In a push to cement Howard?s environmental priorities, County Executive Ken Ulman wants to create an environmental department, a move that requires a reorganization of the executive branch.
“I really did feel strongly that we need to institutionalize it throughout county government,” Ulman said Wednesday.
Following the county?s charter, Ulman sent the County Council a letter last week, 120 days before the budget is submitted, proposing the creation of an Office of Environmental Sustainability.
A permanent, central office would coordinate environmental initiatives in other departments, such planning, public works and housing.
Because of tight budget times, the department initially would be staffed with one person, Joshua Feldmark, who served as the executive director for the now-disbanded Commission on Environment and Sustainability. Creation of a department was one of the commission?s recommendations.
Ulman said he plans to add positions, particularly one to head up education and outreach.
Jim Caldwell, a commission member and former head of Montgomery?s department of environmental protection, said a smaller, advisory office is more effective.
“The bigger you get, the more day-to-day responsibilities you have,” he said, adding that the department could get mired in daily operations rather than advising on environmental policies.
When he left his post last year, Montgomery?s department had been trimmed down from 250 people to 65, leaving a core of employees dedicated to environmental initiatives, Caldwell said.
Codifying the position gives it the authority to coordinate across departments, Feldmark said.
The County Council last month approved a measure creating a permanent 13-member environmental sustainability board to advise Howard on environmental policies and develop programs to increase public awareness.
