Laserfiche WebLink
advisory committee. The proposal is to establish a Ramsey Environmental Quality Committee <br />that would review, consider, initiate and recommend to the City Council such policies, plans or <br />projects which will enhance and preserve the natural environment of the City. The Committee's <br />scope would include water quality, wetland preservation, groundwater protection, ecological <br />preservation, control of soil erosion, preservation of community forest, and air, noise and light <br />pollution. <br /> <br />Councihnember Strommen noted the Council had this discussion over one year ago about what <br />to do with the Environmental Policy Task Force. The Task Force has been in place for a long <br />time, and is still working on a specific purpose. They have taken note of a larger and continuing <br />purpose, and it is time for the Council to discuss maintaining the Task Force as a permanent <br />entity. As they looked at that and the role the Task Force has taken on, it seemed to be <br />something that should stand on its own. The Task Force has been dealing with things like tree <br />preservation, which does not fit under the Park Board or Planning Commission. One of the <br />greatest achievements of the Task Force has been public outreach with the tree book. They hope <br />to do something similar with the wetland ordinance, where one of the major roles of the Task <br />Force would be to work with the public. <br /> <br />Councilmember Cook stated to a certain point he is in total agreement in that the Environmental <br />Policy Task Force has gone on way too long to be a task force. It does not fall under the Park <br />Board of the Planning Commission, but it has something to do with both of them. The one <br />concern he has is that if they move forward with this and set it up as a commission with term <br />limits and times and a certain size, that they work it out that there is still some kind of input from <br />both the Park Board and the Planning Commission. This could be done with a liason from both <br />of the boards. It is not important that these boards control what is going on, but the information <br />must be brought back to them so it all dovetails. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated she agrees with Councilmember Cook. She would question <br />the idea of having members from the other commissions sit on this, which was tried with the <br />Task Force. For the Planning and Zoning members, that is the extent of the commitment they <br />can make. The EPTF is now meeting twice per month and it is too large of a commitment for <br />someone to serve on two commissions. Perhaps the boards could be kept informed with regular <br />updates. The other aspect the Task Force discussed with staff was the idea that the <br />Environmental Committee would do an annual work plan at the beginning of the year, and it <br />would be ratified by the Council, which would also go to Planning and Zoning and Parks for <br />their input. <br /> <br />Councihnember Elvig stated he is very supportive of an environmental group in the City. The <br />Councilmembers all ran on policies to try to keep greenspace intact, and they have greenspace in <br />Ramsey that other cities do not have. He stressed the importance of keeping a balance of people <br />in the group with different backgrounds. <br /> <br />Councihnember Cook commented the balance will likely be achieved when the group becomes a <br />commission, with the openings being filled by the Council. The Council will look at who is on <br /> <br />City Council Work Session/October 19, 2004 <br /> Page 2 of 7 <br /> <br /> <br />