50 



THE RECOMMENDED ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 



Despite this rather unhappy picture, the role of local government in 

 the management of the estuarine and coastal zones is a crucial one 

 because it is "on scene" and directly concerned with the people, indus- 

 try, the land, and water. 



This singularly important role in estuarine and coastal management 

 includes such things as waste collection, treatment and disposal, land 

 use planning and control, and the development of estuarine and coastal 

 areas for commerce, transportation, recreation, et cetera. It also in- 

 cludes the development of support for regional programs for estuarine 

 and coastal management and the crucial function of explaining to its 

 citizenry the importance and impact of local governmental activities 

 upon estuarine and coastal resources and their use. 



With increased attention to coordinated planning of the estuarine 

 zone and its related land resources and with increased assistance and 

 improved supervision from the State level much more can be accom- 

 plished at the local level of government. As this takes place there 

 should be an expanded and increasingly effective role for the local 

 government to play. 



This expanded role should pr&vide for : 



(1) Improvement in the collection, treatment, and disposal 

 of wastes. 



(2) Development of local laws and ordinances for estuarine 

 and coastal zone preservation and management, including control 

 over shoreline construction activities. 



'3) Effective enforcement of local laws and regulations. 



^4) Comprehensive surveys of ownership, land claims, and 

 leases through title checks and an updated land register to clarify 

 land ownership. 



(5) Sounder land and water use planning and zoning practices, 

 including the development of more flexible and imaginative ap- 

 proaches, such as planned unit development, cluster zoning, and 

 subdivision control. 



(6) Use of tax assessment and land valuation policies to induce 

 sound conservation and development practices through such 

 means as preferential assessment and deferred taxation. 



(7) Providing public ownership or access to selected estuarine 

 and coastal areas for whatever purposes that are necessary for 

 sound management of estuarine and coastal zones and related 

 land resources. 



(8) Active participation in State and Federal estuarine and 

 coastal management pro-ams. 



(9) Active participation in appropriate regional management 

 organizations, which would cover the entire estuarine and coastal 

 zone problem area. These organizations may be multifunctional, 

 and in urban areas, metropolitan in character, dealing with such 

 problems as water pollution control, port development, transpor- 

 tation, hurricane, flood and erosion control, architectural preserva- 

 tion, recreation, and so forth. The regional management organiza- 

 tion may have limited purpose or broad management responsibil- 

 ity, including regulatory power over dredging and filling, zoning. 



