were established in one of three ways:
   1. By Petition: Any border stakeholder group was able to submit a petition to the Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs to become a recognized Border 2012 Task Force. This petition included the following minimum information:
      • A description of the proposed Task Force mission and leadership
      • The Border 2012 goals and objectives that were to be addressed
      • Information that ensured that the proposed Task Force scope is not duplicative or not already being addressed by an existing Task Force
      • Decision-making model (i.e., consensus, vote, etc.)
      • A description of the proposed Task Force representation (i.e., government, academia, NGOs, private sector, the public, etc.)
      • Frequency of meetings and whether they were to be open to the public
      Petitions were accepted and considered at the meetings of the Regional Workgroups.
   2. By Co-Chair Consensus: The Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs established Task Forces and proposed leadership to address important short- or long-term environmental concerns in the border region that are not already addressed by existing Task Force efforts. The Co-Chairs considered the following information:
      • A description of the proposed Task Force mission and leadership
      • The Border 2012 goals and objectives that were to be addressed
      • Information that ensured that the proposed Task Force scope is not duplicative or not already being addressed by an existing Task Force
      • Frequency of meetings and whether they were to be open to the public
   3. Other: Other parties, such as EPA or a State, recommended the formation of Task Forces to the Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs shall consider the following information:
      • A description of the proposed Task Force mission and leadership
      • The Border 2012 goals and objectives that were to be addressed
      • Information that ensured that the proposed Task Force scope is not duplicative or not already being addressed by an existing Task Force
      • Frequency of meetings and whether they were to be open to the public
2. A Task Force was dissolved in one of two ways:
   1. A Task Force accomplished its mission: Once a Task Force completed the task or objectives that it was established to perform, it petitioned the Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs to be dissolved
   2. Poor Task Force Performance: A Task Force was dissolved or restructured if it is performing poorly (based on Implementation Plan and stakeholder feedback), veered from its original mission, did not produce measurable results to help accomplish Border 2012 goals and objectives, or by Co-Chair consensus
   Regional Work Group Co-Chairs made the final decision regarding the establishment and dissolution of any Task Force.

TasForce Representation and Decision-Making

Task Forces allowed for broad public participation. No single interest was allowed to dominate the representation of a Task Force. To the extent possible, Task Force decision-making was to be made by group consensus. Task Force leadership, decision-making, and rules governing terms, etc. were decided by group consensus. RWG co-chairs gave final approval to Task Force leadership.

General Administration

1. The following elements were baseline requirements for the administration of all Border Task Forces (the Operational Guidance included additional administrative responsibilities for the Task Forces):
   Task Forces announced meetings (including agendas) within thirty days (30) of each meeting. Meeting announcements were widely disseminated and included, as resources are available, posting on the BECCnet, written notices (flyers, letters, etc.), radio announcements, newspapers, and other publications. At a minimum, meeting announcements were posted to the BECCnet.
2. Task Force meetings were open to the public unless confidential discussions are deemed necessary for the effective pursuit of the objective (e.g., Enforcement Task Force).
   If a meeting was not open to the public, Task Force leaders made themselves available to answer questions from the public or the media or provide a means to report progress and respond to public inquiries.
3. Meeting agendas were in English and Spanish by simultaneous interpretation services as deemed necessary by the Task Force leadership and as funding permitted
4. Task Forces made every effort to convene meetings in easily accessible (i.e., reasonable accommodation for handicap accessibility must be made) and convenient locations.
   Every effort was made to take advantage of free space and in-kind services of partner organizations.
   Meeting notes and summaries, records of attendance were made publicly available and posted to the Internet.
5. Implementation Plans were made publicly available and posted to the Internet
6. Each Task Force scheduled regular meeting and posted to BECCnet
7. Task Forces informed RWG co-chairs of decisions, actions, public statements, etc. at the first opportunity