Title
Creek Restoration Partnership - For the purpose of expressing the City Council’s commitment to partnering with local watershed organizations to achieve the restoration of our Creeks, and to streamlining its laws and processes to facilitate restoration project approval, completion, and perpetual maintenance.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 23-18
Introduced by: Alderman Savidge, Mayor Buckley, Alderman Rodriguez,
Alderwoman Tierney and Alderman Arnett
Referred to
Environmental Matters Committee
A RESOLUTION concerning
Creek Restoration Partnership
FOR the purpose of expressing the City Council’s commitment to partnering with local watershed organizations to achieve the restoration of our Creeks, and to streamlining its laws and processes to facilitate restoration project approval, completion, and perpetual maintenance.
WHEREAS, on April 23, 2018, the Mayor announced the establishment of the Creek Cabinet, its mission statement is to “improve local water quality faster, better, and cheaper” by advising the Mayor and his administration on coordinated Department activities relating to management of Annapolis’s watershed and the impacts to, and health of, the City’s four local Creeks.
WHEREAS, some of the issues that the Creek Cabinet intends to tackle include, but are not limited to:
● Watershed restoration efforts, both private and public,
● Use of the Watershed Restoration Fund (i.e. stormwater fee),
● Climate change adaptation and sea level rise resiliency efforts,
● Application of the Forest Conservation Act and other environmental regulations that are multi-departmental efforts,
● Development projects that may have significant environmental impacts,
● Transportation initiatives, including pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure (i.e. bike paths),
● Environmental sustainability efforts, and
● Expenditures and grants related to the aforementioned issues.
WHEREAS, on July 31, 2017, the City Council adopted the Stormwater Management Inventory and Watershed Improvement Plan dated March 2017; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to reaffirm its commitment to cooperating and partnering with local watershed organizations to achieve joint goals of improving the water quality of our local waterways, implementing the Stormwater Management Inventory and Watershed Improvement Plan, and meeting our Federal pollution reduction targets; and
WHEREAS, the City Council acknowledges that local watershed organizations are key partners in these initiatives and that those organizations are conducting much of the restoration work for projects within the City limits; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis commits to the goal of streamlining its laws, permitting, project review and inspection procedures, to facilitate restoration projects approval and completion, and to ensure perpetual maintenance of restoration projects; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis pledges to write letters of support and authorization for meritorious restoration projects within our community.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the Stormwater Management Inventory and Watershed Improvement Plan dated March 2017 is hereby reaffirmed.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the watershed implementation plans of the non-profit organizations representing watersheds within the Annapolis jurisdictional limits shall be reaffirmed as appendices to the Stormwater Management Watershed Improvement Plan adopted by R-21-17.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the City commits to the goal of streamlining its laws, permitting, project review and inspection procedures, to facilitate restoration project approval and completion, to ensure perpetual maintenance of restoration projects, and to write letters of support and authorization to help facilitate meritorious restoration projects in our community.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this resolution shall take effect from the date of its passage.
EXPLANATION
CAPITAL LETTERS indicate matter added to existing law.
Strikethrough indicates matter stricken from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments.