Policy 7.4.1 Incoming Local Trust Committee Correspondence: General

Extracted text (beginning)

POLICY – 7.4.1 Incoming Local Trust Committee Correspondence: General Page 1 
 
Policy: 7.4.1 
Approved By: Trust Council 
Approval Date: December 4, 2013 
Amendment Date(s):  June 8, 2021 
Policy Holder: Legislative Services Manager 
 
INCOMING LOCAL TRUST COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE: GENERAL 
 
Purpose 
To establish guidelines for processing incoming correspondence addressed to local trust committees, local 
trustees and local planning services staff, in a consistent, efficient and transparent manner. 
Scope 
This policy addresses how to process incoming correspondence to local trust committees, local trustees and 
local planning services staff. 
The Legislative Services Manager is authorized to make minor, non-substantive amendments to this policy to 
maintain its currency, such as updates to references to legislation and position titles. A log of such minor 
amendments will be maintained as an attachment to the policy. 
The Legislative Services Manager and other staff may develop administrative procedures and tools to 
implement this policy. 
Principles 
1. Local trustees, local trust committees and local planning services staff should receive correspondence 
addressed to them in an expeditious manner. 
2. Correspondence addressed to a quorum of a local trust committee that is relevant to the actions or 
decisions of the local trust committee should be received in an open and transparent manner, so that 
those with interests in the topic have an opportunity to hear and respond to all information 
considered by the local trust committee that has been received within the relevant time limits for 
decision-making.  
3. Despite the principles of openness and transparency expressed in Principle 2, Islands Trust bodies 
should not consider correspondence from anonymous sources and should not consider or publish 
written materials that are defamatory, profane or otherwise inappropriate for general circulation. 
Senders of such correspondence should have the opportunity to have their views considered by a local 
trust committee by being informed of the necessary amendments that would make their 
correspondence eligible for receipt and circulation on an open public agenda. 
A. Definitions 
"Correspondence" means any addressed written communication received by mail, courier, facsimile 
transmission, email, webmail or other electronic format, or in person. 

 
POLICY – 7.4.1 Incoming Local Trust Committee Correspondence: General Page 2 
"Defamatory" means false statements communicated to other people about a person that tends to 
hurt the person’s reputation. 
“Webmail” means email that is received through generic email addresses posted on the Islands Trust 
website.  
B. Policy 
Guidelines 
1. Correspondence addressed to local planning services staff and individual trustees 
1.1 All incoming correspondence received by planning support staff that is addressed to a 
local planning services staff person or a local trustee, and is not marked private and/or 
c

First 3,000 characters. Open the original for the whole document.