DIVISION 23. OFFICE OF FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE.

Sec. 2-64Q. Office of Food Systems Resilience – Functions.

   The Office of Food Systems Resilience must:

   (a)   in coordination with the Maryland Food Council, serve as a liaison between government and food systems stakeholders, including residents, businesses, farms, food assistance providers, charities, and educational institutions;

   (b)   in coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Office of Agriculture, the Department of Planning, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of Community Partnerships, serve as a central liaison and coordinator for County government food systems initiatives and projects;

   (c)   develop and maintain a strategy for improving the efficiency, equity, sustainability, and resilience of the food systems in Montgomery County;

   (d)   advise the County Executive and County Council on food systems related policy issues, as well as deliver a report on the state of the local food systems with recommended policy, budgetary, and regulatory changes to the County Executive and County Council no less than annually;

   (e)   develop and maintain a system to collect and process local food systems data to support accurate and timely monitoring of the state of the local food systems, and analyze such data to support decision making and strategic planning;

   (f)   in coordination with the Office of Grants Management and the Office of Procurement, set policies and procedures for grants impacting the local food systems that are consistent with the aforementioned food systems strategy and work to leverage County resources to pursue state, federal, and private sector resources to support local food system initiatives;

   (g)   in coordination with the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and local food assistance providers, support disaster response feeding planning and operations;

   (h)   in coordination with the Office of Racial Equity, work to address racial inequities and develop practices to ensure social justice and address disparities in the local food systems; and

   (i)   represent the interests of Montgomery County in regional, national, and international food systems coordination efforts. (2022 L.M.C., ch. 19, §1.)

A RTICLE IV. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH.* [Note]

 

Notes

[Note]

*Charter reference—Legislative branch, § 101 et seq. Cross reference—Legislative oversight, ch. 29A.

Division 1. Generally.

Sec. 2-65. Board of health designated.

   (a)   The County Council is, and may act as, the County Board of Health.

   (b)   When meeting as the Board of Health, the County Council has all the powers delegated to a local board of health under State and County law.

   (c)   The County Council, meeting as the Board of Health, may adopt any regulation which a local board of health is authorized to adopt. Before it adopts a regulation, the Board must hold a public hearing after giving reasonable notice, as specified in the Council Rules of Procedure, to each municipality in the County and the public. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 2-66; 2000 L.M.C., ch. 25, § 1.)

   Editor’s note—See County Attorney Opinion dated 5/6/98 indicating that the County Council, sitting as a Board of Health, may enforce County law regarding group homes in the eight home-rule municipalities that have not adopted their own law.