§ 9-185. Land conservation advisory board.

(a)

The Land Conservation Advisory Board ("LCAB") shall be made up of nine (9) Osceola County residents, exclusive of elected officials, appointed by the board for terms of three (3) years. The county manager, commission auditor, and the county attorney may direct members of their staff to assist the LCAB. The initial terms shall be staggered as outlined in this section. The board may fill a vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term. The board may reappoint members to the LCAB for a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms. After serving two (2) consecutive terms, a person will be eligible for appointment after a one year absence from the LCAB. County staff shall assist the LCAB in the development and adoption of meeting procedures. The Kissimmee City Commission ("Kissimmee") and the St. Cloud City Council ("St. Cloud") shall each nominate one member for consideration to serve on the LCAB. Final approval and appointment to the LCAB shall be made by the Board and pursuant to the requirements of this Section. The cities may nominate a replacement for membership upon a vacancy created by their nominee. Seven (7) of the nine (9) members appointed by the board shall be selected to provide the following representation:

(1)

Organizations or individuals representing environmental interests in the county—Two (2) members; one shall serve an initial three-year term and one shall serve an initial one-year term.

(2)

Organizations or individuals representing agricultural and business interests in the county—Two (2) members; the agricultural representative shall serve an initial three-year term and the business representative shall serve an initial one-year term.

(3)

An organization or individual representing educational interests in the county—One member; shall serve an initial two-year term.

(4)

A representative of federal, state or local government, except for employees of the county manager—one member; shall serve an initial two-year term.

(5)

A representative from a local civic organization—one member and shall serve an initial three-year term.

(b)

The remaining two (2) members nominated by Kissimmee and St. Cloud for appointment by the board must meet at least one of the expertise criteria listed in subsection (c) below and may fall into any of the five (5) categories listed in subsection (a) above. These two (2) members shall serve two-year initial terms and may be re-nominated and re-appointed pursuant to this section.

(c)

Members of the LCAB shall have expertise in ecology, conservation of natural resources, real estate or land acquisition, land appraisal, land management, ecotoursim or environmental education. A nominee shall submit to the board written evidence of his or her expertise in any of the above. The intent of this criteria is to create a diverse LCAB that is representative of different perspectives on preservation and smart growth management.

(d)

The LCAB shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

(1)

The LCAB's primary responsibility is to recommend to the board an acquisition list consistent with the goals of the program.

(2)

The LCAB may recommend to the board proposed expenditures from the fund; additional selection or acquisition policies, procedures, and programs; and other such matters as may be necessary to fulfill the purposes of the program.

(3)

The LCAB shall have no power or authority to commit the county to any policies, to incur any financial obligations or to create any liability on the part of the county. The actions and recommendations of the LCAB are advisory only.

(4)

At such time as there are insufficient uncommitted funds in the acquisition sub-fund to conclude another acquisition and all acquisition projects have been closed, the LCAB shall report to the board that its business is concluded. All remaining acquisition fund monies shall then be transferred to the management sub-fund.

(Ord. No. 04-28, § 5, 7-26-04; Ord. No. 04-42, § 1, 11-1-04)