Excerpt
SOLVING problems by committee is the subject of many jokes, for citizens and government officials alike. But citizen committee input to local government is both undervalued and underutilized for a broad range of programs and services. One of these local program areas is that of public health and environmental protection.
A local environmental advisory committee can contribute in the following ways:
▸ To assist local government officials in planning, organizing, and evaluating local services and environmental programs.
▸ To help coordinate the work of local government environmental programs with other community programs.
▸ To provide opportunities for concerned citizens to have a part in the formation or alteration of the local programs.
▸ To serve as a stabilizing body for local officials who administer local environmental programs.
▸ To help secure resources for environmental health and safety purposes that may not otherwise be available.
▸ To develop a good public relations program for the local environmental services, promoting available services and keeping citizens informed of environmental work.
▸ To act as a sounding board for the major changes under review by local officials.
▸ To provide continuity in local environmental programs during changes in environmental leadership or support staff. …
Footnotes
James D. Harless is a utility management consultant with the University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service, 600 Henley Street, Suite 120, Knoxville, 37996-4105.
- Copyright 1991 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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