Conservation Advisory Committee

Scope of Work: 

The Conservation Advisory Committee is the Committee principally charged with studying, investigating and recommending to the Zoning Updates Committee any proposed changes to the Town of Austerlitz Zoning Code which relates to conservation or protection of the Town’s natural resources. If there are specific recommendations that do not impact the Town’s Zoning Code, the Committee may make such recommendations directly to the Town Board.

In addition to, or in furtherance of the above, the Conservation Advisory Committee may take on the following tasks:

- Review and develop procedures in coordination with the Planning Board on how the Committee may assist the Planning Board on applicable submissions to the Planning Board with respect to integrating the newly adopted Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) into the

Planning Board’s review procedures so that the natural resources (environment) of the Town is considered in the review process as discussed in Recommendation C-1. If any such procedures are formulated, they do not become effective until TB approval;

- Review, investigate and develop regulations, if advisable, for conservation subdivision design and rural siting guidelines design (Comprehensive Plan Recommendations B-3a and B-3e);

- Investigate and develop regulations, if advisable, for environmental resource overlay districts (Comprehensive Plan Recommendations C- 4 through C-6, C-9, D-1a, D-3);

- Review and develop methods and/or procedures on how, or if, the Conservation Advisory Committee can transition to a conservation advisory council or board (Comprehensive Plan Recommendation D-8) (see also Guidance Notes below).

Guidance Notes:

The Conservation Advisory Committee is not formed herein to act as a conservation advisory council or board as those terms are defined in State Law (General Municipal Law Article 12-F). To start, the Conservation Advisory Committee should work on the scope of work described

above and, if it deems appropriate, make recommendations how it can transition to act as such council or board. Since this may involve changes to the procedures of Planning Board or other boards in reviewing zoning applications, the Committee should work with the Zoning Updates Committee on any such recommendations. The Conservation Advisory Committee may collaborate with any other Committee and/or the Planning Board on specific topics with the permission of the Zoning Updates Committee.

Reports:

The Conservation Advisory Committee shall keep the Town Board regularly informed of its progress and should provide written or in-person reports to the Town Board at least once every month.