Agenda - 10-20-1998 - 9b - Laserfiche WebLink

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14 2. While a significant portion of the existing Land Use and Environmental Planner's current duties would be transferred to the new department (please see Appendix B), responsibilities related to the Land Use Element of the Plan, demographics and Township Advisory Councils will remain in Planning. As such, I am recommending that the existing Special Projects Planner II position be retitled Land Use and Preservation Planner, and be split between the new ERCD and Planning. This position would be re- assigned to the Comprehensive Planning Division to cover the functions not transferring to the ERCD, with a substantial portion of job duties staying in Planning and a smaller portion in the ERCD. 3. The Orange Soil and Water District Commissioners have provided a proposal for their involvement in some of the duties listed herein (please see Attachment D). The Soil and Water District, in conjunction with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, offers a number of programs and opportunities for County partnership efforts and funding possibilities. The Soil and Water District has recently hired a Neuse River Basin Technician, who will begin working on the possible purchase of riparian buffer areas in the Neuse basin. In addition, opportunities through the USDA Conservation Reserve Program offer additional opportunities for cooperation with Soil and Water in voluntary conservation for agricultural erosion control or water quality. A summary of some of these programs can be found in Appendix D. With a clear need to build a strong tie with this department, it is recommended that the administration and staff meet to pursue the nature of this relationship over the next several months. 4. In the event that land or easement acquisition becomes available during this fiscal year, money from the contingency fund could be utilized if the land is deemed important for resource acquisition. Attachment A summarizes the options for short-term land /easement acquisition on a temporary basis while the Comprehensive Resource Acquisition Program is developed. 5. Comments from the Orange County Board of Health were received on Thursday, October 1. Because of this, staff has not had an opportunity to review the comments. The Board of Health comments are attached as Appendix F. V. Proposed Costs Since the majority of the department's work will use existing resources, most of the funding needs for FY 99 can be transferred from the Planning budget. An additional estimated $52,000 would be needed as start-up costs for the new department. It is recommended that this funding be appropriated from the Board's $250,000 contingency for FY 99. Ered,O -,.doc