Minutes 04-26-2022 Business Meeting

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49 municipalities talk then it should be more like the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group. She said it seems like a more efficient way to get the governmental roles on what can be done. She said that she agrees that maybe there should not be a group right now and that it needs to be clear who is doing the work that the board wants. She said it would be nice to get this on a work session night so they can review the item before being asked to make a decision. Chair Price said she noticed that the changes to membership take out a lot of the community aspect to the council. She said it becomes more of a representation by staff and governmental officials. Commissioner Richards said there were thirty-one positions, but students could not come because it was at 3 pm. She said half the people would not come. She said even though it looks like the community was represented on paper that it was difficult to have the full representative body there. She said they tried changing the meeting times but then that created overtime for staff. She said that she was previously the NAACP representative on the council but there were challenges bringing those people together. She said there was an honest effort, but the structure made it hard to get the representation. Chair Price says it seems like the Commission for the Environment would be the community input because they are appointed by the board. She said they are at the point to decide to move forward with the proposal or not. Commissioner Bedford said she thought they could proceed on parallel tracks for with their sustainability coordinator and the Commission for the Environment focusing on the climate plan. She said that all council members will have the opportunity to participate in the MOU. She said the attorneys have seen a draft. She said if they do not move forward will they lose opportunities to share information. Commissioner Greene said what about having a staff working group. Commissioner Bedford said the staff have gotten to know each other and that has been a real positive. She said that could be left to the County Manager to decide since that is not policy. Commissioner Greene said they could recommend that there be a staff working group. Bonnie Hammersley said they already are working together. She said part of the advantage of the intergovernmental sustainability group is that there needs to be collaboration with the towns as they put their plan together. She said that while there is not one plan, that they do have many pieces to a climate action plan in other documents. She said that it is just not combined. She said that there was an understanding that out of the Climate Council would come our climate action plan. She said that never happened and she does not know why. She said there were gaps between sustainability coordinators. She said that during the pandemic, they saw the true value of the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group in working together. She said that when the Climate Council was established, there was a question from the Commission for the Environment as to their purpose. She said some people went over to the Climate Council so that created redundancy. She said the Commission for the Environment has a desire to be a leader on the climate action plan and they have been for so long. Chair Price said members of the Commission for the Environment have the expertise for the project work that is needed. Commissioner McKee said it might be the best route to have staff move forward and to disband this group and start over. Chair Price said she thinks that is what the recommendation is. Commissioner McKee said he wants to make sure that is what he is hearing. Chair Price said that the council has not been functioning the way they were expected or intended. She said that out of this, the different jurisdictions can continue to work together. She said that Orange County will work on the climate action plan then Commission for the Environment will assist.