The Local Steering Committee shall have the authority to apply for and receive grants to conduct an inventory and develop a Resource Protection Plan and to review all grant applications from units of local government before they are submitted to the Board.
     The Local Steering Committee shall develop a strategy for conducting an inventory of natural areas, farmland, and cultural resources. The Committee shall determine which resources should be included in the inventory, the amount of financial and technical assistance needed from the State, what information is already available, who will conduct the inventory, how municipal and county efforts should be coordinated, and how to present the information so that it is compatible with inventories conducted by other county-municipal partnerships.
     The Committee shall use the inventory as the basis for developing its Resource Protection Plan. Working with a professional planner or other resource specialist, the Committee shall develop criteria for prioritizing resources identified by the inventory. When prioritizing resources, the Committee shall analyze the threat to the resources using population projections, land use patterns, and development trends. Upon the approval of two-thirds of its members, with at least one member from each of the 3 categories voting in approval, the Committee shall recommend that the county board and the municipalities within the county adopt the Resource Protection Plan. Amendments to the Resource Protection Plan must be approved in the same manner. A local government may object to all or part of the Resource Protection Plan in writing. If a written objection is filed with the Committee, the portion of the Plan objected to shall not be effective within that local government’s borders. The objecting local government may modify or withdraw its objection at any time.