Resolution Amending Urban Forestry Council Membership and Meeting Requirements in Chapter 12 of the Environment Code
[Amendments to the Urban Forestry Council Membership and Meeting Schedule Requirements]
Resolution Amending Urban Forestry Council Membership and Meeting Requirements in Chapter 12 of the Environment Code.
WHEREAS, The Urban Forestry Council serves as an advisory body to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on urban forestry issues; and,
WHEREAS, Chapter 12 of the Environment Code includes a requirement that the Urban Forestry Council shall meet once a month; and,
WHEREAS, The Urban Forestry Council currently meets nine times a year and its Planning and Policy and Funding Committees meet eleven times a year; and,
WHEREAS, The Urban Forestry Council was formed to be a collaborative body, joining city departments, nonprofits, educators, community members, and industry professionals; and,
WHEREAS, For the Council to be the most effective, it is important to ensure all seats are filled with the most qualified members and to change its meeting schedule to state that the “Urban Forestry Council” shall meet six to nine times a year; and,
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works and the Planning Department representatives are currently voting members, while the remaining city department and public agency representatives are not; and,
WHEREAS, The Council has had a long term vacancy in the GGNRA seat; and,
WHEREAS, The majority of forestry work performed within the Presidio of San Francisco falls within the purview of the Presidio Trust; and,
WHEREAS, The Council has had a long term vacancy in the Redevelopment seat due to dissolution of that agency; and,
WHEREAS, The Council can attract the best candidate by ensuring the membership accurately reflects the broad range of urban forest stakeholders; and,
WHEREAS, the Council would be most effective if all members had equal standing; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Council urges the Board of Supervisors to amend Chapter 12 of the Environment Code to make all members voting members; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Urban Forestry Council urges the Board of Supervisors to amend Chapter 12 of the Environment Code to expand the GGNRA seat to include a potential representative from GGNRA or the Presidio Trust; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Urban Forestry Council urges the Board of Supervisors to amend Chapter 12 of the Environment Code to replace the Redevelopment representative with a representative from either the Port of San Francisco or the San Francisco Airport Commission, and be, it,
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Urban Forestry Council urges the Board of Supervisors to amend Chapter 12 of the Environment Code to change the meeting requirements of the Council to six to nine times a year.
I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Urban Forestry Council’s Regular Meeting on February 25, 2014.
Monica Fish, Council Secretary Dan Flanagan, Council Chair
VOTE: Approved 10-0; 1 Vacant
Ayes: Members Flanagan, Hillan, Hillson, Kida, Leffingwell, Most, Sherwin, Short, Sullivan and Swae
Noes: None
Absent: None