[GreenYes] Re: Citizen Advisory Committee

["JW Spear, Sr." <jw@no.address>]

Colleen:

In our practice we often work with Citizen Advisory Committees (CAC's) and
have been instrumental in establishing them for some of our projects. We use
CACs to do planning, develop programming, evaluate programming, and even to
establish locational siting criteria in facility siting projects.  

I am not aware of any unit of government that can not establish such a
committee. 

However, both the government sponsor and the citizens must remember that
these committees are 'Advisory'.  No unit of government will, or should,
delegate its decision-making authority to a non-elected body. It falls upon
the CAC to maintain sufficient credibility and integrity to give its advice
weight before the elected officials and it is the responsibility of the
elected officials to give the CAC a reasonable charge and the resources
necessary for the committee to develop its advice.
 
It is rare that the unit of government adopt the CAC's recommendations
verbatim and it is equally rare for the unit of government to totally ignore
the advice of the CAC. 


J W Spear, Sr., P.E. 
Principal

 

 325 West Vine Street
 Milwaukee, WI 53212-3605

 Telephone   (414) 263-2122 Ext. 25
 Facsimile    (414) 435-3110
 Mobile         (414) 687-0518
 Email jw@no.address
 http://www.jspear.com

  What we do today touches seven generations.

It is a terrible and dangerous arrogance to believe that you alone are
right: have a magical eye which sees the truth: and that others can not be
right if they disagree.                            Isaiah Berlin   1981

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-----Original Message-----
From: GreenYes@no.address [mailto:GreenYes@no.address] On Behalf
Of Colleen
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 2:42 PM
To: GreenYes
Subject: [GreenYes] Citizen Advisory Committee



My organization is working with our County, local city officials and others
to collaboratively create a County-Wide Solid Waste Managment Plan.  We
would like to clearly lay out the roles and responsibilities of both the
crafters (the collaborators, including the County) and the implementers (the
County Commissioners) regarding the plan.  It looks as if there is no
statute or law giving the County the right to designate/convene such an
institutionalized group (a Citizens Advisory
Committee) whose recommendations would be implemented.  The County is in
support of this project; they have funded the process described above, but
the collaborators are interested in clearly stating rights and roles.
What sort of document might be appropriate to dictate roles and
responsibilities, ensuring that the recommendations of the committee will be
implemented by the County, whenever appropriate, if we are not able to form
a legally/technically defined Citizens Advisory Committee?





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