The Volusia County Council created the framework on Tuesday for a citizens committee that will be tasked with reviewing the county’s environmental standards.
The impetus for creating the Environment and Natural Resources Advisory Committee, or ENRAC, came from recent council discussions about growth management, land development and the permitting process. The discussion covered a wide range of topics from urban sprawl, wetland protection, low impact development and green infrastructure to zoning and land use, tree protection, environmental corridors and resource management areas.
When it came time to talk about possible changes, next steps and how to move forward, council members decided they wanted to create an advisory committee to get the public involved. To make that happen, the Council on Tuesday approved a resolution setting up ENRAC’s structure.
“A well balanced group of stakeholders will provide the Volusia County Council and the county manager recommendations that will benefit Volusia County as a whole,” states the resolution.
Pursuant to the approved resolution, ENRAC will have 14 members – two each nominated by the council’s five district representatives and two each from the county chair and the council’s at-large member. The goal is to balance the committee as much as possible with representatives from citizen advocacy groups and civic organizations, professional and governmental associations, agricultural interests, professional arborists and foresters, universities and environmental consultants.
“It’s a broader issue that needs broader perspective than what would be the norm,” Vice Chair Barb Girtman said.
“There are not strict educational or professional requirements, but the members should have experience, education and knowledge of environmental programs and standards,” according to a background memo included in Tuesday’s agenda.
ENRAC isn’t a new concept. An ENRAC committee was established in 1987 that worked with county staff to recommend minimum standards for environmental protection. The committee was dissolved in 2003.
To apply for the Environment and Natural Resources Advisory Committee visit, www.volusia.org/advisory.
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