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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-05-25 MinutesJefferson County/City of Port Townsend Climate Action Committee Meeting Minutes May 25, 2016 Cotton Building Port Townsend, WA DRAFT Members Present: Eric Toews, Tammi Rubert, Deborah Stinson, Cindy Jayne, Barney Burke Absent: Laura Tucker, Scott Walker, Kevin Scott, Kathleen Kler Staff: Judy Surber, City of Port Townsend Guests: Sonja Hammar, Kate Dean, Ashley Rose, David Wilkinson, Matt Stewart, Phil Johnson Scribe: Barney Burke Topic Recommendation/Action Call to order A quorum was achieved at 3:45 p.m. CAC Chair Cindy Jayne called the meeting to order. Approval of Agenda & Minutes Motion to approve the agenda by Deborah Stinson, second by Barney Burke, to approve the agenda, carried unanimously Motion to approve the Feb. 24 minutes by Deborah Stinson, second by Tami Rubert, carried unanimously. Public Comment The public was greeted and given the opportunity to comment. There were no public comments at this time. Taming Bigfoot Update Cindy Jayne gave a re-cap of this effort to raise awareness of climate impacts. She said 91 people participated, and a survey of them showed more than 90 percent support for doing this again, as well as developing a version of the exercise for businesses. There were a number of comments about what people learned, including the high impact of airline travel as well as wood and propane heat compared to electricity, the positive media coverage, and how it creates community interest in exploring ways to address the issue. Update on CAC for City and County Cindy Jayne shared the draft PowerPoint presentation. A couple of points were noted: • Slide 9, which currently has a bullet that states “Consistent with the Climate Action Plan and community input, Council has directed that “community resiliency concepts” be incorporated throughout the Comprehensive Plan”, should refer to the City Council and City Comp Plan • PT Paper expected to participate. • Hospital is working on disease prevention, local food, walking and other healthy practices. • The Adaptation report will be a basis for future grant opportunities, emergency preparation, etc. Legislative Update The question was asked if it would be useful to have someone review and update the CAC on climate related news and legislation. Deborah Stinson and Judy Surber noted it would be useful to keep everyone apprised of pertinent state and federal legislation, grant opportunities, et al, but this may also depend on the CAC structure in the future. CAC Structure for the Future Deborah Stinson gave an overview of possible changes to the Climate Action Committee's structure. She noted that the City and County are doing most of the staff work now, and resources are limited. One option would be for other local organizations (Port, PUD, Hospital, WSU, etc.) to participate in staffing and/or funding CAC. A second option, if there was greater financial participation, would be to form an entity that could facilitate a larger initiative or project, an organization that might qualify for grants or other funding. A third option is to keep the present structure, but re-think how it operates. Should CAC meet only twice a year, for a half day, instead of quarterly? Should there be fewer policy makers and more staff at the table, more of a working group? Phil Johnson recommended bringing more businesses to CAC. Eric Toews noted that an interlocal agreement could be a "big ask," but a resolution could work well enough. The CAC has a Climate Action Plan, but the scope doesn't necessarily include the Port, PUD, schools, businesses et al, he said. Deborah Stinson advocated for each entity to participate more fully. Eric Toews suggested that CAC try to focus more on actions than analysis (such as an greenhouse gas inventory update), and Cindy Jayne and Phil Johnson concurred with the importance of focusing on progress. The challenge of freeing up staff for CAC was noted. The concept of a CAC comprised of staff was seen as a chance for unstructured collaboration among stakeholders who are implementing hands-on solutions rather than policy-making, and yet the authority over CAC would still lie with the elected officials at participating entities. Judy Surber summarized the key points: • an interlocal agreement/resolution • a new entity • a smaller, working group, with staff emphasis • a commitment to staff resources, meeting space (WSU?), and funding. Proposal for Energy Plan for Jefferson County Cindy Jayne summarized recent discussions in the community about the merits of developing an "energy plan" for Jefferson County, perhaps a "summit" would initiate the idea. Team Jefferson, RC&D, and others could participate. Barney Burke said the PUD needs to have a role in drafting such a plan, but the scope of "energy" is broader than PUD electric service. Deborah Stinson likened the idea to the health summit as a possible model. It was noted that perhaps the CAC acts as a steering committee for it. But to kick it off, a separate organization such as Local 20/20 could take the lead by convening a group outside of the CAC on it. There was general agreement on the value of these ideas but no formal action. Adaptation Planning Cindy Jayne suggested that the "new" CAC could be taking on some of the next steps on adaptation. There was a discussion of the King Tide documentation effort. Judy Surber noted she would revisit her notes to Cheryl Lowe regarding the next steps. Dave Wilkinson noted that Local 20/20 is willing to lead if desired. It was also noted that the "blue line" art/awareness of sea level rise concept is currently on hold looking for funding, and also noted was the upcoming sea level rise workshop in partnership with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. Public Comment None. Next Steps & Agenda Planning Deborah Stinson and Kathleen Kler will discuss the CAC structure further, and the City Council may address it at a workshop in July. Possible agenda items also include updates on FEMA meeting, and sea level rise workshop. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 5:28 p.m. Next Meeting Next meeting is scheduled for August 24, 2016, 3:30-5:30 pm, at the Cotton Building.