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3 <br />Memorandum <br />To: Board of Commissioners <br />From: John Link, County Manager <br />Date: December 1, 1998 <br />Re: Formation of Environment and Resource <br />Conservation Department (ERCD) <br />On November 4, the Board received public comment on the proposal to <br />form the Environment and Resource Conservation Department -which <br />was established by the Board on June 22. <br />At the public hearing, a number of citizens provided comment on the <br />proposal, offering thoughtful ideas and questions. <br />To ensure that the intent and meaning of the proposal was better <br />understood, staff has been reviewing the proposal and meeting with <br />other advisory boards and citizens (including November 12 with the <br />Economic Development Commission, and November 18 with the <br />Agricultural Districts Advisory Board) to discuss the proposal. <br />The following sections attempt to address the comments at the hearing <br />related to the proposal for forming the department, followed by a <br />recommendation for action. <br />Comments from the Public Hearing <br />A total of 20 persons spoke at the November 4 public hearing. Ten <br />citizens spoke in favor, including the chairs of the Board of Health and <br />the Commission for the Environment. Five persons spoke in <br />opposition, while five additional citizens asked questions without <br />indicating an opinion. Comments were also received at the subsequent <br />meetings listed above. <br />Whether speaking in favor, in opposition or simply raising questions, <br />the comments on the proposal fell into three main areas. These areas, <br />along with the results of our review and reflection, are provided below: <br />Note: Questions regarding issues outside of the proposal to form the <br />department (should it exist, cost) are not evaluated here, since these <br />