HomeMy WebLinkAboutSteps Outlined in the Community Climate Action Plan
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Natalie Meyer, Grants & Climate Protection Coordinator
Anna Rosenberry, Finance Director
Chris Kukulski, City Manager
SUBJECT: Community Climate Action Plan Process
MEETING DATE: August 31, 2009
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Consent
RECOMMENDATION: Approve the steps outlined in the attached Community Climate
Action Plan Process.
BACKGROUND: On August 1, 2009, the City Commission received public testimony from
Bozeman Sustainability Group suggesting the City of Bozeman should develop a Sustainability
Plan in lieu of a Community Climate Action Plan. The City Commission indicated the discussion
should be reserved for a policy meeting.
Since August 1st, City Staff, our Sustainability Consultant (Hattie Baker), and Bozeman
Sustainability Group have met to discuss strategies to address the concerns raised during the
Commission Meeting. The following strategy was identified as an acceptable process.
The City is currently under contract with Hattie Baker to lead a task force charged with
developing a Community Climate Action Plan. To comply with the City’s current policy
direction, staff recommends moving forward with this contract as planned. We suggest an
additional process that will enable us to deliver a Community Climate Action Plan and help
evaluate the need to address broader sustainability concerns (Attachment 1). The process can be
summarized in the following steps:
1. The Climate Protection Coordinator (Natalie Meyer) will form a City Inter-departmental
Climate Action Team by September 3, 2009.
2. The Climate Action Team will develop a compendium of existing City of Bozeman
plans, policies, and procedures to inventory current activities and regulations related to
sustainability. This will be completed by October 31, 2009.
3. The compendium will help identify high-priority sustainability issues that may require
further attention or identify opportunities to implement sustainable practices within
existing plans or policies.
4. The Sustainability Consultant will continue to appoint a community task force and
ultimately develop a Community Climate Action Plan with a scope of work similar to
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that of the Municipal Climate Action Plan. If directed by the Commission, the
Community Climate Action Plan may later serve as the first chapter in a broader
Sustainability Plan.
5. With a sustainability compendium available to the public and the City Commission, staff
will organize a policy meeting on November 5, 2009 to discuss moving forward to
address sustainability issues.
FISCAL EFFECTS: Our Sustainability Consultant’s contract is primarily funded by a grant
through New Priorities Foundation and this contract will not be impacted by the proposed
process. Developing a compendium of sustainable practices will require staff time; however, the
resulting document will serve multiple purposes for City staff, the community, and the
Commission.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission.
Attachments: Community Climate Action Plan Process
Report compiled on: August 26, 2009
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Community Climate Action Plan Process
Overview
The City of Bozeman signed onto the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement in
November 2006. This agreement commits the City of Bozeman to meeting or exceeding
the Kyoto Protocol target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions seven percent below 1990
levels by 2012. Section One of the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement directs
signatories to inventory global warming emissions in city operations and in the
community, and then set a reduction target and create an action plan.
To date, the City of Bozeman has conducted an emissions inventory for both City
operations and the community. In addition, we have set a reduction target and developed
an action plan for City operations, which is known as the Municipal Climate Action Plan.
The Climate Protection Coordinator (Natalie Meyer) is in the process of implementing
this Plan. To continue fulfilling our obligation under the Mayor’s Climate Protection
Agreement, the City is now forming a task force to develop a community emissions
reduction goal and action plan. Through a grant provided by New Priorities Foundation,
the City contracted a Sustainability Consultant (Hattie Baker) to assist in the
development of a Community Climate Action Plan. The Consultant is charged with
writing a community greenhouse gas emissions inventory, developing Community
Climate Action Task Force member recommendations and appointments, and leading
Task Force meetings.
Since signing the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement in 2006, climate change and
associated issues such as water quality, biodiversity, and local food production have
become prevalent topics. Globally, there is growing concern over the decline of the
human environment and natural resources and the consequences of this decline for
economic and social development. Community members from Bozeman Sustainability
Group have requested that the City of Bozeman address such concerns through a more
holistic Sustainability Plan. Sustainability may be defined as it appears in the 1983
Bruntland Commission Report, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This notion of sustainability is
beginning to emerge as a core value for development and the concept repeatedly appears
in the City’s newly adopted Community Plan. Development of a Community Climate
Action Plan clearly falls within the purview of a Sustainability Plan and, while very
important, it is only one component of an over‐arching Sustainability Plan.
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The development of a comprehensive Sustainability Plan would require a sustained effort
over several years. If the Commission directs, Bozeman City staff could propose a long‐
term strategy for developing a Sustainability Plan. The strategy may include the following
steps:
The Climate Protection Coordinator (Natalie Meyer) will form a City Inter‐
departmental Climate Action Team by September 3, 2009.
The Climate Action Team will develop a compendium of existing City of Bozeman
plans, policies, and procedures to inventory current activities and regulations
related to sustainability. This will be completed by October 31, 2009.
The compendium will help identify high‐priority sustainability issues that may
require further attention or identify opportunities to implement sustainable
practices within existing plans or policies.
The Sustainability Consultant will continue to appoint a community task force and
ultimately develop a Community Climate Action Plan with a scope of work similar
to that of the Municipal Climate Action Plan. If directed by the Commission, the
Community Climate Action Plan may later serve as the first chapter in a broader
Sustainability Plan.
With a sustainability compendium available to the public and the City
Commission, staff will organize a policy meeting on November 5, 2009 to discuss
moving forward to address sustainability issues.
City Inter‐departmental Climate Action Team
A City Inter‐departmental Climate Action Team (CAT) will aid in meeting our current
climate policy goals and, if directed by the Commission, assist in the development of a
Sustainability Plan. The Climate Protection Coordinator will organize a permanent Inter‐
departmental Climate Action Team made up of one representative from each department.
The Team will have four primary functions:
The Team will serve as a resource and provide feedback to the Community Climate
Task Force as they develop their recommendations.
When the Community Climate Action Plan is completed, the Team will
communicate City staff’s position on the recommendations to the City Manager
and Commission.
The Team will help implement the Municipal Climate Action Plan and improve
communication regarding new policies and practices connected to both Climate
Action Plans. The goal is to engage everyone in the implementation process to
become more effective and increase participation city‐wide.
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The Team will identify opportunities and projects to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, become more efficient with resources and, ultimately, more sustainable.
The Team will meet on a monthly basis and will maintain continuous communication
through an email list. Department representatives will be familiar with procedures and
operations within their respective department; however, the representative does not
necessarily need decision‐making authority. The representative will communicate
regularly with the head of the department or division. Representatives from citizen
advisory boards will be invited to the Team meetings as appropriate.
The Inter‐departmental Climate Action Team’s first objective will be to compile a
compendium of current policies, procedures, and practices that relate to sustainability.
References may include the Community Plan, Transportation Plan, Safe Routes to School,
PROST Plan, Neighborhood Plans, Water and Sewer Plans, rate studies and other plans,
policies, or practices observed by the City of Bozeman. This inventory will serve as a
resource for the Community Climate Task Force and the Inter‐departmental Climate
Action Team. This compendium will be drafted by October 31, 2009.
Action Items for the Sustainability Consultant, Hattie Baker
Our Sustainability Consultant’s Scope of Work will remain the same unless re‐directed by
the City Commission.
Our Sustainability Consultant will provide the City Manager with appointment
recommendations, who will request approval of appointments from the City Commission.
The Task Force recommendations will include all individuals or organizations outlined in
the Consultant’s contract. Any additional appointments or changes to the Task Force will
be communicated to the Inter‐departmental Climate Action Team. The Inter‐
departmental Team will decide whether they support the proposed changes and make a
recommendation to the City Manager, Chris Kukulski. Task Force appointments will be
completed and confirmed no later than October 31, 2009.
The Emissions Inventory will be reviewed by the Inter‐departmental Team prior to the
first Task Force meeting. The Team may recommend revisions no later than September
14, 2009.
Our Sustainability Consultant intends to have the appointed community task force meet
every two months to identify the goals and strategies for addressing climate change in the
community. Working groups will then help facilitate the process by developing initiatives
based on the goals and initiatives outlined by the Task Force. The workings groups would
include three groups: Residential & Commercial Buildings, Transportation & Land Use,
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and Water & Waste. Working groups will be composed of professionals and specialists in
their field; whereas Task Force members will primarily be policy makers within the
community. Members of the Bozeman Sustainability Group and the City’s inter‐
departmental Climate Action Team may be invited to participate in Working Groups.
City Staff meeting with Bozeman Sustainability Group
To improve communication, key City staff will be available to meet with Bozeman
Sustainability Group following completion of the compendium of sustainability, which
will be available by October 31, 2009.
Purpose:
Identify ways the Bozeman Sustainability Group’s scope of work and priorities tie into the
Community Plan, Transportation Plan, Safe Routes to Schools Plan, PROST Plan,
Economic Development Plan, Neighborhood Plans, Water & Sewer Plans, and upcoming
Community Climate Action Plan.
Attendees (others may be added):
City Engineering, Richard Hixson; City Planning, Brian Krueger, Andy Epple, Chris
Saunders; Building Department, Bob Risk; Neighborhoods Coordinator, Brit Fontenot;
Climate Protection Coordinator, Natalie Meyer; Sustainability Consultant, Hattie Baker,
Bozeman Sustainability Group facilitators and interested members.
Deliverables:
Outline where Bozeman Sustainability’s identified priorities fit with current and
upcoming City Plans. The Sustainability Group may then coordinate efforts with key city
personnel to work on amendments to existing plans or submit recommendations to the
Community Climate Task Force.
Climate Action Plan Process:
Bozeman Sustainability Group may develop recommendations that fit within the scope of
the Community Climate Action Plan (Transportation, Waste, Residential, & Commercial
Sector greenhouse gas emissions). The City Inter‐departmental Team will be available to
help develop or review these recommendations. The proposed Community Climate
Action Plan process is summarized in Figure 1.
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City Commission
Public
City Manager,
Chris Kukulski
Community
Climate Task Force,
represented by
Hattie Baker
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Figure 1. Proposed Community Climate Action Plan Process
Policy Meeting
Following completion of a sustainability compendium on October 31, 2009, the Bozeman
City Commission may hold a policy meeting on November 5, 2009 to discuss the
possibility of developing a long‐term Sustainability Plan. The compendium will help
facilitate this discussion by identifying sustainable practices, policies, and procedures for
the Commission and the public to review.
The Climate Protection Coordinator will lead the discussion and testimony may be
provided by Bozeman Sustainability Group and other members of the public. The
following topics will be presented by City staff:
The potential differences in scope of work for a Climate Action Plan versus a
Sustainability Plan.
Description of a strategy for developing a Sustainability Plan.
The fiscal impacts of developing a Sustainability Plan.
Public
Working Groups
Inter‐departmental
Climate Action
Team, represented
by Natalie Meyer
Citizen Advisory
Boards
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