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2 <br />additional information on the rationale and administrative duties changes that have led to this <br />proposal. <br />With the change to the USDA District Conservationist's duties (and resultant assumption of <br />County administrative duties by the ERC Director in November 2008) described in the attached <br />memorandum, the co-location of the two offices, the similarity of mission and scope, and the <br />imminent opportunities for increased collaboration, a formal affiliation and partnership between <br />the District and ERCD has been proposed. <br />Implementation of this affiliation would be addressed in two steps: 1) formalization of the <br />administrative and organizational affiliation of the Soil and Water District as an Office with the <br />Environment and Resource Conservation Department, and 2) adoption of an agreement on joint <br />partnership activities to be conducted by District and ERCD staff for the County. <br />The ERCD Director and District Conservationist have developed a draft operational agreement <br />which is being reviewed by the Soil and Water Board of Supervisors and would be presented for <br />action to the BOCC in August. <br />In the meantime, from a County administrative and organizational perspective, the Orange Soil <br />and Water District would be designated as an "Office" within County government which would <br />be affiliated with the Environment and Resource Conservation Department. By way of <br />comparison, this is similar to the relationship of the Arts Commission Office to the Economic <br />Development Department. For duties and responsibilities performed for the County, and for <br />County administrative purposes, District staff would work as part of the ERCD while still <br />retaining autonomy as a District for other non-County government duties and functions. The <br />ERC Director would continue to function as the department director and County administrator <br />on behalf of the District assuming the administrative duties previously performed by the District <br />Conservationist (administered by the ERC Director since November 2008). The District <br />Conservationist would continue to serve as the technical supervisor for District staff as relates to <br />federal, State and District functions and programs. <br />On May 28, 2009 the Soil and Water District Board of Supervisors considered this <br />administrative and organizational structure and reviewed a first draft of an Operational <br />Agreement. The Soil and Water District Board unanimously approved the administrative <br />and organizational arrangement described in the previous. paragraph, creating the <br />District as an Office, affiliated and within the ERCD. <br />The Operational Agreement, which includes a proposed two-year Partnership Initiative, will be <br />completed by the Soil and Water Board in June, reviewed by USDA and the State over the <br />summer, and returned for Board of Commissioners' consideration and approval in August. <br />ERCD and Soil and Water have collaborated on the FY 2009-10 budget, in anticipation of this <br />affiliation, and the co-location at the Agricultural Center will allow for administrative support, <br />equipment and vehicle sharing as well as collaboration on a variety of shared interests and <br />duties to be more efficiently accomplished. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with the proposed partnership <br />and affiliation of the Soil and Water District and ERCD. In fact some reductions in future costs <br />and efficiencies in service provision are anticipated by virtue of the arrangement as the two <br />agencies will share equipment and vehicles and negating the need for an additional vehicle for <br />