Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
SUBSTITUTE - Repealing Section 33.11 and amending Section 33.31 of the Madison General Ordinances to eliminate the Committee on the Environment.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance would eliminate the Committee on the Environment. The Committee is currently tasked with making studies and recommendations relative to the City’s urban environment, including the water, land and air quality. The delegated responsibilities of the Committee on the Environment overlap and can largely be assumed by the Sustainable Madison Committee, or other Committees, or even ad hoc committees, as needed.
This substitute reflects the recent elimination of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and expands on the role of the Committee to specifically include taking a leadership role in the promotion of environmental protection.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Section 33.11 entitled “Committee on the Environment” of the Madison General Ordinances is hereby repealed.
2. Subsection (2) of Section 33.23 entitled “Solid Waste Advisory Committee” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
“(2) The Solid Waste Advisory Committee shall consist of nine (9) voting members appointed by the Mayor subject to the approval of the Common Council on the third Tuesday of April for a term of one year each commencing on that date, except that the terms of resident members and of the alderperson shall be two years with each term ending on the third Tuesday of April of the second year of such term. Appointees shall include one (1) alderperson, one (1) member of the Board of Public Works, one (1) member of the Committee on the Environment, and six (6) seven (7) resident members.
Appointments shall be made with consideration given to expertise in solid waste management, environmental health, public relations, economics or business, hydrogeology, chemistry, environmental engineering and/or other areas related to solid waste issues.
The Street Superintendent (Streets and Sanitation Superintendent) shall serve the Solid Waste Advisory Committee as its nonvoting Executive Secretary. All matters to be considered by the Committee shall be submitted to the Executive Secretary who shall prepare the notice, agenda and minutes of all Committee meetings and perform such other duties as the Committee shall direct.”
23. Section 33.31 entitled “Sustainable Madison Committee” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
“33.31 SUSTAINABLE MADISON COMMITTEE.
The Sustainable Madison Committee takes a leadership role in the promotion of sustainability and environmental protection for the City of Madison, the Madison community, and the region. The committee consists of fifteen (15) members plus three alternates: at least one (1) Common Council member, one (1) Board of Public Works member (who may also be a Council member), and thirteen (13) various experts or community representatives with an interest in sustainability (no more than two (2) of whom may also be Council members). Members shall, collectively, represent the following areas of expertise: (1) Air, (2) water, (3) energy, (4) transportation and land use, (5) food, (6) the built environment, (7) finance, economics and workforce, and (8) culture (health, education, arts), and (9) environmental protection. The Mayor shall strive to appoint members drawn from the following portions of the community: Neighborhood groups, sustainability activists, business people, educational institutions and the development community. Cross appointments with the Commission on the Environment are permitted but not required. Members and alternates are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Common Council. Members and alternates shall be appointed for a term of two years, with terms expiring June 30 with the exception of aldermanic members and the Board of Public Works member. The term of aldermanic members shall expire with the expiration of their terms as alders and the term of the Board of Public Works member shall expire with his or her their term on Board of Public Works.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Section 33.11 currently reads as follows:
“33.11 COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
(1) The Committee on the Environment shall act in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and the Common Council in making studies and recommendations relative to water, land and air quality; noise abatement; use control; safety and management of the lakes, rivers, streams and other bodies of water and their shorelands under the jurisdiction of the City of Madison and all drains, outlets and sewers emptying into any such streams or bodies of water, and shall act toward improved quality of land, air and water.
(2) The Committee shall be composed of nine (9) members to be appointed by the Mayor subject to the approval of the Common Council on the third Tuesday of April for a term commencing on that date. One (1) member shall be an alderperson whose term shall expire with the expiration of his/her term as alderperson. Five (5) members shall be resident members whose terms shall be three (3) years.
The Board of Public Works, the Board of Health for Madison and Dane County and the Water Utility Board will each designate one member of their respective bodies for appointment by the Mayor to this Committee.
The City Engineer shall act as executive secretary to the Committee who shall prepare the agenda and minutes of the meetings and perform such other duties as the Committee shall direct.
Appointments to the Committee shall be made with consideration given to the expertise and/or interest necessary for proper performance of the duties assigned to the Committee members, and with strong consideration given to membership or participation in recognized environmental groups and agencies. All vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the Mayor subject to approval of the Common Council for a term filling out the remainder of the vacated member's term.
(3) The offices of Chair and Vice-Chair shall be filled by majority vote at the first meeting in May annually. The aldermanic members shall be eligible to serve in one but not in both such positions during any year.
The Committee shall adopt rules for the governance of its proceedings not inconsistent with Federal, State or local law. Such rules may include provision for delegation of the powers and responsibilities of the Committee to subcommittees composed exclusively of Committee members.
(4) It shall be the function of the Committee to make recommendations on matters pertaining to environmental quality as above-mentioned, including measures to:
(a) Further the maintenance of safe and healthful conditions;
(b) Prevent and control water, land and air pollution;
(c) Protect spawning grounds, fish and aquatic life;
(d) Preserve shore cover and natural beauty;
(e) Control nuisance conditions;
(f) Maintain and improve flow and navigation channels;
(g) Influence development or use of recreational areas;
(h) Control excessive noise.
(5) The Committee shall, in conjunction with the Mayor and appropriate City departments, also take steps to open lines of communication with residents, as well as with other municipalities, the County, the State, and the Federal government in order to better coordinate efforts at improving the quality of the environment. It shall also take steps to encourage creation of an intergovernmental council on the environment of officials from all units of local government in the Madison area.
(6) The members of the Committee shall serve without compensation.”