The county chairman shall appoint, and the board of county commissioners shall confirm,
an individual in the position of the environmental protection officer, who shall act
as manager of the environmental protection department. The environmental protection
officer shall be either a registered professional engineer or possess an advanced
degree in a scientific field, law, public administration or business administration
with an emphasis on environmental studies and shall have a bachelor's degree in engineering,
biology, environmental sciences, or a related scientific field. The county chairman
shall, in appointing such person, and the board of county commissioners shall, in
confirming such appointment, give due consideration to the qualifications and experience
of such appointee in the field of air and water pollution controls. In the event the
environmental protection officer is not a registered professional engineer with experience
in the field of environmental engineering, then the environmental protection department
shall have access to and utilize as needed a registered professional engineer with
experience in environmental sciences either on staff or through a contract position.
