1999-12-04 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 12-04-99Page 24 of 39 RAY: Marni. HERKES: And I, for one, am looking at a new department. I’m looking at folding several departments into this department. HIGASHI: Yes. HERKES: And I don’t look at any new staff, any new costs. I look at doing it more efficiently. IRVINE: Right. RAY: George. MARTIN: Roland, I heard you make mention of global picture, and too bad you’re not on that committee, but if you look at the systems in which we’ve lived for the past 150 - 200 years in the United States, in regards to environment, they haven’t worked. They’ve never worked. And if you’re going to actually go looking for a model to mold different departments into to address the problems, you’re going to have to look globally. You’re going to have to go to Europe. They’re the ones that’s doing it right, right now, and because of the way of life that we’re so accustomed to, we don’t want to hear it, and we’ve blocked it out, and will continue to block it out. But, if you want a true answer to how to run these departments, per se, a new department and/or a combination of existing departments, and guidance for them to do something, that’s where you’re going to have to look. HIGASHI: George, you’re correct. I just got back from Japan and environmental recycling is a major, major thing there. They make you very conscious of what they’re doing. As an outsider, if you feel like you want to throw a piece of paper on the ground, you feel really guilty. IRVINE: Good. HIGASHI: Cans go where cans are supposed to go, and bottles go where bottles are supposed to go. IRVINE: Roland, maybe you should be on our committee, as well. HIGASHI: I’ve committed my time. Inform me of your meetings. If I can - IRVINE: We will. KUROZAWA: Just a quick comment. If we are thinking of U.S., for example, Oregon and Washington are probably the highest recycling states in the country, so we can get information from - MARTIN: I agree with you. KUROZAWA: I lived in Portland for six years. I felt guilty when I came home, throwing cans into the trash. IRVINE: I have two daughters in Portland, and yes, they have about fifteen bins in their kitchen. RAY: So to wrap this up for now, I think we’re through Wastewater, Water Department, Sewer. We’ll have this subcommittee exploring some possibilities there. MARTIN: No, the Water Department, keep out of it. Clean water’s okay. HIGASHI: It’s all encompassing. MARTIN: It is. RAY: Under Public Safety, we’ve discussed the idea of an umbrella Public Safety Commission which could possibly include, or would include, Police, and then Fire, if we wanted to go in that direction with Fire. Possibly Civil Defense. I don’t understand the logistics of Civil Defense exactly, but also we have gotten testimony in the past, and more recently from the file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 12-04-99.html7/1/2011