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Home My WebLink About3-9-20 Climate Action Commission REVISED agendaIowa City Climate Action Commission Age nda Revised: Monday, March 2 March 9, 2020, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. MPO Conference Room Iowa City City Hall 123 E. Washington St. Meeting Agenda: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of February 10, 2020 minutes 4. Public Comment of items not on the Agenda 5. Staff Announcements 6. Old Business: a. Assigned to the Building’s Working Group for further review: Request from Council for Commission to research and advise the Council on the carbon footprint of buildings of varying density and scale 7. New Business: a. Commission feedback of the 100-Day Report, “Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Actions” i. Buildings ii. Transportation iii. Waste iv. Adaptation v. Sustainable Lifestyle b. Update on working groups i. Buildings (Krieger, Karr, Soglin) ii. Transportation (Leckband, Giannakouros) iii. Outreach (Krieger, Fraser, Holbrook, Bradley) iv. Equity/Adaptation (Tate, Hutchinson) v. Waste (Bradley, Sarsfield) c. Discussion of draft list of non-economic co-benefits for climate actions 8. Adjourn If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Brenda Nations, Sustainability Coordinator, at 319-356-6161 or at brenda-nations@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. MINUTES PRELIMINARY IOWA CITY CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION FEBRUARY 10, 2020 – 3:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING MPO CONFERNCE ROOM, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Madeleine Bradley, John Fraser, Stratis Giannakouros, Kasey Hutchinson, GT Karr, Matt Krieger, Jesse Leckband (via phone), Katie Sarsfield, Becky Soglin, Eric Tate MEMBERS ABSENT: Grace Holbrook STAFF PRESENT: Brenda Nations, Ashley Monroe, Darian Nagel-Gamm OTHERS PRESENT: Ben Grimm, Adriana Morales, Tina Nedbalek, Lisa Stark RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: None CALL TO ORDER: Krieger called the meeting to order. APPROVAL OF JANUARY 6, 2020 MINUTES: Soglin moved to approve the minutes of January 6, 2020 with revisions that will be send to Nations. Soglin noted on page seven, third paragraph on the bottom where is it attributed to Soglin there's a word missing but that doesn't matter too much but at the very end where it says outreach through an equity lens comma equity meaning separate, she feels she said something more like instead of equity being separate, so it was the opposite, like the equity will be infused and everything. And then on page 10 of 12 in the second paragraph the sentence says there was discussion on non-economic benefits as all benefits have economic benefits. Not is missing between as and all as not all have economic benefits. Finally, as just a little procedural thing on page 11 of 12 at the very bottom right before where it says Soglin made the motion to change the meeting, there should be a sentence saying that many on the committee said they did not want to meet on caucus day so therefore Soglin made the motion. Frasier seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motion carried 8-0. (Giannakouros and Sarsfield were not present for this vote). PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Ben Grimm (representative Iowa City Community School District) gave a brief update of what's going on in the school district. The Climate Action Plan went to the Board and the Board really gave feedback and wanting more specific clear objectives and targets around carbon footprint and curriculum. It's a tricky one, because they're trying to implement more curriculum dealing with climate action. There was also a brief discussion on leveraging legislature as far as holding Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 2 of 13 these power companies accountable for their promise to reduce carbon emitting energy production. The District is working with a couple different solar companies to look at the infrastructure of the buildings and try to figure out the maximum solution as far as how many solar panels can go on the property or onto the roofs and those reports are expected to be back in about a month or so. Nedblaleck (?) noted she is a student and also works downtown at a coffee shop and just had like the general inquiries or comments regarding composting type stuff, as in none of the downtown restaurants have compost bins in the alleyways and from just their one coffee shop they go through so many coffee grounds and loose leaf tea and that kind of thing so she was who to talk to about that. {Katie Sarsfield arrived} Adriana Morales (education and outreach coordinator, Green Iowa AmeriCorps) stated that in the school district they are working with Ben Grimm and with Green Iowa AmeriCorps and their sustainable schools branch. They just started in November during their service block to increase sustainability across the school district with increasing recycling efforts and establishing green teams in three key schools to help us carry those out and hopefully expand within the District. She noted if the Commission has any ideas on ways to collaborate, they would be very happy and are open to suggestions and ways to collaborate. She also noted during their summer programs they're going to be developing they’d love to partner with the community as well. She stated they just started their term with the District and will be working with them for 11 months. They’re trying to develop a model recycling program within the District starting with the three key schools, an elementary and middle school and high school and then branching out and hitting all the schools once that model program has developed. It has started with cafeteria composting at one school and increased recycling within the school district as a whole because currently they're only recycling paper and cardboard and they’d like to expand that to plastic and metal. This is all very student driven and they have partnered with Iowa City Community School District, it was from high school students striking and walking out of school every Friday for about a year and a half, they demanded action from the school district. So, the Board took it upon themselves to work with Eric Giddens based out of UNI and developed the Climate Action Plan. They came in to all this to help facilitate some of the initiatives for the school district. One of the other things that they're doing with their green teams is behavioral changes, especially around energy conservation and efficiency, and that's one big target that the Climate Action Plan highlighted for the District, energy emissions coming from the buildings. So, they’re trying to change behavior and create a new culture within the schools to turn off lights and unplug things when not using them. They are hoping that the administration at each school will develop a policy and that staff, teachers and students can all come together. Nations stated she has one message from somebody who wanted to be here during the public comment point and wanted to send over a message. It is from Austin W u, he's the City liaison from the UI student government. He wanted to let the Commission know that Think Bicycles is currently planning this year's Bike Month activities in May and if any members of this group are interested in a brainstorming meeting over lunch or sometime in the next few weeks to let him know. The meeting will be at Merge with free pizza. He thought the transportation working group might be interested. {Stratis Giannakouros arrived} Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 3 of 13 REQUEST FROM COUNCIL FOR COMMISSION TO RESEARCH AND ADVISE COUNCIL ON THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF BUILDINGS OF VARYING DENSITY AND SCALE: Krieger noted this item has been tabled in the past and recommends that they table it again as the building's working group has been focused on the 100-day report first. ADDRESSING SCHEDULING ISSUES: Krieger wanted to put on the table a discussion about the meeting times for this group. They currently meet from 3:30 to 5:00 but it can be a challenge for students, professors, other people who may be appointed to the Commission and even challenges with people who are attending work events or at work. A lot of other commissions meet in the evening so just wanted to put on the table for discussion what people thought about maintaining this time and if that becomes unavailable for people, how should they address that going forward. Karr asked if there was a driving interest other than other commissions being held in evenings. Tate noted it was the student issue with the classes, such as Holbrook missing meetings due to conflicting class. Krieger agreed and noted it could happen next semester to others so it potentially could be an ongoing issue. Karr is fine with whatever but noted there will always be issues or conflict, students could have night classes as well. The Commission agreed the consensus is to keep the time the same going forward. Krieger stated then so if it does become a challenge for a member, like it is currently this semester for Holbrook, then is the Commission okay with the excused absences for those individuals. He noted they're still participating in other means, through the working groups and things like that, so going forward the approach is an excused absence and then as soon as that schedule changes back they can be fully involved. Nations noted that part of the question is that Holbrook isn’t going to be here all semester because she has a conflicting class and in the bylaws it says a member can't miss so many meetings in a row unexcused so the question is if school semester class excused or not. Frasier noted that when they were making those bylaws the unexcused part was for not showing up without contacting someone, or someone who's lost interest and decided not to continue. Sarsfield noted the other question is there someone who would step in and filling for a person missing due to conflict. Should they consider in the future having an alternate for students, or any member having a hard time getting to meetings. Krieger noted that could be potential revision to the bylaws in the future. UPDATE AND DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TRANSIT STUDY: Darian Nagle-Gamm (Director, Transportation Services Department) noted her department encompasses both transit and downtown parking operations and Ped Mall maintenance and operations. She wanted to give a high-level overview of the transit study and will try to be brief and save some time for questions. Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 4 of 13 First, she stated who's all involved in the transit study, and that it's really been led by the City of Iowa City but the transit partners in the metro area of Coralville and University's Cambus are also on board. There has been a number of stakeholders in the community that have been involved in the transit study; the public, crucial key, probably the most important part of the transit study, and Nelson-Nygaard Consulting Associates, the transit consultant team, which is helping guide the City over the course of this year to reimagine the entire transit system. Nagle- Gamm next discussed the goals with the transit study. First and foremost, they're looking to increase ridership and have an explicit goal of doubling ridership over the next 10 years. Additionally, they really want to make transit more dependable for those that rely on transit and also want to make it an easier choice for those who have more mobility options. Regarding the goal to increase ridership, they also want to work better across all agencies, they really are a three-transit agency system that all works together. For example, they are looking at ways to improve cross metro area ridership and that is why it is important all three transit systems are on board. They are specifically focusing on is how to build trust and remove barriers to transit. That's anything from improving service levels to improving trip planning, making it easier so that one doesn’t have to have the whole system memorized before they decide to take transit, provide better route information, provide better arrival prediction information. They want to make the transit steps more comfortable, so people don't mind using them. Overall really looking at simplifying the systems. Nagle-Gamm also noted the big impetus behind this is really to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as they all know transportation is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Action Plan specifically calls for a shift of 55% of vehicle trips to more sustainable modes such as walking, biking, or transit by 2050 in the greenhouse gas reduction goals. In order to do that the City needs to invest in each one of those more sustainable modes. They've seen through the bike master plan in the last couple years and now investing in the transit study, how to help improve and optimize that system. Of course, they also want to better support the local economy, better connect people to jobs, people to shopping, people to recreational or social activities, overall do a better job than they have been able to do today with the current system. And last but not least, leveraging emerging technology. Nagle-Gamm noted it's really an exciting time to be in transportation in general and thinks we're going to see the world a lot different in the next 20 or so years with electrification, no or low emission vehicles, and autonomous technologies. They have asked the consultants to help leverage the technologies that are available currently to help support the transit system in ways that weren't possible before. Fraser was curious how they pick doubling, is it in order to reduce to 55% they have to double current ridership. Nagle-Gamm stated doubling was backed out of the Climate Action goal so in order to meet those climate action goals, they had to estimate what they would need to see from a from a ridership perspective in order to help facilitate that 55% reduction goal and that's where they came up with the doubling of ridership. They really hope they more than double ridership and really build a system that people can rely on. Fraser asked if the City has such low ridership that the City can double ridership and not buy any more vehicles. Nagle-Gamm replied that's one of the things they're looking at in the study and the consulting team is helping them see what type of ridership they can maintain with their current system if they optimize it and if they rethink all of the routes today, and what additional resources may be needed. Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 5 of 13 Tate asked if it is possible that doubling ridership on the bus can reduce 55% of vehicle trips. Nagle-Gamm agreed and said the doubling ridership is to support that goal, not complete it. They also need to encourage walking or encourage biking, it's not a one to one, it's just going to help them get towards the end goal, which is reducing those greenhouse gas emissions. Nagle-Gamm continued with noting what the study includes. They've had public outreach throughout the project, one of the first steps was conducting a market analysis, they did analysis of existing service, what does the service look like today, they developed some service options and scenarios and then ultimately, they will be developing recommendations based on what they hear back from public. Regarding the public outreach, phase one happened basically September through December, they held about 20 or so stakeholder meetings, individual meetings with advocacy groups, people interested in transit, people who either work to support the business community or folks with transit dependent populations. They also held three open house meetings. The question they were posing to the public, is what works well today and what doesn't. Before the consultant team comes up with some service scenarios, they wanted to hear what's working and what's not working. They also did an onboard survey, where they had a team of people come and actually sit down and do a survey with over 1000 riders while they're on the bus. They had another survey, which had a slightly different angle and kind of a designer on transit system survey, a preference survey, giving different options for improving transit in the community, how would they rank them more or less, where would they put their investments at, a way to understand what the community's priorities are, and the City had excellent response with about 1300 surveys. They also had operator and staff interviews with the drivers who are out there every single day, they’re a wealth of information about what works, what doesn't work currently, where they see potential improvements to the system, etc. The City developed a transit study website as a place they direct everybody to for updates, information, etc. They have also developed an email list for folks who are interested in the study. Nagle-Gamm has been giving presentations such as this to anybody who wants to listen, to the social service agency and advocacy partners, and other underserved communities. Some of the community advocacy partners have taken iPads out to social service agencies and work individually with people to help get those surveys completed, which was great. They’ve had posters on buses to let people know what's going on, they’ve had an extensive social media campaign, City media campaign, the creative folks on the City communications team has come up with all kinds of neat videos and whatnot to really help get the word out. The sustainability newsletter highlighted what they're doing, and they’ve had some legacy press as well. Nagle-Gamm next summarized what people are saying about transit service. The most requested service improvements they're hearing for the community is better weekend service including Sunday service and earlier and later Saturday service. Also having better and more route and schedule information at stops, better lighting at stops, more benches and shelters, more frequent rush hour service, so if a rider misses a bus it not going to take too long until the next bus comes. There were requests for later weekday service, and better service in the evenings including direct service from outlying areas. Krieger noted one of the items wasn't questioned or asked as part of this that came up at the last Commission meeting was, are there notable points of interest or stops that are important to people. Is there a way to try to drive information that might help increase ridership? Nagle- Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 6 of 13 Gamm replied she believes so. In the onboard survey they did one of the questions asked was where do you use transit to go to and where are you going with right now? W e also ask what else they use transit for to help understand priorities of destinations. Soglin asked with the onboard survey, or the online survey for the individual services, was there a specific question of it they have a car? Nagle-Gamm confirmed there was. Soglin noted it is important to link that back because in the double ridership they're concerned also about the equity aspect and how that is going to get balanced. They may be able to get many more people on the bus who could drive but then there's also a need for that being the primary mode of transit for some folks. Nagle-Gamm stated they did ask that on the onboard survey. They asked what a person has to have in order to make their transportation trips every day and if they have options. As part of that market analysis the consultant team put together some census data to help indicate where in the community folks or households that have less vehicles, 0 vehicle households or whatnot, so that they can identify those areas that need service. Karr noted that people were asked where they were going and where they use transit to go to, was there anything about where they would like to use transit that they can't right now. Nagle- Gamm replied that yes, that was asked on the onboard survey as well they wanted to hear from their current transit users and also wanted to hear from people who don't use transit today and really understand what will make them get out their car and leave the car at home and use the bus as an option. Nagle-Gamm state out of all that feedback that they received, and all the surveys and all that information that they got over the fall, they've come up with three different scenarios for transit service and each one sort of has a different theme. All three scenarios are using existing funding levels, it's a way to reimagine the system in three different ways using the current funding levels. The first scenario is the theme of increased frequency. There would be a lot of 15 minutes service routes which is pretty incredible compared to the service today. The second scenario is simplified coverage, currently there are some routes that run just nights or weekends and it can be difficult for people to understand, so this was to simplifying coverage. And the third scenario, again, based on all that feedback, was to provide service really focused on improving and restructuring weekend and evening service. Nagle-Gamm said they brought these three scenarios back to the public in January and are now in the process of compiling all the feedback. They also published all the materials online and so far, have had 800 responses to these scenarios, and feel ultimately they are going to be able to come up with a scenario that some combination of all three. Another big question that they asked for the consultant team to help determine is since the City has an existing set of resources for transit how they can optimize the current system with the current money. There's also a greater question, which is, what could the City do with the transit system if they had additional resources dedicated towards transit service. Ultimately once they get all the recommendations they can optimize the system with the current resources that they have and then have some options for the future that are likely going to have price tags associated with them but can lay those options in front of the decision makers and determine what could potentially be done in the future if there were additional resources dedicated towards transit. Nagle-Gamm also noted the transit system design is not the only thing they're reviewing. They are also evaluating the fares and the number one thing they're looking at is a zero-fare transit Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 7 of 13 system. If fares go away that is the money that they would need to make up but on the flip side, ridership would increase substantially, and the consultant team is estimating 40 to 60% based on other communities doing the same thing. Kansas City just decided to go zero fare and they are the first major metro but other communities, Iowa City size, are doing it, and they're seeing ridership increases. Zero fare would be potentially huge in terms of getting ridership increase. Also, there's equity considerations as well, it takes on average about $10,000 a year to own and operate a vehicle just to get yourself around town, to from work, grocery shopping, all of that. Not everybody has that option, and this would be potentially a great equalizer. The consultant team is helping them understand if they increased ridership 40 to 60% what are the costs associated with those increases? How many more buses would we need? How much more staff would we need? W hat kind of pressure would that put on our system? How would we have to adapt? The consultants are helping us walk through these questions and there should be more information on that this summer. The goal is to have all the tools and all the information needed so the elected officials can make a decision about how to move forward. City staff has been evaluating no and low emission vehicles pretty heavily over the last year. They’re also looking at interchange improvements to help the interchange downtown between Old Capitol Mall and Shaffer Hall. How do we make it a better place for people to ride transit? There are some limitations at that location, but they are trying to reimagine it. They can also look at bus stop improvements in general, making transit more comfortable for people at the stops, benches, trash cans, some cover up sort of thing. They're also looking at policies and procedures, all of the fare policies and if they remain in a fare system what are the transfer policies, and all those sorts of things that affect riders. They are also looking for what else is out there with all this exciting app-based technology and how can they use that technology to make the system better. Karr is curious regarding the equity considerations, that is something they've been discussing in the Commission about how to incorporate it better into our own plan. Other than cost, are there other dimensions to increase equity. Nagle-Gamm stated the consultant team developed what is called a transit propensity index and it's a way they can evaluate transit demand or potential transit demand throughout the community. That's one of the tools that the City relied on to help understand where they need transit service to be. Also, through the stakeholder meetings that they held and the individual meetings with the social service agency groups and advocacy groups, and some folks from the business community they got a clear sense for where the demand is and not. She noted if one looks closer at the three scenarios, that feedback was incorporated and making sure that, again, the places that had the greatest need for transit have good access to transit. Then again, the zero fare is just another potential game changer for making transportation more equitable for the community. Fraser stated he is not trying to be negative but his first thought when she mentioned free transit is what the opportunity cost is that could be put into something else. If transit could be so highly appealing that people are willing to pay for it and then spend the free money on something else that's going to be even more benefits relative to cutting carbon emissions. Nagle-Gamm stated that zero-fare transit is not the end all be all but fares are a barrier, whether someone can afford the dollar or not, it's another thing people have to do to go to the office, they have to figure out how to get the fare, they have to figure out how to get the pass, there's so many different ways it can dissuade people from using transit. So, it's more the ease and use of people stepping on. There are absolutely equity considerations too but if talking about the rest of the population that say have more mobility options, it removes a big barrier to them stepping on that bus because Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 8 of 13 they don't have to think about paying, they just have to think about how to get from A to B. She added knowing how to get from A to B is infinitely easier this year than it has ever been in the history of Iowa City transit, because they have a new app that offers predictions and is used like Google Maps. The app knows where you are, and you just tell it where you are going, and it tells you how to get there and closest location. So that could potentially get more ridership as well. However, zero-fare has garnered a lot of attention across the United States because it's been instantly effective at the goal of increasing ridership. The consultant team worked on a zero-fare analysis helping out another community work to zero fare, they just switched over January 1, so they have one month in their 25% up in ridership instantly in just one month. Fraser noted he just spent a couple weeks working in Washington and every time he’s in DC he lives on the Metro, he loves the Metro. He had choices, he could rent a car, use an Uber, take a cab but because the Metro is such an advantage it was a no brainer. He does get old guy fares, so it is a bargain, even though it wasn't free. Nagle-Gamm acknowledged that and stated the most efficient vehicle in their current infrastructure that they could have today in Iowa City is the bus. The most efficient bus they could have is a no or low emission vehicle and if MidAmerican backs up their promise to have renewable energy powering the buses, or they have a new transit facility with solar and other ways to produce that electricity, that is the greatest opportunity for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There is no other option, unless they got some passenger rail. In terms of the current street network and how they could potentially transform transportation here, transit is the best option they have. The mission is how to knock down the barriers one by one until people say they really don't need a car to get around or it's better to not have a car, and for those that can't afford a car, the service is so great they don’t need a car. Nagle-Gamm moved onto next steps, phase two of public input ends in late February and from all of that they're going to end up developing a preferred transit system scenario with final recommendations coming this summer. The earliest the community would see any changes in fall 2020 and it's quite possible it could be a phase implementation plan, Leckband asked if they had looked at any partnership with the schools if any of the bus routes can be combined, similar to what the Des Moines Public schools and Regional Transit Authority, the Dart system, where they have a partnership where there's secure funding between the schools and bus system. School staff get free fares and students get reduced or free fares if they are on an assigned bus route. Nagle-Gamm stated they don't have an explicit agreement with the school district, but they do have a proposed route that serves the east side schools, it's also open to the public. She noted they have heard from multiple people in some of the feedback that schools are not only a place where children go but also employees that would not be able to get there without buses. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR: Nations noted the election of chair and vice-chair will be in January each year (it was forgotten on the agenda last month). Karr nominated Krieger as Chair, Frasier seconded the nomination, a vote was taken, and the motion passed 10-0. Krieger nominated Soglin as Vice-Chair, Sarsfield second the nomination, a vote was taken, Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 9 of 13 and the motion passed 10-0. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT LIST OF NON-ECONOMIC CO-BENEFITS FOR CLIMATE ACTIONS: Nations stated the next item she was going to cover because she said she would work on the co-benefit checklist that was discussed at the last meeting. Soglin put together a checklist that she brought to the equity committee and they decided not to use it, but Nations is wondering if the Commission still wants a checklist and is there something she should help with or does the Commission just want to talk about it next time. Nations noted the discussion began because of equity and they were going to have an equity toolkit that had some questions, but they were also talking about co-benefits that weren't economic and looking at those. Krieger stated the reason for trying to quickly review the 100-day report was initially because Council was looking for some immediate recommendations or feedback. He feels this is one of those items, along with getting overall public input, is a more detailed process that they need to explore and is going to take more time. Soglin clarified she quickly put that list together because she thought they needed it to apply to the document, but what they have today is a draft. Maybe it still has a use for later if it's refined and maybe used primarily perhaps by staff as they go through each action. The checklist would be the things perhaps the Commission wants them to consider. Soglin is fine with tabling it but then thinks they need to have a clear discussion about what the use is. Krieger agreed noting that everything outlined in the 100-day report are actions that are going to be driven by City staff, or potentially other groups that are not being directed by the Commission and not everything will come to the Commission for review. Therefore, it's important to develop what are the evaluation tools or methods or whatever that process looks like to help. Soglin developed this checklist from items that she got from conferences and in different sessions, she was trying to use what is best practice but at the same time she was not aware the City had its own eight-page equity tool, which is a little bit different from something that would also consider non-economic. Krieger suggested getting this out to members in draft form and start having conversations in working groups. Tate stated in the Equity and Adaptation group they spent most of their time focusing on more specific comments on the 100-day report. He thinks it is a good idea but it is something that's going to require some thought and reflection so he would suggest that they add it to committee or working groups just to think about it and have Commission discussion at the next meeting. Nations will send it out to everyone, and they can discuss in the next working group meetings. Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 10 of 13 COMMISSION FEEDBACK OF THE 100-DAY REPORT, “ACCELERATING IOWA CITY’S CLIMATE ACTIONS”: Krieger stated notes were sent out to the Commission members for review. He asked if there were overarching comments that anybody would like to start with. He reiterated the goal is to provide feedback to Council. Nations stated her feedback would be that although it is great to have the one page memo, is there any way that they could get it in a more consistent format and instead of by working group be by the category in the 100-day report, buildings, transportation, waste, etc., so it would be easier for them to read and relate to the report. Krieger said potentially yes, they could take everybody's comments, and put them in order of priorities or suggested revisions. Nations wondered if it was even possible to fit this information from the working groups into the buildings and transportation because there was so there's a lot of overlap. Krieger is hoping to facilitate the discussion based on how it was laid out in the 100-day report, highlighting the ones that were prioritized and providing comments that came up within specific groups. And then the ones that were suggested changes were highlighted. Stansfield liked what Krieger was doing by putting it into a consolidated format easier to read. Frasier noted that ultimately, they still need a non-consolidated format for individual working groups correct. Krieger agreed but maybe not for the Council, having a checklist may help walking through it like to facilitate discussion as a group. Each working group is working and stating what they see as important but may help everyone focus. He noted in his group they aren’t going to look at every single one, there were a lot of actions. They will try to say of all these actions these are the ones that they recommend be a priority, or not, or they recommend change or recommend new actions. Overall, they're just providing the feedback they're getting on the report on all the actions that were presented. Soglin said it didn't seem like there were many sections that needed to be integrated into other sections, but she would like to see the general recommendations from each group. Fraser asked how do they avoid duplication of effort if they had two requirements. Is there any way the proper format for Council could be the same format that working groups would be able to use when educating a public audience, because it seems to be the same information? Nations said that a lot of what’s in the general letter and the feedback in a general way is really useful, like for instance, that education is important and generally, you think the City should do all the actions. She feels the over the large overview will be really helpful to Council and they will probably read and understand that more than the details unless there's additions or something that can be highlighted or should move up. The Commission’s recommendations are Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 11 of 13 that they shouldn't take out any of the actions, they should focus on education, they should focus more on equity specifically, etc. There were some additional things in planning, transportation, urban planning and transportation design. She asked how many other additional actions were there. Tate noted in adaptation there were three additional ones. Nations noted the buildings report had all the recommendations at the beginning listed which was really nice and everything could be easily presented in that format and everything would be consistent. Krieger state this is the initial draft, everybody's met now so they’re reviewing it. He would like today if are there comments that people want to make, or statements, after having reviewed it that they need to work into final draft. So not just discussion on formatting but also the content. Karr asked Nations and Monroe what would be the best way for this to be consumed. Nations said they were talking about that today. Monroe stated the emphasis is that City Council clearly asked for recommendations from this body and whatever is agreed upon as something that should be moved forward. So, for the group, the one page summary thing for all these actions with adjustments to the following would be really helpful to Council in understanding that there's general buy-in or acceptance to the ideas that are included within the report, and also there are additional recommendations or considerations where the City needs to follow through on. With talking about individual actions that had been proposed, Monroe thinks there's a very good chance that that a lot of things will come back to the Commission or in some form of the working groups to make sure that there's some type of engagement factor, consideration of equitable standards when they're applying certain projects or programs. Staff can work with whatever type of format that is created, and then as they define what those projects or programs look like that have buy-in from this group, it's either going to come from this group or the working groups or staff they can define what those things look like as they progress. Staff will make sure it gets to the Commission for comment or review, opening that feedback channel. Sarsfield asked if what they have so far should go to Council now with a big overview the detail for 66 actions. Monroe feels they need to summarize what the major changes would be or newly proposed items would be. Fraser suggested putting new items in green, so they are noticed, the context changes in red or to color code the document. Krieger stated it has a color coding already, so they don’t want to confuse. Monroe suggests pulling them out as noted if there is a significant change, or recommendation. Krieger suggests for Council they put it back in the original format, like what transportation did, but with the comments, the feedback, maybe at the beginning of each section, there is a summary or overview like buildings did and just put that into the front of each section. Karr stated Council has already seen the 100-day report, so they just need to see the recommendations somehow delineated, maybe in color code pieces, or an executive summary. Krieger stated it sounds like they agree they want to highlight changes and recommendation over priorities. Monroe state they could do both if this is the priority agreed upon by the Commission and the main areas to concentrate first based on the recommendations. . Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 12 of 13 Nations reiterated Monroe is saying this isn't the only time the Commission will be asked for input on this report. Krieger noted he put together that summary letter, it was his synthesis after looking through all the compiled working group notes, so that needs some revisions as well. Any Commission members who want to send him edits please do so. This is just the first draft, at some point they will need to make a motion to approve it to be presented to Council, probably at the next meeting. Stansfield noted Krieger has already started a format that provides easy presentation so everyone can go back to their working groups and put their comments back into the same format and give that to Krieger with an overview. Nations wonders if it would just be easiest for staff to compile the report based on the feedback and then send it back out to them review before it goes into the next meeting packet. The working groups would have to create the overview but the content in here that address specific items staff can put into the master document. It can be done via email and to staff by the end of next week. STAFF/COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nations asked if anybody heard about a phone survey this gone around or is anybody got called a phone survey about climate. Apparently, a lot of people are getting calls and getting long questions asked by somebody. It sounds like it's from the City but it's not. Monroe wanted to make this group aware just in case anybody has an encounter with this group. Apparently, they were not very willing to share the group that was conducting the survey, even though multiple people have tried to ask who is conducting it. It's coming from the Iowa Area Association of Realtors. Geoff Fruin, the City Manager, presented to the Realtors Association about a week or two ago specifically about the budget and they were curious about the upcoming tax levy. The City is adding a 24-cent emergency levy to the property tax levy on the on the City's portion. So there was concerned about that particular issue from the Realtor Association but they also had a list of questions, some addresses the mayor's performance, some specific to climate and climate crisis and what people would be willing to sacrifice, that's how they've pronounced it, kind of phrasing things as an either or as you can do this emergency tax levy or you can get the lost sales tax, which would you prefer. The City just found this out today and just wanted to address it. Krieger suggested the City send out a brief email regarding what they are hearing about once they find out more information. Monroe said it came to City Council's attention or will in their next upcoming packet of information. They also had an email that was sent from a resident with concerns about this. The initial concern was that these people were being addressed in a way that was asking for personal information or financial information, so they were directed to the police department, but then multiple City Council members were getting polled as well so they had to find out who was trying to seek this information. They were trying to compile information, but she doesn’t know exactly how they're playing to use it. Climate Action Commission February 10, 2020 Page 13 of 13 Krieger noted the buildings working group has been trying to reach out to the Relators Association as well to set up a meeting to talk through things but have not got through yet. They are attempting to create an open line of communication with that organization as well. Monroe said the City will issue a press release saying questions can be directed to the Realtor Association. ADJOURNMENT: Krieger made a motion to adjourn. Giannakouros seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously. 1 Iowa City Climate Action Commission’s Feedback on Accelerating Iowa City’s Actions The Climate Action Commission has compiled their feedback for the 66 actions in Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Action report. The overall recommendations can be found at the beginning of each section, and the comments for each action can be found in the right column of each table. The original color coding is below, but the Commission recommends that several actions should be initiated sooner than originally planned. Report actions have color-coded shading to provide a general sense of timeline as follows: Green: Action can be initiated by end of 2020 but may be ongoing through 2030 Blue: Action can be initiated between 2021-2023 but may be ongoing through 2030 Orange: Action can be initiated between 2024-2025 but may be ongoing through 2030 2 Buildings The Climate Action and Adaptation Plan states that existing buildings account for approximately 82% of community-wide emissions, making them the largest source of emissions. Thus, improving the performance of our existing building stock and ensuring new construction has the smallest carbon footprint possible is absolutely critical. These objectives are hindered by the fact that municipalities cannot regulate construction beyond what is permitted by the State of Iowa Energy Code. The community must be as creative and resourceful as possible when crafting our strategies. While reducing overall energy consumption and expanding renewables is important, we must recognize that our electric supply is becoming increasingly renewable (51.4% renewable in 2018 from MidAmerican Energy) requiring a large part of our strategy to focus on electrification and reduced dependency on natural gas for heating and other uses. This can be challenging with certain types of buildings, given cost and technological options that may be available. Overall Recommendations from the Climate Action Commission, Buildings Working Group: Staff have compiled a thorough list of actions that is appropriately prioritized overall and will make the changes we want to see. At the same time, the group suggests that Council consider the following changes: 1. Incorporate the suggestions listed below to make the following first priority actions most successful: Education #1, Education #2, Incentive #1, Incentive #2, Regulation #1, Regulation #2. 2. Move Education #3 from the second to first priority group (from “blue” to “green”). 3. Move Incentive #6 from second to first priority. 4. Slightly revise Incentive #7 as noted below. 5. Consider moving Incentive #10 from “orange” to higher priority (“blue” or “green”). 6. Revise City Policy #1. Buildings: Education Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Promote Energy Efficiency and Performance Tips to the Public *(Next Step) Through advertisements, social media, special event engagement, and the AmeriCorps program, provide the public with practical tips and strategies they can implement in their home or business. 1.1 – 1.2, 1.6 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, OTH), Community Action High priority action. Climate Ambassadors can assist with this action. Share the city climate actions with the Iowa City Community School District in a way that promotes student and family engagement. Use a website to showcase home energy efficiency success stories. Leverage educational tie-ins to Incentive #1 and Incentive #2 (see below). Request MidAmerican metrics for neighborhood or other 3 dialed-in data that would allow for more robust evaluation but also to help inform residents. Provide a reporting tool for homeowners to effectively understand and measure energy efficiency changes. Use the aggregated data to map changes throughout the city. Potentially involve the UI. (This reporting tool suggestion also applies to Incentives #1 and #2.) 2 Partner with Stakeholders to Promote Green Building and Rehabilitation *(New) Work with existing community organizations such as the Home Builders Association, Iowa City Area Association of Realtors, The Greater Iowa City Landlord Association, the Johnson Clean Energy District and the Chamber of Commerce to promote green building practices. 1.1-1.4 Financial, City Staff *(NDS, CMO, OTH), Community Action High priority action. Consider aspects of Education #2 that may need to be done prior to Education #1. Include other jurisdictions’ staff whose work intersects with green buildings. This action could benefit from more explicit inclusion of equity such as: • Add an equity-focused stakeholder (e.g. Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition). • Add affordable housing as a consideration. • Add EHR as a resource. 3 Encourage the Local Realtor Community to Include Energy Performance in the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) Property Inventory *(New) Homebuyers utilize MLS data to influence purchasing decisions. Energy performance is not currently a part of local MLS inventories but could help homebuyers make educated decisions and encourage sellers to proactively improve efficiency. 1.1 & 1.6 Financial *(CMO, OTH), Community Action Consider moving this from “blue” to “green” priority. Encourage Iowa City Area Association of Realtors to include a “Home Energy Score” on the MLS. Meet with ICAAR to identify potential opportunities to ‘green the MLS’. This action has a great potential impact to greater demographics in the community and be a driver for the public to begin demanding greater energy efficiency in the local building stock. Additional resources included are volunteer time – this will likely require more engagement 4 from key outreach personnel rather than just staff time. This type of action has been implemented successfully in communities across the country. Precedents and examples from those communities should be shared and documents provided to the local ICAAR who controls the MLS inventory system. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Buildings: Incentives Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Offer Free Home Energy Assessments through Green Iowa AmeriCorps *(Next Step) Expand previously commenced efforts to offer free home energy testing and weatherization through AmeriCorps. 1.1 Financial *(CMO), Community Action High Priority Action. See additional specific recommendations below this table. 2 Enhance Energy Standards for City Rehabilitation Projects *(Next Step) Ensure that City housing rehabilitation programs sufficiently incorporate energy efficiency measures, electrification, renewable energy, trees and stormwater quality improvements as budgets allow. 1.1 Financial *(CMO, PR, PW, NDS) High Priority Action. Ensure there is a performance protocol. Do blower door test before, during and after rehabilitation projects. As a tie-in to Education 1, educate new owners on operations and perhaps require them to share energy data for a few years or set them up with an iEnergy Star tracking account. Consider an approach to multi- family developments like they have done successfully in Minneapolis. 3 Coordinate Neighborhood Energy Blitz Events *(New) Plan multi-day neighborhood blitzes that provide education to residents as well as practical home solutions including LED lights, weatherization improvements, trees and other climate action solutions. 1.1 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, PR, NDS), Community Action Generally support this action. 5 4 Launch a TIF-funded climate action incentive program aimed at reducing industrial energy consumption *(New) Using district-wide TIF funding, create and launch an incentive program that emphasizes energy reduction, renewables, electrification and site improvements that will help reduce emissions in our industrial sector. 1.2 & 5.4 Financial, City Staff *(CMO), Community Action Generally support this action. 5 Consider a Building Permit Fee Rebate Program for Enhanced Energy Standards *(New) Consider rebating a portion of building permit fees in exchange for enhanced energy measures on construction projects. 1.3 Financial *(NDS), Community Action Generally support this action. 6 Develop or Partner with Local Stakeholders on a Comprehensive Climate Action Rehabilitation Program *(New) Iowa City currently offers housing rehabilitation funds that can be used for energy efficiency measure. This combination grant/loan program would bolster that effort and expand it to include all building types. External partners could include local financial institutions (attractive lending terms) and organizations like the Johnson Clean Energy District that offer expertise. 1.1 – 1.4 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, NDS), Community Action This incentive supports Education #1 and #2. Recommend that it be moved from “blue” to “green” priority. A new rehab program that is broader based than existing programs has potential to make bigger impact. Capacity could be an issue, so ample resources will be needed. 7 Initiate a Net-Zero House Design Competition *(New) Engage the local architect and building community to develop a series of net-zero house designs that can be accessed and utilized by local contractors and the public. 1.3 Financial *(CMO, NDS), Community Action Revised to include a cap on maximum square footage and potentially number of garage spaces. While a net zero energy house, no matter the size, isn’t producing energy- based GHG emissions, they do use more materials/embodied carbon, and larger garages support more transportation emissions. 8 Complete a Net-Zero Demonstration Rehabilitation Project *(New) Through our existing rehabilitation programs such as the UniverCity and South District Homeownership programs, complete a demonstration net-zero rehabilitation project. 1.1 & 1.4 Financial *(CMO, NDS) Generally support this action. 6 9 Incentivize Energy Enhancements and Building Re- and Retro Commissioning for Participants in the Energy Bench- marking Program *(New) To complement a proposed energy benchmarking program, this program would look to target specific improvements for those large properties that are significant contributors to our carbon footprint. 1.6 Financial, City Staff *(CMO), Community Action Generally support this action. Incorporate stricter energy standards as baseline for program. 10 Launch an Electrification Incentive Program *(New) This program would provide financial incentives that offset the cost to convert appliances and heating equipment from natural gas to electric. 1.1 - 1.2 & 1.4 Financial *(CMO, NDS), Community Action Coordinate with MidAmerican Energy renewable energy goals, and speed up this priority if MidAmerican timeline allows. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Additional recommendations for Incentives Action #1 – Offer Free Home Energy Assessments through Green Iowa Americorps: Household engagement: Include a stronger education component for the resident. Provide follow-up to the assessment process and suggested measures (e.g. see if the household added measure), Ensure that the follow-up includes measurement for quality of improvements, not just quantity. Impact and Equity: Scale up the number of assessments and strengthen outreach to households that could benefit the most. Then conduct a short-term review (e.g. after six months) to see what has been accomplished and make adjustments as needed Health and Indoor Air Quality: Homeowners may need information on safe use of cleaning products when homes are better sealed. Staffing: Increase mentorship and training for AmeriCorps volunteers Buildings: Regulation Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Create a More Robust Energy Code Inspection Program *(New) Staff currently relies on contractor verification for compliance with the adopted energy code. Through staffing increases and training, all Building Inspectors can take a more proactive role enforcing the energy code. 1.1 - 1.2 City Staff *(NDS) High Priority Action. Ensure households (individual apartments) are benefiting from reduced utility bills. This will have an impact on equity in the community. Consider not allowing affordable apartments in TIF- supported buildings to “sunset” after defined periods. Continue the equity. 7 2 Incorporate Stricter Energy Standards into Tax Increment Financing Policies *(New) Revise our Tax Increment Financing policy to include stricter energy standards. 1.3 – 1.4 Financial *(CMO) High Priority Action. Convene panel of local jurisdictions to explore a coordinated effort. Explore permit incentives in relation to a more robust code. Develop the program for both residential and commercial properties. It will likely require different inspection actions and/or submittal requirements by the contractors/owners. 3 Incorporate Strict Energy Standards into Height and Density Bonuses *(New) Revise our density and height bonus Policies to include stricter energy standards. 1.3 – 1.4 No Additional *(CMO, NDS, OTH) Could this action be moved up from ‘Blue’ to ‘Green’? Why is the timeline so long? Expand this standard to apply to all economic development and other city programs and incentives. 4 Initiate Energy Benchmarking Requirements *(New) Require owners of a predetermined building size (example: 100,000 sq ft) to annually report energy performance metrics to the City. 1.6 City staff *(CMO), Community Action Explore what other communities have used as parameters for this type of program. 5 Develop Climate Action Requirements for all Existing and Future Rental Permits *(New) Adopt energy efficiency and tree planting requirements to ensure rental housing is contributing to public health concerns associated with climate change. 1.1 & 1.7 No Additional *(CMO, NDS) Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Buildings: City Policy Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Advocate for Local Control of Energy Codes *(New) Encourage the State Legislature to allow for local of energy codes. 1.1 – 1.4 No Additional *(CMO) Having a city-based stricter code is an admirable goal but could present confusion for the building industry as well as 8 adjacent and nearby jurisdictions. If a stricter localized code is desired, check with other jurisdictions within, for example, the county. Suggested revision: Advocate that the state always adopt the most current energy code; and explore other energy-based code opportunities such as the International Code Council’s Zero Code for incentive programs. 2 Advocate for Aggressive Energy Code Development and Adoption *(New) Require staff to actively participate in the development of future international energy codes including advocating of the ‘glide path to net-zero’ and other similar nationwide and global efforts. 1.1 – 1.4 Financial *(NDS) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Buildings: Public Projects Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Solar Partnership with MidAmerican *(New) Execute a land lease agreement with MidAmerican Energy for a utility-scale solar installation of 2 MW or greater. 1.5 City property *(CMO, PW) Generally support this action. 2 Net-Zero Public Housing *(New) Initiate a program to rehabilitate Iowa City owned public housing units into net- zero properties. 1.1 & 1.7 Financial, City Staff *(NDS) Generally support this action. 3 Municipal Building Efficiency and Electrification *(New) Accelerate energy efficiency efforts in city facilities and develop a plan for systematic electrification and implementation. 1.4 & 1.7 Financial, City Staff *(PR, CMO, PW) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Transportation Along with significant change in our built environment, mobility and land-use planning will play a very large role in meeting emission reduction targets. The Climate Action Plan calls for replacement of over fifty-five percent of vehicle trips with sustainable transit, bike, and pedestrian options by 2050. City Council has established a goal to double transit ridership by 2028 which will jumpstart our community effort to reduce emissions generated by fossil- 9 fueled transportation. Overarching targets in this area include conversion of the City’s municipal fleet to cleaner fuel vehicles and to increase community-wide adoption of electric and alternative-fuel vehicle technology. The City’s immediate strategy focuses upon enhanced education and incentive campaigns for public transportation and preparing for transition to a future with more electric vehicles. Overall Recommendations from the Climate Action Commission, Transportation Working Group: Overall, the working group is supportive of all the actions outlined in this report. More specific recommendations for each action are included below. Transportation: Education Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Significant Transportation Education and Outreach Campaigns *(New) Education and outreach campaigns on use of non-fossil fuel vehicles, walkable neighborhoods, bicycling, car- sharing, and transit. 2.3 Financial, City Staff *(COM, TS, OTH), Community Action Education and outreach efforts need to target a broad base of residents, workers, and employers to engage underserved and hard to reach communities Outreach campaign should include component to identify potential eco-driving campaign partners. Climate Ambassadors can assist with this action. 2 Launch an Eco-Driving Campaign Alongside Employers *(New) Promote Ride-Sharing, Transit, Alternative Work Schedules and Other Actions to Help Reduce Emissions from Single- Occupancy Vehicles. 2.5 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM), Community Action Consider equity components to engage underserved and vulnerable communities. Partnership should include a marketing component to drive awareness for partners, e.g. “Eco-Drive to Work Week”. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Transportation: Incentives Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Incentivize Public Transit Options *(New) Based on recommendations in the forthcoming transit study, incentivize use of public transit with fare free service and/or discounted passes/rides. 2.2 Financial, City Staff *(TS, CMO), Community Action Consider equity components to engage underserved and vulnerable communities. Consider partnership with ICCSD to extent practicable 10 for student busing or before- afterschool activities. 2 Explore Electric Vehicle (EV) Incentives Based on the Readiness Plan *(New) Plan suggestions are expected to include incentive options for the City to consider. 2.5 Financial *(CMO, TS) More information is needed. Ensure that people in lower socio-economic position are empowered to take advantage of this and other transit options as they may be least able to transition to EV. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Transportation: Regulation Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Review Parking Regulations and Consider Innovative Ways to Encourage Alternative Modes of Travel *(New) This review may include amenity prioritization for EV and efficient vehicle parking, maximum parking standards, and opportunities for private properties, ride sharing, and development of employer programs. 2.6 City Staff *(NDS, TS, CMO) More information is needed. Ensure that people in lower socio-economic position are empowered to take advantage of alternate transit options as they may spend a disproportionate amount of their income on transportation and may have the most impact from incentives. 2 Require Climate Change Analysis for New Subdivisions and Rezonings *(New) This extra layer of in-house review would accompany rezoning applications received by the City. 2.4 City staff *(NDS, CMO) Consider incorporating elements of complete streets policies and directly linking emission reductions with development and design choices. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Transportation: City Policy Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Establish an Electric and Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Purchasing Policy *(New) Establish a City policy to mandate electric and alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicle purchases if viable options exists. 2.2 Financial *(CMO, PW) Additional information needed regarding policy milestones, metrics, measurement, and reporting. 11 2 Track Adherence to City Idling Policy *(Next Step) An idling reduction policy was implemented in spring 2019. Data tracking and analysis will be required to ensure its effectiveness. 2.7 No Additional *(CMO, PW) Also encourage staff to investigate hybrid battery idle reduction technologies where practical. 3 Review Transportation Subsidies, Work Schedules and Tele- Work Policies for City Employees *(New) Ensure City transportation subsidies and work schedules for employees are crafted with climate action goals in mind. 2.1 City Staff *(CMO) Additional information needed regarding policy milestones, metrics, measurement, and reporting. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others; PUB – Public/Community Transportation: Projects Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Complete the Transit Study and Implement Recommendations to Bolster Service and Increase Ridership *(Next Step) The study will result in recommendations for optimizing the transit system including, days and hours of operation, fares, transfers, routes, stops, and other attributes that will increase ridership. Guidance from the completed plan will become new climate actions. 2.1 City Staff *(TS, CMO), Community Action Ensure equity components are incorporated to link planning activities and realized benefits to underserved and vulnerable communities. Incorporate multi-modal components such as potential light rail or community rail projects. 2 Complete Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan and Implement Recommendations *(Next Step) A grant was awarded for the development of an Eastern Iowa Regional EV Plan. It will develop practical and specific guidance to prepare for increased electric vehicle use. The project, led by Iowa City, will begin in early 2020. 2.2 City Staff *(CMO, TS) Ensure equity components are incorporated to link planning activities and realized benefits to underserved and vulnerable communities. 3 Achieve Gold Friendly Bicycle Friendly Community Status and Begin Work Toward Platinum Status *(Next Step) Continue to implement the Bicycle Master Plan and meet the requirements to achieve the gold friendly status upon recertification in 2020-21. 2.3 Financial *(NDS, TS, PW, COM) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others; PUB – Public/Community Waste Although waste makes up only 2% of community emissions, shrinking the waste stream and managing methane emissions from the waste stream, are critical. Approximately 70% of the materials in the Iowa City Landfill have recyclable or reusable properties and about 35% of materials are compostable organics, the Landfill’s primary source of methane production. The City’s solid waste operations have taken regulatory steps and made program changes over the last few years resulting in increased recycling and composting rates; however, the Climate Action Plan calls for reducing the waste reaching our Landfill by 50% by 2025 and 80% by 2050. To hit this target, the City must increase public awareness, meaningfully engage community partners, and devise policies or regulations that 12 encourage a culture of conservative consumption. Furthermore, methane generated at the City’s Landfill and Wastewater Treatment Plant contributes over 50% to the City’s own municipal GHG emissions. A consultant contract analyzing potential methane use will soon be recommended to the City Council. Overall Recommendations from the Climate Action Commission, Waste Working Group: While composting and recycling are not the answer to all our climate problems, educating the public to more thoughtfully consider the impacts of all of our choices will have an impact. Waste: Education Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Engage the Public to Compost Organic Waste *(Next Step) Through advertisements, social media, special event engagement, and the AmeriCorps program, provide the public with practical tips and strategies they can implement in their home or business. 3.2 City Staff *(CMO, PW, COM, PR, OTH), Community Action We support this action with the recommendation of including businesses in the composting engagement program. Climate Ambassadors can assist with this action. 2 Education Campaigns for Neighborhoods to Reduce Waste/Consumption at the Source *(Next Step) Work with and provide education opportunities for neighborhood organizations, tenant associations, and landlords. 3.3 City Staff *(CMO, PW, COM, EHR, PR, OTH), Community Action We are supportive of this action. Climate Ambassadors can assist with this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Waste: Incentives Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Incentivize Construction Waste Diversion *(Next Step) Expand in-progress efforts to engage the local development and construction community, along with local commercial industry to divert materials from landfill by reuse or recycling. 3.4 Financial, City Staff *(PW, CMO, OTH), Community Action Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 13 Waste: Regulation Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Develop a Policy/Ordinance Requiring Specific Demolition or Deconstruction Recycling Standards/Procedures *(New) Projects above a certain threshold must submit a waste management plan before beginning construction. 3.4 Financial, City Staff *(NDS, CMO, PW) Generally support this action. 2 Mandating Signage to Assist Waste Collection *(New) Require basic standard signage posted at waste collection sites on multi-family properties to reduce recycling contamination. 3.1 Financial, City Staff *(PW, NDS) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Waste: City Policy Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Require All Park/Public Space Rentals to Recycle and Use "Green" Event Best Practices *(New) Approval for events requiring an assembly or shelter rental permit will include adherence to future guidelines that reduce waste and energy consumption. 3.5 City Staff *(PW, PR, OTH), Community Action We are supportive of this action and would recommend it be moved up to a “next step” action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Waste: Projects Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Initiate a Methane Feasibility Study *(Next Step) The selected consultant will study the GHG impacts, financial impacts, and opportunity for energy generation at the Landfill and Wastewater Treatment Facility. 3.7 – 3.8 Financial, City Staff *(PW) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 14 Adaptation As Midwestern weather is expected to become more volatile and extreme, daily life in Iowa City will change. Air quality, along with severe hot and cold temperatures and high rainfall can impact work commutes, business operations, and daily outdoor activity. Therefore, the Climate Action Plan’s section on Adaptation focuses upon environmental impacts that affect quality of life for our residents. Components of this work include education campaigns, care and nurturing of natural areas and urban tree canopy, as well as engagement with community members most susceptible to incidents of climate-induced extreme weather and public health hazards. It is extremely challenging to see immediate carbon emissions reductions from qualitative projects and programs, but establishing increased tree shade, healthy soils and root systems, and sound water management practices throughout the community will provide significant long-term benefits. Overall Recommendations from the Climate Action Commission, Equity and Adaptation Working Group: Unless specified below, the working group agrees with the current temporal prioritization (e.g., blue, green, orange) in the report tables. Specific comments are included below. Additional recommendations for the report’s section on “Ensuring Equity in our Climate Action Response”: The report lacks specific actions and implementation timelines concerning equity. Instead, the "Ensuring Equity in our Climate Action Response" section of the report contains high level needs and objectives, such as use an equity lens, evaluate potential equity outcomes, follow the "Call to Action" section of the climate plan, and apply the City's equity toolkit. These broad objectives stand in contrast to the specificity of actions outlined for Transportation, Waste, Buildings, etc. As a result, equity concerns are very likely to take a back seat to other major themes during implementation of the Climate Plan. The treatment of equity in the Climate Plan and 100-Days Report is wholly inadequate, and the lack of specifics lend serious doubt that the report recommendations will Ensure Equity. The items related to equity identified in the report are few, lack urgency, and lack permanence (Regulation, Policy, Projects). This becomes evident by conducting a word search on the text string 'EHR.' This identifies actions tasked in part to the Equity and Human Rights office. Of the 64 specific actions listed in the report, here is the count of those involving EHR: i. Buildings: 0 ii. Transportation: 0 iii. Waste: 1 (Green, Education) iv. Adaptation: 2 (Blue: Education; Blue: Projects) v. Sustainable Lifestyles: 3 (Blue: City Policy; Green: Incentives; Orange: Incentives) Adaptation: Education Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Develop a Climate Ambassador Team *(New) Work with Climate Action Commission to define and develop a team of trained and passionate community members to assist with climate action outreach. 4.2 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, OTH), Community Action See below this chart for more specific recommendation on this action. 15 2 Establish “Resilience Hubs” *(New) Identify public community spaces that can become a trusted resource for community engagement before acting as a gathering space during extreme weather events. 4.2 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, PR, PW, COM, NDS, HER, OTH) Consider moving these from Education to Projects. 3 Educate and Coordinate with Local Agencies on Health Impacts *(Next Step) Continue initiatives to improve indoor air quality, enhance outdoor gathering spaces and routes for pedestrian mobility, as well as vector-borne disease prevention. 4.3 City staff *(CMO, NDS, PR, OTH), Community Action See full comments below this chart. 4 Concentrated Education Campaign for Private Properties about Native Plantings, Permeable Pavement, Rain Gardens, Soil Health, Rain Barrels and Cisterns *(Next Step) Work with and provide education opportunities for individuals, neighborhood organizations, and business community. 4.5 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, PW, PR, NDS, OTH) This action focuses stormwater management largely on residential property and/or voluntary efforts. We recommend adding parallel action items that apply to public and private development projects within the City, under the regulation and policy sections. See new proposed Regulation Action #3. Climate Ambassadors can assist with this action. 5 Coordinated Efforts with Local Emergency Agencies *(Next Step) Maximize public health and safety outcomes for inclement weather events by enhancing regular communication with emergency agencies. 4.3 – 4.4 City staff *(CMO, PW, PR, COM, OTH) Consider moving these from Education to Projects. Coordinated efforts with local agencies would also be valuable for stormwater management, supplemental to the campaign for private property BMPs highlighted in Education Action #4. 6 Educate and Coordinate with Local Agencies on Stormwater Management Best Practices Work with local agencies to identify resources and opportunities for collaborative stormwater management outreach and education City Staff (NDS, COM, PW, OTH) Consider adding this as a new action (not previously included). Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; HER – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 16 Additional recommendations for the Climate Ambassadors program from the Outreach Working Group: The Climate Ambassadors program is key to facilitating the implementation of many of the “Education” based actions throughout the climate action plan including the list under item “h” below. a. New outreach staff member should lead this effort. Commissioner John Fraser will be assisting and representing the commission and working group. b. Outreach, awareness, education need a coordinated communication/marketing effort. Need top 5 things to tell people. The message could be different for individuals versus businesses or other stakeholders. c. The ambassadors should focus on broad-based outreach approach rather than key targets. Key targets can be managed through other personnel/means. d. Need standardized training provided by staff related to the climate action plan. e. The ambassadors should be procured through some kind of application process and have a specific time of service duration. They should also have a list of expected duties. It could be very similar to chamber ambassadors where there is a requirement for number of events each month, etc. f. Simple hand-outs / weblinks, maybe a post card style option would be useful. g. Equity stakeholder mapping - develop the outreach targets and meet with them. Expand to include who’s benefiting and being impacted - develop an evaluation tool. h. Financial resources needed - operational and direct: i. Printed materials and event materials ii. Provide some kind of official name tag/pin or jacket or apparel. Something that presents well to the public and provides a source of pride for the ambassador. iii. Staff time to direct i. List of actions impacted by the climate ambassador program: i. Host Sustainability Forum and Events (Lifestyle Education Action #1) ii. Promoting Energy Efficiency and Performance Tips (Buildings Education Action #1) iii. Partner with Stakeholders to Promote Green Building and Rehabilitation (Buildings Education Action #2) iv. Significant Transportation Education and Outreach Campaigns (Transportation Education Action #1) v. Engage the Public to Compost Organic Waste (Waste Education Action #1) vi. Education Campaigns for Neighborhoods to Reduce Waste at the Source (Waste Education Action #2) vii. Concentrated Education Campaign for Private Properties about Native Plantings, Permeable Pavement, Rain Gardens, Soil Health, Rain Barrels and Cisterns (Adaptation Education Action #4) Additional recommendations for Education Action #3 – Educate and Coordinate with Local Agencies on Health Impacts: 17 Coordinated efforts with local agencies would also be valuable for stormwater management, supplemental to the campaign for private property BMPs highlighted in Education Action #4. The outreach working group believes this action should start sooner because it will take more time to develop and because it would promote climate action in ways that people don’t normally think about climate change – how it impacts their health. It could reach new audiences and be a driver for new action. Potential agencies to include: Johnson County Public Health, UIHC, UI College of Public Health (community outreach group), Mercy Public Health, UI Public Policy Center, and others. Potentially City Council members Teague and Taylor would be interested in being involved knowing their professional backgrounds. Goals should be to identify and compile resources, understand impact of climate change and metrics associated, and identify issues that should be developed into future actions under an updated climate action plan. Resources needed include volunteer and staff time. Adaptation: Incentives Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Partner with ProjectGreen on a Tree Planting Partnership; Incentives for Private Tree Planting *(New) Partner with ProjectGreen to incentivize higher levels of community tree planting on private property through rebates and/or a community purchase program. 4.6 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, PR, COM, OTH), Community Action Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Adaptation: Regulation Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Street Tree Ordinance *(Next Step) Enact a new street tree ordinance that will expand the City’s neighborhood tree canopies with development proposals. 4.6 City Staff *(NDS, PR) Generally support this action. 2 Increase Tree Planting Requirements in Landscaping Standards, Parking Lot Standards and Upon Renewal of Rental Permits *(New) Review and heighten development requirements for tree planting on private property including in parking lots and along with rental permits. 4.6 Financial, City Staff *(NDS, PR) Generally support this action. 3 Increase Application of Stormwater Best Management Practices in Development Projects within the City Expand the City’s post- construction stormwater management ordinance to include water quality requirements for development projects. City Staff (PW, OTH) Consider adding this as a new action (not previously included). Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 18 Adaptation: City Policy Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Develop Review Standards for New City Facility Construction and Major Rehabilitation that Accounts for Climate Adaptation Principles *(New) In addition to energy efficiency and transportation, considerations may also include review of material usage, resilience against weather and pests, water efficiency and management, and resilience to power and resource disruptions. 5.7 Financial, City Staff *(NDS, PW, PR, TS, OTH) Generally support this action. 2 Increase Application of Post-Construction Stormwater Best Management Practices in City Projects Expand City policy to require design for water quality treatment in City projects. (PW, OTH) Consider adding this as a new action (not previously included). Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Adaptation: Projects Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Flood Mitigation and Stormwater Management Programs/Projects; Buyouts *(Next Step) Continue City’s residential stormwater management programs and flood residential buyout programs through federal, state and local funds. Further support non-residential flood control efforts with an added stormwater technician position in Engineering. 4.5 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, PW), Community Action Generally support this action. 2 Continue Implementation of the Natural Areas Management Plan *(Next Step) Work on Natural Areas Management has been undertaken by Parks Maintenance staff and community volunteers. 4.5-4.6 Financial, City Staff *(PR) Generally support this action. 3 Expand Public Tree Planting *(Next Step) Increase public tree planting through expansion of Forestry staff and dedicated funding for more trees. 4.6 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, FIN, PR, OTH) Generally support this action. 4 Equity Review of Neighborhood and Population Outreach; Develop Outreach Plan for Populations Highly Complete the in-progress equity review and initiate plan development with newly created Climate Action Analyst position and the Climate Action Commission. 4.1-4.2 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, EHR, OTH), Community Action Why is this colored in blue? Recommend increasing its prioritization to green. 19 Impacted by Climate Change *(Next Step) Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Sustainable Lifestyle The City’s sustainable lifestyle initiatives are focused upon enhancing connections between existing partners, producing new partnerships, developing marketing, and generating entrepreneurial or new project opportunities. Quite a few objectives have already been started since the Plan’s adoption, but this report aims to amplify programs and projects. These recommendations focus on local food and product sourcing, significant media and communication campaigns, and building upon human and financial capital in Iowa City. Like Adaptation initiatives, individual behavioral changes are nearly impossible to regulate or quantify immediate carbon emissions reduction. The success of measures in this area rely upon individual or organizational buy-in and acceptance, and then upon willingness to make environmental and personal changes. City staff, the Climate Action Commission, and community partners will need to focus heavily upon fostering relationships that benefit from climate action initiatives, and varying messaging to connect with a wide range of people. Sustainable Lifestyle: Education Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources Commission Feedback 1 Host Sustainability Forum and Events *(Next Step) Expand opportunities for the public to engage on climate action through unique programs and festivals. 5.5 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, PR, OTH), Community Action Climate Ambassadors could assist with this action. 2 Launch a Green Business Program: “Climate Action at Work” *(New) Create an award program that highlights and reinforces the actions currently being taken by local businesses to combat climate change. 5.6 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, OTH), Community Action This should be a top priority to promote upgrades in existing commercial buildings that often lack other incentives and regulations. See specific recommendations below this table. 3 Local Procurement Campaign - Buy-in from Local Commercial Groups *(New) Initiate a campaign and projects to promote locally sourced and procured products, services, and food at organization and community scale. 5.3 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, FIN, COM, OTH), Community Action Climate Ambassadors could assist with this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 20 Additional recommendations for Education Action #2 – Launch A Green Business Program: 1. It’s important to facilitate people tracking energy use in their buildings and recognizing they should be doing it. 2. Eventually roll out a benchmarking program, but start with Energy Star Portfolio Manager. 3. Prioritize future incentives and grants for entities who use Portfolio Manager. 4. Resources needed: a. Financial incentives for projects - likely tens of thousands of dollars, but could be based on percentage of total upgrade project costs. b. Staff time to coordinate and work with businesses and develop the program. Sustainable Lifestyle: Incentives Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources 1 Expand Community Climate Action Grants *(Next Step) Grants issued through this program highlight and reinforce current actions taken by local organizations to effectively manage resources and energy usage or educate and engage the public in climate action initiatives. 5.4 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, NDS, COM, EHR, OTH), Community Action Generally support this action. 2 Incentives for the Public to Create and Maintain Local Food Production and Community Gardens *(Next Step) Create opportunities through incentives, partnerships, and education to encourage businesses, organizations, and individuals to establish areas of food and flora production to be tended by community members and shared locally. 5.4 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, NDS, PR, EHR, OTH), Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Sustainable Lifestyle: City Policy Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources 1 Develop a Green Procurement Policy *(New) City-developed procurement policy to guide climate- conscious purchases. 5.3 City Staff *(CMO, FIN) Generally support this action. 2 Develop a City Sustainability Operations Guide and Make Available to Organizations Throughout Iowa City *(New) Development of an operations guide used by the City will also assist community climate partners in focusing efforts to reduce energy use, consumption of resources, and waste. 5.7 City Staff *(CMO, FIN, NDS, PW, PR, TS, EHR, COM, OTH) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others 21 Sustainable Lifestyle: Projects Action Description Plan Alignment Required Resources 1 Develop a Climate Action Strategic Communications Plan *(Next Step) Hire a consultant to develop a comprehensive strategy, including advertising opportunities, media content, video, innovative technology use, in-person engagement and utilization of Climate Ambassadors Program. 5.5 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, COM, OTH) Generally support this action. 2 Community Garden Expansions/Additions *(Next Step) Continue City expansion of garden plots, community orchards. 5.1 – 5.2 Financial, City Staff *(CMO, PR) Generally support this action. Resource Key: CMO – City Manager’s Office; NDS – Neighborhood & Development Services; COM – Communications; PW – Public Works; EHR – Equity & Human Rights; TS – Transportation Services; PR – Parks and Recreation; FIN – Finance; OTH – Others Equity and Co-benefit Review Guidance for 100-day Climate Action Acceleration Actions Equity: All people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to attain their full potential. Equity differs from equality in that the latter gives each person the same thing to achieve fairness whereas equity gives each person what they need to achieve fairness. Please note that “justice” involves removing a systemic barrier that led to inequity. 1. What are the equity benefits? Consider who is being affected or involved in the action and whether all are able to participate and/or benefit to the same degree. Communities/people of different wealth, especially who have lower income or unemployment Communities/people of color Young people People with disabilities Older people LGBTQ community Communities of immigrants and/or limited English proficiency People without employment People who depend on public transit or other non-single-driver transportation Other individuals or communities that have been disenfranchised Will remove, or potentially remove, barrier(s) that caused inequity in the first place (justice). 2. Are there other non-economic or non-direct-GHG-reduction benefits or advantages? Neighbors get to know each other Advances knowledge of some aspect of climate change or sustainability Provides for childhood learning or development in general Leads to access to other education or training for adults Improves air, land and/or water quality Improves access to healthy food Improves healthier living in general Supports biodiversity Makes travel/transit easier/efficient, safer or reliable, especially people who are vulnerable Makes “greener” travel more possible for all: bus, walking, bike, etc. Otherwise supports part or all of action in one of the other action areas: Buildings, Transportation, Waste, Adaptation, Sustainable Living Easily replicable and scalable 3. Are there other economic benefits? Increases home or building value Adds new or advances existing jobs/profession Supports local economy 4. Does it conflict with any other action in the 100-day plan (briefly list item(s)? Buildings Transportation Waste Adaptation Sustainable Lifestyle