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10 <br /> Although the Food Council did not have a ten year plan to guide its initial work, the MOU <br /> specifies that the Council's role is to "...provide advice and recommendations to the <br /> four jurisdictions on issues related to the county community food system and also <br /> facilitate communication between community groups, committees, commissions, <br /> and other boards whose work supports a thriving local farm economy, access to <br /> healthy food, food related economic development, strong communities, sustainable <br /> ecosystems, and healthy people. <br /> The MOU also specifies a sixteen member Council consisting of elected representatives <br /> appointed from each of the above governmental partners and a cross-section of <br /> community members, food access and food provider representation, charged with <br /> providing direction for the council's work. <br /> Sub-Committee Recommendations <br /> The Sub-Committee recommends that the Climate Council be modeled after the <br /> Intergovernmental Parks Work group. Both groups serve as forums to share information, <br /> promote communication among jurisdictions, identify areas of potential collaboration, and <br /> educate the public. <br /> The Partnership to End Homelessness conducts these activities but also serves a more formal role <br /> as the County's designated Continuum of Care under rules established by the Department of <br /> Housing and Urban Development, and both the Partnership to End Homeless and the Food <br /> Council have staff dedicated to implement programming and funding from each of the <br /> jurisdictions to support those staff. The Climate Council offers an important opportunity for <br /> communication but does not have the same level of responsibility. <br /> The Sub-Committee also recommends that the participating jurisdictions create a Memorandum <br /> of Understanding (MOU) to govern the new Climate Council. This is consistent with the request <br /> from the Climate Council and the direction from the Mayors and Chair to their respective <br /> attorneys. The MOU should detail the membership, charge and boundaries of work, meeting <br /> frequency, appointment process, and an understanding of staff responsibilities. Pending <br /> completion of that MOU, the County's participation in the Climate Council should be suspended. <br /> Suggestions for Moving Forward <br /> The Sub-Committee also offers the following suggestions regarding the content of the MOU. <br /> Membership <br /> The Sub-Committee suggests that the overall size of the Council decrease to increase the number <br /> of meetings at which a quorum of members is present. More specifically,the membership should <br /> be limited to the government agencies that create the group and the entities and employers that <br /> could have the most impact on operations and behaviors that drive climate change. <br /> 7 <br />