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48 <br /> meetings were a waste of time. She said that one of their own planners said her biggest fear <br /> was that one of their subcommittees would actually bring back "big hairy ideas" that would <br /> require her time and actually take her away from her job working on climate. She said that is <br /> when the alarm bells were going off for her and she realized it was time to reorganize this <br /> group. <br /> Commissioner Richards said the abstract does talk about the accomplishments of the <br /> council. She said that what the recommendations are trying to do is take those things and <br /> focus the charge to leverage and engage with the community, to gather and exchange <br /> information, promote communication between county and municipalities on future <br /> opportunities, and provide feedback on public education. She said that it is oriented on how we <br /> engage the community and staff. She said that the goal is to take the strong things the council <br /> accomplished and put the focus on actions that can move the needle and collaborating with the <br /> community. She said the hope is to take the achievements and leverage them moving forward. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said she wanted to acknowledge the accomplishment that council <br /> members were able to achieve. She said when she first joined, she was trying get started on <br /> the county's climate action plan. She said a climate action plan is foundational and they need <br /> to know this before collaborating and complimenting others' work. She said they have not <br /> made progress because they do not have their own plan. She said she found the structure of <br /> the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group useful. She said she understood the confusion of <br /> who is actually on the council. She said they need an MOU to make sure they are following <br /> processes. She said that groups cannot develop their own decisions on how things should be <br /> run. She said that council reached a point where they were looking for funding in order to do <br /> communications rather than use the county's communications. She said there was a lack of <br /> following governing rules that was concerning to her. She said she agreed that climate was <br /> urgent and needs to be a focus. She said she finds it hard to collaborate until they have their <br /> own climate plan. <br /> Chair Price said that over the past year there have been expressed concerns about the <br /> climate council. She said that there were concerns about attendance. She said that is why <br /> there was a subcommittee formed to look into it. She said the work that has been done has <br /> shown the need for a county climate action plan. She said that she has spoken to the County <br /> Manager about the Committee for the Environment possibly revising their focus and taking on <br /> climate change instead of just environmental protection. She said she appreciates what the <br /> subcommittee has done in looking into the group and developing those recommendations. She <br /> said that the recommendations seem to be a reasonable way to address climate change and <br /> the urgency of it. She said that the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group seems like a <br /> reasonable model to follow. She said that some people are wondering if the group needs to be <br /> abolished but that for now, she thinks the recommendations are a reasonable solution. <br /> Commissioner Greene said she agrees that the county needs to create its own climate <br /> plan. She said that she wondered if there should be a council right now or if the people that are <br /> engaged should be asked to work with the county. She said that she understands that it is not <br /> functioning well, and she is not sure that the solution offered is the best solution. She said she <br /> was not sure the recommendations are the right solution. She said this feels like a top-down <br /> process rather than a more engaging process. She said she does not have a fully formed <br /> decision, but maybe this is not the time for an inter-jurisdictional group to exist since the county <br /> needs to concentrate on its own work in creating a plan. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said she wondered why we had a Commission for the <br /> Environment and the Climate Council. She said the Commission for the Environment should <br /> be the place to give input to the Board because it is a clearly established advisory council. She <br /> said when she looks at the things the council has recommended that it really should be the <br /> Commission for the Environment. She said if there is a Climate Council to help the <br />