Comm No 0015.01 - Testimony - Art I - XVI - General Discussion - Proposed Amendments

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6. Amend Section 6 "Department of Environmental Management" as follows: Section 6-10.2. Statement of Policy. The department of environmental management is established to protect, preserve, and enhance our environment by promoting the wise management of our waste and the protection and management of our natural resources. (2000, Prop. 4, sec. 1; 2010, Prop. 7, sec. 27.) Section 6-10.3. Director. The director of environmental management shall be appointed by the mayor, confirmed by the council, and may be removed by the mayor. The director shall have had a minimum of five years of administrative experience in a related field and an engineering degree or a degree in a related field. (2000, Prop. 4, sec. 1; 2010, Prop. 7, sec. 28 and Prop. 12, sec. 1.) Section 6-10.4. Powers, Duties and Functions. The department of environmental management shall manage the solid waste, wastewater, and recycling programs of the county, and exercise other functions as prescribed by the mayor or prescribed by ordinance. (2000, Prop. 4, sec. 1; 2010, Prop. 11, sec. 1.) Section 6-10.5. Environmental Management Commission. There shall be an environmental management commission consisting of nine members who shall be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. One member shall be a resident of each council district. The terms of the members shall be as prescribed in Section 13-4. The environmental management commission shall advise the department on ways to waste reduction strategies, recycling, litter control, community involvement, and matters relating to the protection and conservation of our natural resources, and other issues related to the functions of the department, and shall exercise any other powers related to the functions of the department that may be delegated to it by ordinance. The Department of Environmental Management needs to have authority to care for the environment and carry out waste management policies consistent with policies of protecting and conserving the natural environment consistent with the County's trust responsibilities for its natural resources. 10