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Home My WebLink AboutBIL 168 Draft 01 2006-2008 MZY or ~ ,y COUNTY OF HAWAII • Ww:• STATE OF HAWAII ••••»~O~~M~~' BILL NO. >.6s ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 8 OF THE HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION), AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY DELETING ARTICLE 8 AND ADDING A NEW ARTICLE TO ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABILITY ACTION COMMITTEE TO ADVISE THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. Purpose. The Council finds that locally, nationally and internationally, there is mounting scientific evidence and growing public awareness of the earth's limited resources and the limitation of the earth to absorb the impacts from mankind's activities. Representative of the earth's fragile condition, Hawaii Island is currently experiencing degradation of water and soil quality, loss of biodiversity, mounting urban and rural blight and infrastructure shortfalls, and increasing disparity of economic and social classes. The Council also recognizes that Hawaii Island is highly vulnerable to the disruption of supplies and goods, due to the near 95% reliance on outside food, fuel and fiber necessary to sustain our communities. There is great public concern and interest in policies and actions that will positively impact the ability of our island communities to support and sustain themselves and an expanding expectation that government will act quickly to establish goals, objectives and policies that result in practices that enhance and sustain our economy, society and the environment. Therefore, the Council finds that there is a need to establish a Sustainability Action Committee to advise the department of research and development in these interests and concerns for sustainability. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. Chapter 2, Article 8 of the Hawaii County Code is amended by repealing Article 8 in its entirety. Tt.n /~....«t.. ......gimme«t vn«Anm ....vA n««:.... nnv..:nen A.e oven ..C f f mn....v A. ?L.n n««v....nl ..f kl.e nn..«na n«A nL.nll L...IA FF.nn F « •.......nnvn ..v > > e e R...m R.n Antn ..C tl.n n vnti..« ..C l...n:«nnn lnl.,.v n n..lh,.ve m v: h.. n ?l.n ..«nm«1....vA «A > f e f n ~~.1 SECTION 2. A new Article 8 is adopted to read as follows: Section 2-36. Purpose. It is the purpose of this article to provide the necessary leadership to anchor the department of research and development's planning, policies. Qoals and 2 actions in sustainable economic, societal and environmental practices. The adoption and employment of sustainable practices as a framework for business as usual through systematic change processes which shall result in concrete outcomes, changes in multiple functions or portions of the system, and institutionalization ofthese changes on an on-going basis to address sustainable agriculture; alternative energy. fuel and waste management; ecological education, business development, preen housing and buildings; and protection of biodiversity. Section 2-37. Sustainability Action Committee. (a.l There shall be designated within the department of research and development a Sustainability Action Committee, which shall sit in an advisory caroacity to the director of the department on matters that support a sustainable economy, society and environment and are within the department's purview to include enerev, business development, agriculture, tourism, film, community development, and other related subiects. The department shall rorovide support service to the committee. (b.) Membership and Term. The committee shall be composed of five members, who shall be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Any member of the committee maybe removed upon recommendation of the mayor and the aproroval of the council. Members shall serve a term of five veazs. However, for the initial appointment of members, one member shall be appointed for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, one for a term of three years, one for a term of four years and one for a term of five veazs. In addition to the five members, the director or the director's designee will serve as an ex-officio member of the committee. 3 (c.) The members shall be broadly representative of the following five Qeopxaphical regions of the county including North and South Kona, North and South Kohala. Hamakua and North Hilo, South Hilo and Puna, and Ka`u; and shall be selected on the basis of their knowledge, expertise, proven innovative and technical skills and ability to network and source cutting ed¢e technologies, with interests in one or more of the followine areas: aeziculture, business, energy. tourism, community, economics, planning, architectural design, community facilitation and Hawaiian culture. (d.) No member shall be elieible for a second appointment to the committee prior to the expiration of two years, provided that members appointed for a term of one year or two years shall be elieible to succeed themselves for an additional term. No member whose term has expired shall continue to serve on the commission, except that if no successor has been appointed and confirmed, the member shall continue to serve for ninety days or until a successor is appointed and confirmed, whichever comes first. Anv vacancy occurrin¢ in the committee shall be filled for the unexpired term. (eJ Not more than a bare maiority of the members shall belone to the same political party. (h.l Members shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. 4 Necessary expenses maybe paid in advance as per diem allowance pursuant to Chapter 2, Article 16 of the Hawaii County Code. (i.) A chairperson shall be elected from its membership annually. (i.) The affirmative vote of a maiority of those members present shall be necessary to make any action valid. ~k.) The committee shall have the power to establish its rules of procedure necessary for the conduct of its business, which rules shall contain the time and place of all re¢ular meetings, and which shall specify that a quorum shall be a majority of the members to which the committee is entitled. (1.) No person shall, by reason of occupation alone, be barred from servin¢ as a member of this committee. (m.) The council shall act to confirm or reiect any appointment made to the committee by the mayor within forty-five days after receiving notice of the appointment from the mayor. If the council does not confirm or reiect any such appointment within forty-five day, the appointee shall be deemed to have been confirmed. Section 2-38. Duties of the committee. (a.) The Sustainability Action Committee shall make recommendations and support the department's inte~ation of planning and implementation of sustainable principles in its work with communities, businesses and other aeencies. (b.) The Sustainability Action Committee shall support and make recommendations to: 5 (1) Raise awazeness of what the term sustainability represents and the guiding principles of sustainability: (21 Conduct environmental scans to assess current conditions as they relate to the guiding principles of sustainability; (31 Identify a vision for sustainability and recommend solutions; and (4) Support the development of sustainability actions plans. (c.) The Sustainabilitv Action Committee shall support, monitor and comment on the department's efforts to effectuate sustainable planning, policies, programs, proiects and operations. Section 2-39. Guidelines for committee recommendations. L) The Sustainabilitv Action Committee shall apply guiding principles of sustainability as a framework for identification of issues, research and innovative actions. These principles shall include: (1) Reduced dependence upon fossil fuels, extracted underground metals and minerals; (21 Reduced dependence on chemicals and other manufactured substances that can accumulate in nature; (31 Reduced dependence on activities that harm life-sustaining ecosystems; and (41 Meeting the hierarchy of human needs fairly and efficiently. (b.l The Sustainabilitv Action Committee shall employ a "systems approach" to identify upstream root causes and outcomes and shall 6 recommend appropriate research, planning and implementation initiatives; outcome measures and indicators; engagements and partnerships as may be necessary to guide the department to innovative and successful sustainable models that effectuate the purpose of this article. (c.) The Sustainability Action Committee shall consider the recommendations provided in the General Plan, Community Development Plan ordinances, community visioning processes and other agencies' planning documents. Additionally. the committee shall seek innovative solutions, programs and initiatives based upon sustainable precepts of native Hawaiian culture and other local, national and international resources to advance the pumose of this article and seek the necessary technical and other support required for implementation by the die arhnent, other agencies and the community. The committee shall encourage and participate in the internal and external network opportunities at the local, state, national and international levels. SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision of this Ordinance, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Ordinance are severable. SECTION 4. Material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New material is underscored. In printing this Ordinance, the brackets, the bracketed material and stricken material, and the underscoring need not be included. 7 SECTION 5. This Ordinance shall take effect upon its approval. INTRODUCED BY: COUNCIL EMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAII Hilo, Hawaii Date of Introduction: Date of 1st Reading: Date of 2nd Reading: Effective Date: I?EPER~NCE~ Comm. 641 8