CCP 12-09-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. , Justification . Introduction On June 25, 2002, the Department of Property Records and Revenue presented the question of whether or not to fund an Environmental Response Fund (ERF) to the County Board for discussion and direction. The Board expressed interest in exploring further the opportunity of implementing the tax and discussing how to use the funds in either a policy or workshop setting. This Board Action provides information that can be used to frame a policy discussion on creating and funding an ERF and determining how to spend the funds. In preparing this item, the County Manager convened a team of staff from several departments to review and analyze issues related to creating an ERF. This document summarizes the work in three policy questions: 1. Should the County begin to collect taxes and create an ERF? 2. If yes, what should be the priorities for the ERF? 3. If yes, how should policy direction and oversight of the ERF be handled? Following the policy questions, staff have identified and analyzed four options for expenditure ofthe funds ifthe County Board chooses to create an ERF. Discussion is not limited to these options, but these are the four that were analyzed by staff for consideration by the Board. Once a method for expenditure of the funds has been selected, specific criteria would need to be developed and brought to the Board. The options include the following: . Option # I: Use the ERF to fund one or two significant projects that can have Countywide impact. Option #2: Distribute the ERF to municipalities for their use, according to a formula. Option #3: Use the ERF for environmental response in priority areas that other funds do not cover. Option #4: Create a grant program for a variety of small and medium sized projects. .