Int. No. 838
By Council Members Johnson and Koo
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to an urban agriculture advisory board
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 30 of New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 737 to read as follows:
§737. Urban agriculture advisory board. a. There shall be an urban agriculture advisory board, which shall consist of the commissioner of youth and community development, as chairperson; the commissioner of environmental protection, as vice chairperson; the chairperson of the city planning commission; the commissioner of parks and recreation; the commissioner of housing preservation and development; the commissioner of small business services; the director of the mayor's office of long term planning and sustainability; five members to be appointed by the mayor; and three members to be appointed by the speaker of the council.
b. Appointed members of the board shall not hold any other public office or employment and shall be appointed for terms of three years without compensation, except that of the members first appointed, four shall be appointed for terms of one year, two shall be appointed for terms of two years, and two shall be appointed for terms of three years. No appointed member may be removed other than for cause to be determined after a hearing before the office of administrative trials and hearings.
c. In the event of a vacancy on the board during the term of office of an appointed member, a successor shall be selected in the same manner as the original appointment to serve the balance of the unexpired term.
d. The ex officio members of the board may designate a representative who shall be counted as a member for the purpose of determining the existence of a quorum and who may vote on behalf of such member. The designation of a representative shall be made by a written notice of the ex officio member served upon the chairperson of the board prior to the designee participating in any meeting of the board, but such designation may be rescinded or revised by the member at any time.
e. The board shall:
1. hold at least one meeting every six months;
2. consult with and advise the mayor, the commissioner of youth and community development, the commissioner of environmental protection, the chairperson of the city planning commission, the commissioner of parks and recreation, the commissioner of housing preservation and development, the commissioner of small business services and the director of the mayor's office of long term planning and sustainability on any matter relating to agriculture in the city, including the identification of existing and potential agricultural food production sites, opportunities to increase local agricultural food production, impediments to local agricultural food production, and urban agriculture training programs and expansion thereof;
3. create any committees or subcommittees consisting of at least one board member, or their designated representative, as the board deems appropriate to carry out the board's responsibilities, provided that there shall be a committee on expanding agricultural food production in the city; and
4. by March 1, 2017, and by March first in every second year thereafter, submit to the mayor and the council, and make publicly available online, a report regarding the development of urban agriculture sites and infrastructure in the city and examining opportunities to increase local agricultural food production during the two calendar years preceding submission of such report, provided that the first such report need only relate to the period between the effective date of the local law that added this section and December 31, 2016, inclusive.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
ARP
LS # 4490
6/11/15 1:01PM