BP 11122023 129pm - Flipbook - Page 100
3. Officers
The Finance Council officers shall consist of at least a Chairperson and a Secretary. The
Chairperson will preside in a parliamentary manner at all meetings and, in consultation with the
pastor, will be responsible for selecting the time and location of meetings, preparing and
providing the meeting agenda in advance of the meeting, and any other duties assigned by the
pastor or the Council (USCCB).
A Secretary should be appointed to record minutes summarizing the items discussed and the
decisions reached.
4. Conflicts of Interest
Finance Council members owe the parish a duty of loyalty that requires them to act in the
interest of the parish rather than in their own personal interest or that of another person or
organization. In particular, the duty of loyalty requires a member to avoid conflicts of interest
that are detrimental to the parish (USCCB).
Anyone who may have a conflict of interest in view of other services, either paid or unpaid,
rendered to the parish by themselves, a member of their family, or their business is ineligible to
serve as a member of the Council. Likewise, no person should serve on the Council at the same
time as a closely related person (e.g., husband and wife, parent and child, etc.) (USCCB).
No parish employee, family member of an employee, or relative of the pastor or any Parochial
Vicars may serve on the Council, but they may assist in an advisory capacity.
Members of the Finance Council may serve the parish in other volunteer roles, including on
other committees or boards, if, in the judgment of the pastor, such dual service would not create
conflict-of-interest situations.
5. Role of Parish Employee
Parish employees and, in smaller parishes, volunteers who perform the roles of an employee, are
not members of the Finance Council; however, they serve as staff to support the Finance Council
and should be available to answer questions regarding parish programs, accounting, financial
reporting, and internal controls. The Finance Council should be provided relevant and timely
information, including financial reports (i.e., balance sheet and income statement with budgettoactual and historical-periods comparisons, cash-flow statements, debt-service schedules,
investment schedules, reconciliations, and status reports on fundraising activities, all as
applicable) to review in a format that facilitates efficient analysis. The parish Accountant,
Business Manager or Bookkeeper should normally attend meetings in a consultative, non-voting
capacity. Likewise, when parish buildings and grounds are to be discussed, it is appropriate for
staff responsible for these functions to attend the meeting. When the Finance Council seeks the
input of a parish staff member, the circumstances must ensure that the employee will not be in a
position to exercise undue influence (Leadership Roundtable Best Practices).
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