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Roseville City Council Page 4 of 6 iII. Citizen Environmental Advisory Task Force Councilmember Ihlan proposes that you discuss creating a citizen group to advise the City Coun- cil and commissions on environmental policy issues and to facilitate public discussion and input on environmental matters. A. Background: The City currently has several commissions and other entities that address en- vironmental issues. These include the Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Transportation and Planning Commissions. In addition, the following government bodies play important roles in reviewing environmental issues: three Watershed Districts, Rarnsey County, MN Department of Natural Resources, MN Pollution Control Agency, and the Metropolitan Council. Specifically, the Roseville Parks and Recreation Commission addresses environmental issues such as those dealing with preservation of trees, greenspace, wetlands, and wildlife habits. They also deal with non-native species and pollution from herbicides and pesticides. Admittedly, their focus is on city parkland rather than private property. However, the other government bodies identified above govern environmentalconcerns on private property. The Community Development Department, in conjunction with the Planning Commission, deals occasionallywith noise and light pollution issues. This is especially so when noise or light be- come "nuisances" as defined by the City Council under the City's Nuisance Code. Additionally, the Community Development Department is actively involved in brownfield redevelopment, such as in Twin Lakes. Finally, the Public Works and Transportation Commission addresses recycling and leaf collec- tion, composting, and storm water runoff issues — the latter in conjunction with the applicable watershed district. Special Caution #1: Whenever you consider creating another citizen advisory body or expanding the role of a current body, please consider too the staffing needs for that body. Staffing citizen advisory bodies is often resource intensive. Staff estimate that your current commissions take anywhere from a few hours to 55 hours of work each month. The Police Civil Service Commis- sion generally takes about 4 to 6 hours of staff time per year. Staff estimate that the Human Rights, Parks and Recreation and the Public Works and Transportation Commissions, on the other hand, generally take from 10 to 25 hours of staff time each month. The Planning Commis- sion is the most resource intensive; it takes about 55 hours of stafftime per month. (Note: This does not include staff time to cablecast Commission meetings. The HRA, which is a separate entity, takes an average of 45-50 hours per month of stafftime for administrativeand support services.) As you can see, commission needs vary. But all commissions require staff reports, agendas and public notices, information on our website, and minutes. In addition, the extensive nature of the Planning Commission's responsibilitiesplaces additional demands on multiple staff inembers. Sbecial Caution #2: Finally, whenever you consider creating another citizen body or expanding its mission, please consider as well the likelihood that this additional entity may unintentionally create delay or confusion. For example, if the same environmental issue must be addressed by