HomeMy WebLinkAboutord2015-031strikeWHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2015 - 175
CLEARANCES
Initial
Date
Date Received in Council Of
Tice
Agenda Date
Assigned to:
Originator
5/19/2015
5/26/2015
NR /Intro
Division Head:
6/9/2015
NR/ Intro
Dept. Head:
p
6/23/2015
NR / Council
Prosecutor:
/
'
7/7/2015
Council
Purchasin /Bud et:
Executive:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT:
Ordinance establishing the Wildlife Advisory Committee
ATTACHMENTS:
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Should Clerk schedule a hearing ? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( ) Yes ( ) NO
Requested Date:
SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing, you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate.
Be clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
Ordinance establishing the Wildlife Advisory Committee
COMMITTEE ACTION.•
COUNCIL ACTION:
5/26/2015: Amended, discussed and held in Committee
5/26/2015: Held in Committee
6/9/2015: Discussed and held in Committee
/9/2015: Held in Committee
6/23/2015: Amended and discussed
/23/2015: Substitute amended and introduced 7 -0
7/7/2015: Adopted 7 -0, Ord. 2015 -031
Related County Contract #:
Related File Numbers:
Ordinance or Resolution
Number:
Ord. 2015 -031
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing
on the County's website at. www.co.whatcom.wa.us /council.
1 SPONSORED BY: Buchanan & Brown
2 PROPOSED BY: Buchanan & Browne
3 INTRODUCTION DATE:
4
5
6
7 ORDINANCE NO.
8
9 ESTABLISHING WHATCOM COUNTY CODE 2.118, CREATING THE WHATCOM
10 COUNTY WILDLIFE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
11
12 WHEREAS, the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requires
13 Whatcom County to engage in comprehensive land use planning; and
14
15 WHEREAS, the GMA indicates that Whatcom County's comprehensive land use
16 planning efforts should foster land use patterns and develop a local vision of rural
17 character that will be compatible with the use of the land by wildlife and for fish and
18 wildlife habitat; and
19 WHEREAS, goal nine (9) of the GMA, in Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
20 36.70A.020, is to retain open space, enhance recreational opportunities, conserve fish
21 and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and develop
22 parks and recreation facilities; and
23
24 WHEREAS, in RCW 36.70A.160, the GMA directs local governments to identify
25 open space corridors within and between urban growth areas useful for recreation,
26 wildlife habitat, trails and connections between critical areas; and
27
28 WHEREAS, habitat conservation areas must be identified, designated and
29 protected through the use of best available science, according to RCW 36.70A.172; and
30
31 WHEREAS, goal eleven (11) of the GMA is to encourage the involvement of
32 citizens in the planning process and ensure coordination between communities and
33 jurisdictions to reconcile conflicts; and
34
35 WHEREAS, Whatcom County is required by RCW 36.70A.130(1) to regularly
36 review and update the comprehensive plan, with the latest update due by June 30,
37 2016; and
38
39 WHEREAS, Whatcom County staff recommends revisions and amendments
40 based on several elements and objectives, including updating the narrative and policies
41 to address current issues and planning initiatives or to reflect new policy direction; and
42
Page 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
WHEREAS, Whatcom County citizens have expressed to the County Council their
desire for the County to incorporate wildlife management and conservation planning for
fish and wildlife habitat into the Whatcom County land use planning process; and
WHEREAS, the Whatcom County Council would benefit from the advice and
recommendations of those with background and technical expertise, including but not
limited to, in wildlife management, conservation science, and wildlife biology, when
making land use policy decisions, and
WHEREAS, the County Council acknowledges the community has finite resources
requiring good fiscal and environmental stewardship, and the community would benefit
from achievable wildlife management recommendations, and;
WHEREAS, the County Council recognizes people are part of the landscape and
within a watershed diverse uses interact and depend on limited resources, requiring
balanced wildlife management recommendations which provide visible community and
ecological services, and;
WHEREAS, THE Council authorizes Planning and Development Services
Department to fund a .25 FTE to staff the wildlife advisory committee from the
Conservation Futures Fund.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Whatcom County Council that
Whatcom County Code 2.118, creating the Whatcom County Wildlife Advisory
Committee, is hereby established as outlined in Exhibit A of this ordinance, and;
BE IT FINALLY ORDAINED by the Whatcom County Council that this ordinance
will sunset within one year of its adoption.
ADOPTED this day of , 2015.
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
ATTEST: WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Dana Brown - Davis, Clerk of the Council
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Civil Deputy Prosecutor
Page 2
Carl Weimer, Council Chair
WHATCOM COUNTY EXECUTIVE
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Jack Louws, County Executive
3 ( ) Approved ( ) Denied
4
5 Date Signed:
Page 3
EXHIBIT" A
2
Chapter 2.118
3
WILDLIFE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
4
5
6
Sections:
7
2.118.010
Established
8
2.118.020
Purpose
9
2.118.030
Function
10
2.118.040
Qualifications
11
2.118.050
Membership
12
2.118.060
Term of Office
13
2.118.070
Organization — Meetings
14
2.118.080
Committee Staffing
15
16
17
2.118.010
Established.
18
The Wildlife Advisory Committee is hereby established.
19
20
2.118.020
Purpose.
21
The committee will advise the Whatcom County Planning and
22
Development Services Department staff and the Whatcom County Council
23
on the value of wildlife and habitat management issues as they relate to
24
the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan, with the goal of integrating
25
wildlife management and protection into the community planning process.
26
27
2.118.030
Function.
28
29
A. The committee will provide recommendations on integrating wildlife
30
management and protection issues relative to fulfilling goal nine (9) of
31
the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA): to retain open
32
space, enhance recreational opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife
33
habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and
34
develop parks and recreation facilities. The full committee shall provide
35
a
36
recommendation on the need for an ongoing wildlife advisory
37
committee.
38
39
40
B. Each committee recommendation will consist of
41
i. Identified issue or constraint
42
ii. Discussion of ecological process, function or species addressed
43
iii. Range of solutions considered
44
iv. Preferred solution
45
v. Cost of implementation. A cost benefit analysis is required when an
46
existing industry recognized method is available; at a minimum a
47
discussion of project costs and positive or adverse impacts where
48
community and ecological uses intersect.
49
vi. Cited and reviewed references
Page 4
1
2
3 C. The Technical Advisory sub - committee, as defined in Section
4 2.118.050(B), will:
5
6 i. Prior to the end of 2015, develop the initial inventory,
7 characterization, and assessment, which includes an analysis of
8 risk, of existing ecosystem conditions (Existing Condition Report),
9 and to make management recommendations using best available
10 science that will provide appropriate habitat conditions for local
11 species, with an emphasis on biodiversity and healthy ecosystem
12 processes and functions. This may include recommendations
13 regarding wildlife corridors, landscape ecological planning, wildlife
14 management, avoiding human /wildlife conflict.
15
16 ii. Continue to provide periodic updates to the Existing Condition
17 Report or to address technical questions from the Whatcom
18 County Council, Whatcom County staff, or the Wildlife
19 Management Committee.
20
21 2.118.040 Qualifications.
22 To qualify for County Council appointment to fill any vacancy on a board,
23 committee, or commission, a person shall be a qualified registered voter
24 and be a member or employee of the agency or group he or she is
25 appointed to represent.
26
27 2.118.050 Membership.
28
29 A. The committee shall consist of 11 members.
30
31 B. . peffi.,t seven of the 11 ... ^mber -s-fal
32 ta de p . c ..rlf. -. _ e to serve Wildlife T.,ehno.C[IT
33 iR-ee:
34 These Seven of the 11 members will have technical expertise in
35 wildlife and habitat management or current or past professional
36 experience such as, but not limited to, at least one of the
37 following: wetlands manager, wildlife biologist, population biologist,
38 natural resources manager, watershed scientist, conservation
39 specialist, forestry protection, and tribal representative.
40
41 G. The xtira G unty Cotjneil-w4-�ei-� the rerna reUf
42 mRgittee ap Dontme r�t
43 PFeeess in ganuaFy 2916.
44
45 D. The committee members shall serve without compensation.
46
47 2.118.060 Term of Office.
48
49 The committee shall serve until July 31, 2016.
50 A. initial Staggered Terms.
51
Page 5
1
3 e^ of the initial seven -T -ni-eal-P4e r-s shall imR�-Ny
2
seFve a tefrn ending en ja, ulary 31, 294-18r-.
3
4
im. FeuF of the initial seven Teehn- al_M i L.e Fs shall ;ni' -;H fve
5
a teffn ending on januafy 31, 2019.
6
7
a.
T-heFea fte rms a 11 eleven _. }e...._ w ;Fl be Fe_ yea Fs.
8
9
2.118.070 Organization - Meetings.
10
11
A.
Meetings of the committee shall be open and accessible to the
12
public and shall be subject to the Open Public Meetings Act.
13
14
B.
The committee shall determine its own meeting schedule, but shall
15
meet at least Fnenthly geafterly bimonthly.
16
17
C.
The committee shall be responsible for taking complete and
18
accurate written records.
19
20
D.
Whatcom County staff shall be responsible for assuring the
21
meetings are audio recorded.
22
23
E.
Written and audio recordings of meetings, resolutions, findings,
24
and recommendations shall be kept, and such records shall be
25
public.
26
27
F.
The committee shall comply with Whatcom County Code 2.03 -
28
Boards and Commissions.
29
30
G.
The committee shall adopt its own rules and procedures for the
31
conduct of business.
32
33
H.
The committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members
34
who shall preside at its meetings.
35
36
2.118.080 Committee Staffing.
37
38
A.
The Whatcom County Planning and Development Services
39
Department and Whatcom County Public Works Department shall
40
provide geographic information system (GIS) data and other
41
information to the committee as requested.
42
43
B.
The Whatcom County Planning and Development Services
44
Department and the Whatcom County Public Works Department
45
shall provide technical assistance and assist with meeting
46
coordination.
Page 6