Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 04/20/2015 - Joint with Planning Comm

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Involvement with the Comprehensive Plan update, potential ordinance amendments, and review of land use applications will provide the EPB the opportunity to review existing standards to determine whether they are accomplishing their intended outcome. In essence, the EPB will be involved with establishing the vision and goals for natural resources, drafting standards to accomplish those goals, and applying those standards to proposed projects. This 'full circle' approach should provide the EPB with invaluable insight regarding natural resources standards and identify areas where improvement or amendments are necessary. It will be the goal of the EPB to regularly (annually) review the relevant chapters of the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning tools in place to determine whether current policies and/or standards are adequate to accomplish the vision of the community. Education Ensuring that the residents of Ramsey are well informed on emerging and current issues is critical. Thus, education and community awareness have been identified as a key function of the EPB. The EPB will strive to keep the public informed of new and existing issues as well as what actions the City is taking to address those issues. The intent will not only be to keep the citizenry well informed but also to provide explanation and/or clarification on why certain standards are in place and how they are intended to address a specific issue. This will primarily be accomplished through mediums such as the newsletter and website, but may also include other outlets such as QCTV. Emerging Issues Staying informed on emerging issues and 'hot' topics is another critical role for the EPB. As the City's primary advisory board on natural resources, the EPB's role, at least in part, is to stay ahead of emerging issues facing the City by researching and understanding how it may impact the City. Depending on the topic and other factors, this could be accomplished through the use or establishment of a subcommittee comprised of no more than three (3) existing EPB members that would report back to the EPB as a whole during regularly scheduled meetings. Based on the EPB's review and analysis of an issue, the EPB will work to formulate options for consideration by the City Council as to how best to address or mitigate the issue. This could include, but is not necessarily limited to, focused educational pieces, recommendations for Best Management Practices (BMPs), ordinance amendments, and/or comprehensive plan amendments. Review of Zoning Code As new technologies and ideas develop, updates to City Code, and more specifically the Zoning & Subdivisions Chapter, may be warranted. The EPB will routinely, or as time permits, review sections of City Code to ensure they are still relevant and will accomplish the stated goals of the Comprehensive Plan relating to natural resources. If, through this review, the EPB identifies opportunities for improvement, outdated or conflicting standards, and/or sections that do not support or will not achieve the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, it will recommend pertinent amendments to the Planning Commission.