HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Climate Action Plan Process
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: September 14, 2009
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Action Item
RECOMMENDATION: Approve the steps outlined in the attached Community Climate
Action Plan Process.
BACKGROUND: On August 3, 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 further
discussion would be needed prior to making a decision.
Since August 3rd, City Staff held several meetings and met with Sustainability Consultant
(Hattie Baker) and Bozeman Sustainability Group to discuss strategies to address concerns
mentioned during the Commission meeting. Based on these conversations, we drafted a proposed
process, which was placed on the consent agenda for the August 31, 2009 Commission meeting.
The item was opened and continued until September 14, 2009 to allow the Commission to
discuss this proposed process.
The City of Bozeman 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 issues (Attachment 1). To improve clarity, the
process summary has been modified since the August 31st consent agenda document. The
process is now summarized according to the following steps:
1) The City of Bozeman will continue to develop a Community Climate Action Plan
according to the Sustainability Consultant’s contract.
2) The City of Bozeman will form an inter-departmental Climate Action Team.
3) The inter-departmental Climate Action Team will document current sustainability efforts
found in existing plans, policies, procedures, and practices. This document will be known
as the Compendium of Sustainability.
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4) With the Compendium of Sustainability available as a resource, the Commission will
hold a policy meeting to discuss a Sustainability Plan and other alternatives.
5) If directed by the Commission, the Municipal and Community Climate Action Plan may
serve as the first chapter in a broader Sustainability Plan.
FISCAL EFFECTS: Our Sustainability Consultant’s position 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 Sustainability 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: September 9, 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 City 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
charged with developing a community emissions reduction goal and action plan. Through
a grant provided by New Priorities Foundation, the City contracted a Sustainability
Consultant 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 may require a sustained effort. If
the Commission directs, Bozeman City staff could propose a long-term strategy for
development of a Sustainability Plan.
To comply with the City’s current policy direction, staff recommends moving forward
with current plans to develop a Community Climate Action Plan. 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 issues. An immediate strategy
could include the following steps:
1) The City of Bozeman will continue to develop a Community Climate Action Plan
according to the Sustainability Consultant’s contract.
2) The City of Bozeman will form an inter-departmental Climate Action Team.
3) A City of Bozeman inter-departmental Climate Action Team will document
current sustainability efforts found in existing plans, policies, procedures, and
practices. This document will be known as the Compendium of Sustainability.
4) With the Compendium of Sustainability available as a resource, the Commission
will hold a policy meeting to discuss a Sustainability Plan and other alternatives.
5) If directed by the Commission, the Municipal and Community Climate Action Plan
may serve as the first chapter in a broader Sustainability Plan.
City Inter-departmental Climate Action Team
A City Inter-departmental Climate Action Team 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, Natalie Meyer, will organize a
permanent Inter-departmental Climate Action Team made up of one to two
representatives from each department. The Team will have four primary functions:
The Team will serve as a resource and provide feedback to the 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 the Climate
Action Plan. 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 our resources and, ultimately, more
sustainable.
The Team will meet on a monthly basis and will maintain continuous communication
through an email list. Department representatives should be familiar with procedures and
operations within their respective department; however, the representative does not
necessarily need decision-making authority. The representative should 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
The Sustainability Consultant’s Scope of Work will remain the same unless re-directed by
the City Commission.
The 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.
The Sustainability Consultant intends to organize Working Groups to help facilitate the
process and develop recommendations for the Task Force to review. Each Working Group
will focus on a topic such as buildings, transportation, and waste. Working Groups will be
composed of professionals and specialists in their field; whereas Task Force members will
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primarily be policy makers within the community. Members of Bozeman Sustainability
Group may participate in Working Groups in order for their recommendations to be
reviewed by the Community Climate Task Force.
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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Figure 1. Proposed Community Climate Action Plan Process
Policy Meeting
Following completion of the Compendium of Sustainability, the Bozeman City
Commission will hold a policy meeting 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. The following topics will be
presented:
The potential differences in scope between a Climate Action Plan and a
Sustainability Plan.
Detail a strategy for developing a Sustainability Plan and review other alternatives.
City Commission
Public
City Manager,
Chris Kukulski
Community
Climate Task Force,
represented by
Hattie Baker
Working Groups
Public
Inter-departmental
Climate Action
Team, represented
by Natalie Meyer
Citizen Advisory
Groups
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