PLSO The Oregon Surveyor Nov/Dec 2018

From the PLSO Chairman • The Oregon Young Surveyors are excited about the direction of PLSO and the efforts made in the last year. They see the value for the future. As PLSO continues to re-evaluate who we are and what we do, the discussion of WestFed has been an on-going issue since the Fall of 2017. Through many dis- cussions at both the state and chapter level, this process has continued for all of 2018. At the November Board of Di- rectors meeting, the PLSO Board voted to discontinue our participation with West- Fed and focus our efforts with NSPS at the national level. This decision did not come easily, but over the course of the year it became very clear that while West- Fed served a very specific purpose at its formation, our membership did not feel WestFed was an effective relationship that delivered a relevant value today. Should WestFed become more respon- sive or deliver services that are relevant to our needs, this relationship could be re-evaluated in the future. Another on-going discussion throughout 2018 is the pending NSPS dues increase. The Board has worked very hard on the membership’s behalf to hold the line on fiscal responsibility and clarify the $10 increase proposed by NSPS. They have repeatedly refused to blindly accept the proposal without proper documentation and contractual adjustments. Utlimately, the cost of goods and services continues to increase over time and the documen- tation delivered by NSPS supported the need for the increase. After reviewing the providedmaterials the Board voted to sup- port the dues increase pending delivery of a revised Memorandum of Understand- ing from NSPS. Through the early part of 2019, we will be negotiating a new MOU with NSPS and the dues increase will go into effect at our next renewal. As noted above, PLSO has worked closely with ACEC of Oregon and AIA of Ore- gon to negotiate with members of the legislature for modifications to the QBS process. This has been a key issue for PLSO to build relationships with these other groups and to watch out for the best interests of our membership. Wheth- er you work for a large corporation that pursues QBS work on a regular basis or you work for a small firm that may par- ticipate on these types of projects as a sub-consultant this is a very important issue. PLSO has been well represented by Darrell Fuller, Dave Williams and Jeff Whitson. The next step in this effort will be navigating the leglislative process in January to insure that the final form of the bill stays consistent with what was negotiated. More to come on this topic. Please be ready to call your representa- tives when needed. The remaining key items of the rebranding process are Strategic Planning and updat- ing the PLSO Website. Website updates include navigability of the site, ensuring consistency with our new marketing ma- terials and achieving functionality with cell phones and other portable devic- es. With regards to strategic planning, our original strategic plan was creat- ed in 2002 and it provided guidance to the Board of Directors and to incoming Chairs to set agendas, measure prog- ress and hold ourselves accountable. The plan was updated in 2007 and 2009 and then informally in subsequent years, but it has fallen to the wayside and needs to be updated to be relevant. When the PLSO Strategic Plan was last updated, things like the Young Surveyors Network and video teleconferencing did not exist. Many of the challenges we have today have changed since that plan was created and so to stay consistent with our efforts over this last year it is critical to devel- op a new plan to set our direction. Your incoming Chair Shawn Kampmann was a part of that original strategic planning process and so we are in good hands to get this done in the coming year. When you look at the picture accompa- nying this letter, our organization needs to decide which side of the equation we wish to be on as surveyors. Likewise, PLSO as an organization needs to make these same decisions and deliver quality services and value to the membership. While change is painful at times it is nec- essary to remain relevant or society will eat you for lunch. I know not everyone has agreed with the changes this year, but I truly believe that in the end everyone will recognize value from these efforts. I appreciate your trust in me over 2018 and I look forward to working closely with Shawn Kampmann and the BOD in the coming year on your behalf. Thanks again. It’s been a wild ride and a reward- ing experience.  x Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon  |  www.plso.org 5 Which side of this equation does PLSO and Surveyors choose to be on? We must be proactive for the future or like the vole, our future will be decided for us.