City: Atoka, OK | Rural Water District Board Member Training and Region 4 Membership Meeting | November 19th, 2026; 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Instr: ORWA Staff and Board
November 19 @ 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Regional Membership Meeting + RWD Board Training
ONE-DAY AGENDA
| DATE Thursday, November 19, 2026 |
TIME 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. |
LOCATION Atoka Community Center; 909 W Liberty Rd, Atoka OK |
AUDIENCE RWD board members, managers, and ORWA members/prospects |
Purpose: Provide six hours of practical governance training while using the midday block to connect regional systems with ORWA leadership, programs, resources, and membership opportunities.
Morning Board Training
Three-hour training block | 8:00-11:00 a.m.
| Time | Session | Focus / Intended Outcome |
| 8:00-8:10 | Welcome, Introductions & Training Overview | Set expectations; identify participant needs and regional concerns. |
| 8:10-9:20 | Public Water System Sustainability | Connect board decisions to long-term operational, financial, and organizational sustainability, including staffing, maintenance, compliance, service reliability, and long-range planning. |
| 9:20-9:30 | Break | Networking and refreshments. |
| 9:30-10:10 | Title 82: Rural Water District Authority & Responsibilities | Review the statutory framework, board authority, and core responsibilities of an Oklahoma RWD. |
| 10:10-10:35 | Nepotism & Dual Office Holding | Recognize conflicts and common compliance risks affecting appointments, employment, and public service. |
| 10:35-11:00 | Open Meetings & Open Records: Foundations | Introduce notice, agenda, meeting, executive-session, minutes, and records responsibilities. |
Lunch + ORWA Regional Membership Outreach
Two-hour membership and networking block | 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Lunch provided
| Time | Session | Focus / Intended Outcome |
| 11:00-11:15 | Regional Welcome & ORWA Update | Introduce ORWA leaders and frame the Region 4 priorities carried forward from the July meeting. |
| 11:15-11:45 | Lunch & Member Networking | Facilitated introductions: system needs, current challenges, successes, and peer connections. |
| 11:45-12:10 | ORWA Programs, Services & Member Benefits | Highlight the LMS, Finance Corporation resources, technical assistance, training, field support, and available member services. |
| 12:10-12:35 | Membership Recruitment, Retention & Contact Updates | Discuss outreach roles, membership materials, prospective-member follow-up, annual system-review touchpoints, and directory updates. |
| 12:35-12:50 | Regional Needs & Technical Assistance Discussion | Gather input on operational challenges, financial capacity, growth, training priorities, and additional support needs. |
| 12:50-1:00 | RIG, Legislative Issues & Board Outreach | Brief update on RIG advocacy, Board-training legislation, OWRB financing developments, and opportunities for Board member engagement. |
Afternoon Board Training
Three-hour training block | 1:00-4:00 p.m.
| Time | Session | Focus / Intended Outcome |
| 1:00-1:40 | Open Meetings & Open Records: Applied Practice | Work through practical agenda, notice, records-request, executive-session, and documentation scenarios. |
| 1:40-2:20 | Boardsmanship, Governance & Leadership | Clarify the board-manager relationship, policy oversight, ethics, accountability, and effective board conduct. |
| 2:20-2:30 | Break | Networking and refreshments. |
| 2:30-3:15 | Planning & Conducting Effective Board Meetings | Use clear agendas, staff reports, motions, minutes, and meeting procedures to improve decisions and public confidence. |
| 3:15-3:40 | Emergency Response Planning & Board Oversight | Define the board’s role in preparedness, continuity, communications, mutual aid, and post-event review. |
| 3:40-4:00 | Action Planning, Questions & Evaluation | Identify next steps for each system; answer questions; complete course and event evaluations. |