HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-12-21 Climate Action Commission Agenda
Iowa City Climate Action Commission Agenda
Monday, July 12, 2021, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Iowa City City Hall
410 E Washington Street
Meeting Agenda:
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of April 5, 2021 minutes
4. Public Comment of items not on the Agenda
-Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 3 minutes. Commissioners shall
not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items.
5. Staff Announcements
a. Action items from last meeting
b. Climate Action and Outreach Updates (see attachment)
c. Staffing updates
6. Old Business:
a. Discussion of updated residential incentive programs for energy efficiency
7. New Business:
a. Request for Commission Member(s) to be on review panel for Climate Action at Work
Awards
b. ARPA Input for City Council
c. Discussion of equity toolkit review by Liz
d. Presentation of equity report
e. Updates on working groups (see reports in agenda packet)
i. Buildings (Krieger, Soglin, Grimm)
ii. Outreach (Krieger, Fraser, Holbrook, Bradley)
iii. Equity (Tate, Hutchinson, Hill)
iv. Adaptation (Bradley, Leckband, Giannakouros)
8. Recap of actionable items for commission, working groups, and staff
9. Adjourn
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact
Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Engagement Specialist, at 319-887-6162 or at sarah-gardner@iowa-
city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
MINUTES PRELIMINARY
IOWA CITY CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION
JUNE 7, 2021 – 3:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING
ELECTRONIC MEETING
MEMBERS PRESENT: Madeleine Bradley, John Fraser, Stratis Giannakouros, Ben
Grimm, Megan Hill, Kasey Hutchinson, Jesse Leckband, Becky
Soglin, Eric Tate
MEMBERS ABSENT: Grace Holbrook, Matt Krieger
STAFF PRESENT: Sarah Gardner, Rachel Kilburn, Ashley Monroe, Mohsen
Vahidzadeh
OTHERS PRESENT: None
CALL TO ORDER:
Fraser called the meeting to order.
APPROVAL OF APRIL 5, 2021 MINUTES:
Soglin moved to approve the minutes from April 5, 2021.
Grimm seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passes 8-0 (Giannakouros not
present for vote).
PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Climate Action Commission
June 6, 2021
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Action Items from last meeting:
• The letter regarding the Methane Feasibility Study was sent to City Council.
• A discussion item regarding retaining public buildings as related to climate action was
added to the June agenda.
• Working groups submitted their meeting notes to the agenda packet.
Staff changes:
• Monroe and Vahidzadeh have given notice to leave the Climate Action and Outreach
Office (CAO) as of this month.
• Rachel Kilburn will be the Commission liaison to the City Manager’s office. She noted
fully staffing the office and supporting the work of the Commission is a top priority from
the City Manager’s perspective.
• The Climate Analyst position has been posted with the hope of quickly filling it. A copy of
the posting will be sent to Commission members as requested.
Updated Action Plan report:
Buildings
• Staff reported they are in conversation with key stakeholders to promote green building
and rehabilitation. A meeting was held with the Homebuilders Association to look at
various program options, including a building permit fee rebate program for enhanced
energy standards.
• Staff have continued research toward the launch of an electrification incentive program
and have had early discussions with the local development community on voluntary
elevation of energy efficient building standards, which may go hand in hand with those
incentives or education efforts. Johnson County (Soglin) will be looped into City building
codes and permitting programs regarding sustainability.
Transportation
• Four electric buses are scheduled to arrive this fall.
Waste
• City staff are engaging the public to compost organic waste with a successful direct mail
postcard campaign this spring.
• A compost collection point at the Farmers Market has been started where residents can
drop off small amounts of compostable organic material. Farmers Market vendors are
encouraged to use compostable food containers and service-ware. The Farmers Market
plans for 100% zero waste in 2022.
Adaptation
• There have been advances in the flood mitigation and stormwater management project
• The City hosted small cleanups this spring, and staff have been working on a formalized,
simple process for volunteers to input event or volunteer activity ideas (stormwater
management, waste pickups, etc.). Staff also want to acknowledge independently
occurring cleanup efforts.
Events/Activities
• Planning is underway for the 2021 Climate Fest.
Climate Action Commission
June 6, 2021
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• Project 51, which celebrates the 51st anniversary of Earth Day with good earth news,
launched around Earth Day.
• A University of Iowa completed an equity analysis and other assessments of Iowa City
residents’ accessibility to the community gardens. Staff are reviewing the report and
identifying next steps.
Discussion of alternate dates for July 5 meeting:
• Due to scheduled meetings coinciding with two upcoming holidays (Independence Day
and Labor Day), the Climate Action Commission elected to move the July meeting on
July 12 and the September meeting to September 13.
Discussion of transition back to in-person meetings:
• Staff has begun preparing to return to in-person meetings and will keep the Commission
informed when the change is made. A room with adequate space for social distancing
will be selected, as well as audio-visual equipment to allow meetings to be recorded.
• Because full recordings of the meetings will be made available to the public, staff
proposed a simplified version of meeting minutes going forward that will make it easier to
quickly see what was discussed at each meeting. Those wishing for more detail will be
able to access the full recordings.
NEW BUSINESS:
Finalized letter to the City Council on the Methane Feasibility Study:
• There has been no request for further discussion from the City Council following receipt
of the Commissions recommendations on the Methane Feasibility Study. Staff will notify
the Commission if such a request occurs.
NEW BUSINESS:
Discussion of signing a letter of support for a new transit facility:
• The City is applying for funding through a RAISE grant for a new transit facility and
requested a letter of support from the Climate Action Commission.
• The new facility will be able to accommodate new electric infrastructure to support more
electric buses.
• The current location requires costly methane abatement annually due to its location on a
former unregulated landfill, requires asphalt repaving, and is overcapacity.
• The Commission agreed to sign a letter of support.
Discussion and recommendations on residential incentive programs for energy
efficiency:
• The working groups had reviewed the material and provided staff with feedback and
questions, much of which focused on implementing the program in an equitable and
productive manner. Prioritizing equity may delay progress, but the Commission sees this
as an opportunity to set the standard that equity should always be a priority.
• Staff wants to talk to the Housing Authority to explore opportunities to offer the program
to properties currently accepting Housing Choice vouchers.
Climate Action Commission
June 6, 2021
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• Income qualification is one approach to meeting equity goals, though it can also become
a barrier to accessing funds. Staff discussed concentrated outreach efforts to lower
income households as another possible approach.
• Staff is doing a cost-benefit analysis on technology to include in the rebate program, and
is planning on launching a separate but parallel program in support of EV charging
equipment. The EV component originally proposed for this program would be removed.
• The programs are expected to launch in the next couple of months. Updated information
will be provided to the working groups to facilitate further discussion.
• Commission members will look for examples of similar programs in other cities.
Discussion of retaining public buildings as related to the Climate Action Plan and goals:
• In April, Iowa City resident Ayman Sharif expressed concern about a school building sold
to a private developer as a missed opportunity to retain the building for public use,
potentially as a resilience hub.
• Because the school district, not the City, owns public school buildings, the City does not
have control over the sale.
• Renovations of school buildings can be costly due to asbestos abatement and energy
inefficient design, which can make it cost-prohibitive for the City to purchase the
property. The Commission discussed ways these buildings can have value outside their
monetary value, such as being a cultural asset.
• School district building decisions impact City planning, even if the City does not directly
control these assets. The Commission discussed a potential partnerships with the
University of Iowa’s planning and public policy schools to explore this topic further.
Update on working groups:
• Buildings: Report in agenda packet
• Outreach: Report in agenda packet
• Equity: Report in agenda packet
• Adaptation: Report in agenda packet
RECAP OF ACTIONABLE ITEMS FOR COMMISSION, WORKING GROUPS, AND STAFF:
• Staff will send the job posting for the analyst position to the Commission members.
• Staff will coordinate with Soglin/Johnson County Sustainability Working Group to update
on code discussions with HBA.
• July 5 Commission meeting will be moved to July 12.
• Staff will send out additional information to working groups in response to questions
raised thusfar about the energy efficiency rebate program.
• Giannakouros will explore the possibility of partnering with the University on a research
project related to school buildings and planning.
ADJOURNMENT:
• The meeting adjourned by unanimous vote at 5 p.m.
Climate Action Commission
June 6, 2021
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NAME TERM EXP. 1/4/2021 2/1/2021 3/1/2021 4/5/2021 5/3/2021 6/7/2021 Madeleine Bradley 12/31/2022 x x x X NM x
John Fraser 12/31/2020 x x x O/E NM x
Stratis
Giannakouros UI Rep x O/E x X NM x
Megan Hill 12/31/2022 x x O/E X NM x
Grace Holbrook 12/31/2021 O/E O/E O/E O/E NM O/E
Kasey Hutchinson 12/31/2022 x x x X NM x
Matt Krieger 12/31/2020 x x x X NM O/E
Jesse Leckband
MidAmerican
Rep O/E x x X NM x
Becky Soglin 12/31/2022 x x x X NM X
Eric Tate 12/31/2021 x O/E O/E O/E NM x
Ben Grimm 10/31/2022 x x x O/E NM x
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No
Meeting
-- -- = Not a Member
Climate Action and Outreach Office Updates: April/May/June 2021
Recent Activity
Community-wide Climate Action
• Earth Day Neighborhood Energy Blitz
o 50 total volunteers participated April, covering a total of nine miles of city streets
o 1300 households reached with kits; fully implemented the energy saving supplies could
result in an estimated total $97,500 in household savings and 746,591 pounds of
averted GHG emissions
o Great response within the neighborhood and positive press from the Gazette
• Marketing RFP
o Balanced Approach nearing the completion of Phase 1; hoping to present
barrier/benefit research results to CAC at August or September meeting
Survey focused on three upcoming campaigns released June 16, closing July 7
One-on-one interviews conducted with 20 organizations
Focus group meetings held with Remodelers Council Board, Greater Iowa City
Apartment Association, UI students, ICAD Young Residents Group, and
scheduled with Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, Neighborhood
Centers of Johnson County, Center for Worker Justice
o Anticipated start of Phase 2 (Marketing Strategy Development) in August
• Project 51
o Campaign launched in April, featuring 51 climate-positive news items and statistics in
celebration of 51st Earth Day: icgov.org/project51
o Folded into social media strategy; continuing to update website periodically
• TIF-funded climate action incentive program underway
o Thirteen applications received, seven projects approved so far: P&G/Oral B, Iowa City
Storage, Adamantine Spine Moving, Mondo’s New Union Brewery, United Natural
Foods, Earl May, and Old Capitol Foods
o ALPLA application expected to be presented to City Council in late July for approval
• Iowa City Area Business Partnership Eco Smart Series
o Second presentation held in April focused on co-benefits of LED lights, featuring
representative from Sitler’s Lighting Supplies, Beadology, and Iowa Book
o Next presentation scheduled for Aug. 10, focused on
• Climate Action at Work Awards
o Applications for awards being accepted now through August 13 through the website
o Minor tweaks to the process from last year
o Awardees will be recognized at Friday afternoon Climate Fest event
• Grow Solar Linn and Johnson County
o Power Hour presentations continue through August
o First milestone (50 kW) reached in June, resulting in discounts for participants
o Solar feasibility survey results indicate widespread positive regard for this program in
Iowa City
• Climate Fest
o Scheduled for Sept. 20-25
o Monday and Tuesday will feature “lunch and learn” and other virtual presentations,
including Climate Ambassadors speaking on the IC Climate Action Plan
o Screening rights for The Falconer secured for a public viewing in Chauncy Swan Park for
Wednesday
o Applications for a climate mural to be painted by community volunteers on Thursday
currently being accepted; a Bike Library “Repair Fair” will be held concurrently
o Family activities and resilience resources being organized for Friday
o EV car show registered with National Drive Electric Week for Saturday
o Outreach underway to partner organizations who might like to participate in different
days of the event
• Energy Efficiency Building Projects
o Demonstration rehab project at Taylor Drive featured in Remodelers Parade
Walls, floor, and attic; new windows and doors; heat pump HVAC and water
heater; pollinator garden installed
Solar panel installation in July
o Fliers highlighting energy efficient features in both the rehab project and Elevation
Homes project sponsored in Parade of Homes handed out to visitors during Parade
events
o Energy efficiency rebate program continues to be in development
• Climate Action Grants
o 25 applicants this year, a substantial increase over last year
o Awards given to two solar installation efforts at Shelter House and DVIP; energy
efficiency projects for the Iowa City Bike Library, Deerfield Commons, and the
Johnson Clean Energy District; and adaption and resilience planning efforts by the
Multicultural Development Center of Iowa and A & W Sustainable Planning and
Outreach
o Two student mini-grants ($500) awarded for a food waste diversion project and a
litter cleanup
Current Grant Projects
• IEDA-Eastern Iowa EV Readiness Planning
o Finalized plan completed in June and available on the City website
o Steering committee transitioning to quarterly working group meetings for information
sharing and strategy updates regionally as plan moves into implementation phase
o Linn and Johnson Counties and the City of Clinton potentially joining the regional
working group
• Heartland Carbon Sequestration
o Project completed; GIS-based Carbon Management Decision Support Tool published
online for beta testing
o Features Iowa City as one of a dozen featured cities nationally
o Demonstration of tool presented to Equity Working Group May meeting
Ongoing Projects
Reporting and Analysis
• GHG Inventory
o Initiated data collection with two data sources outstanding; to resume when new
analyst is hired
• Municipal operations
o Tracking water and energy usage of municipal facilities
o Regular meetings with City departments to resume when new analyst is hired
• ICLEI/Global Covenant of Mayors
o Started collecting information for the new report; to resume when new analyst is hired
Communications (with part-time Sustainability Communications Assistance)
• Ongoing monthly Sustainability Newsletter
• Efforts to streamline website begun; future updates being planned while City pursues new web
platform
• Next Smart Series presentation with the Iowa City Area Business Partnership: May 11 (LED
lights)
Green Iowa AmeriCorps
• Successful site visit in April; approved for a 2021-2022 Energy & Community Team
• Three summer members added to the team in May
• Recruitment underway for 2021-2022 team; GIA activities will halt in August and resume in
September
• Home Energy Audits recommenced in June; AmeriCorps team working with Grow Solar initiative
to offer Home Energy Audits for Iowa City applicants
Climate Ambassadors
• Third cohort completed training
• Climate Ambassador Picnic scheduled for July 15 to discuss upcoming projects, including
volunteer opportunities with Climate Fest
Ongoing Sustainability Groups and Committees
• Urban Sustainability Directors Network groups
• Heartland (Midwestern) monthly calls; annual gathering in April featured Carbon Management
Decision Tool developed in part using Iowa City and partner cities’ data
• Johnson County Sustainability Working Group, quarterly meetings
Commentary on feedback from Buildings Working Group – Energy Efficiency Rebate program
notes and questions
Please see City staff responses below, in blue italics.
__________________________________________________________
Purpose/Name BWG is very supportive of this program as a start. However, we suggest using a
different name and acronym as “RISE” is the name of the apartments/hotel in Riverfront Crossing.
Important to avoid mix-branding / messaging, especially if someone googles “RISE Iowa City.”
Other possibility: “RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVE (REEI)
Staff is absolutely fine with changing the name to avoid confusion.
Program Features:
• This is a good opportunity and accounts for many goals we’ve wanted to do community
wide.
• BWG asked how this MidAmerican rebates, and Mohsen said it is addressing gaps in the
rebate program. Yes, the hope is to address gaps in the current program and to
supplement any existing programs to make actions especially enticing.
• Upgrading the worst insulation is often the best upgrade. Recommend prioritize the
very poorly insulated buildings. Staff discussed beginning with a program that starts
with age of building and with housing (about 500 properties) that already completed an
energy assessment, either through the City or another venue. Doing so will allow a
strong pool of housing stock to participate, in varying income levels, housing age, size,
and condition. The city’s Green Iowa AmeriCorps energy assessment program by its
nature focused on evaluating homes of lower-income and older adults. When the audits
were conducted, information about the condition of insulation, HVAC system, and other
basic property info were collected, so any new improvements made would be compared
to available data.
• What is the evaluation process for how structures are selected? This relates to equity.
See above
• Tankless water heating -- other appliances are not addressed -- can you incorporate the
major ones or is there the assumption that MAE covers other appliance types? What is
the flexibility as people apply, i.e. based on what is already in their home or needed?
May want to avoid making minimal changes of someone going from say, a 95% to 96%
efficiency. City staff had intended to begin the program with a simple change. Often,
when an HVAC system is replaced, it will automatically be added at a higher efficiency.
This is not the case with water heaters, and by focusing in this area, will increase the
chance of improved efficiency when it would not always be guaranteed.
• Re electrical shift emphasis: given new state law, how can [we] this discuss and address
natural gas? Although the new law limits municipal regulation, there may be ways to
encourage adoption of electric over gas that do not require elimination or prevention of
natural gas use. Understanding that many homes are already fitted with gas-powered
appliances, it may be desirable to seek other community partners to talk about benefits
of minimizing gas use inside the dwelling (health and safety, etc.) In general, high
efficiency is a major goal, and having residents replace equipment to the highest
efficiency- electric or gas, will be beneficial for the next few years/foreseeable future.
• Battery / EV readiness (related to equity) maybe have a cap on how much can go to
this? Is there any risk someone will add this to a home to increase its value but not
really use it? Noted in the table that it doesn’t reduce energy use necessarily.
Staff is discussing this as a separately marketed program and open to discussing
limits/spending authority. There is a risk that someone will install a device and not use it,
but it would be there for the next user, and in the interim would not be drawing on
energy supply.
RE “Target” to shape marketing, program funding or reduction goals.
• A simple goal / overarching goal could be to help a certain number of homes, given the $50K --
how many could you impact. “We’re trying to reach 50 homes/units this year” and then you say
you met your goals. Goals are great! Getting a final estimate on rebate amounts may help
establish a reasonable/ambitious goal. Staff open to Commission submitting ideas for a number
assisted, which could also shape the amount per rebate.
• Support for more robust, behind--the-scenes analysis that could also be used publicly in other
ways.
o Compare before and after usage
o Aggregate average monthly/yearly energy or $ savings (though if you fund EV chargers,
someone’s energy us may actually go up
o Consider providing a “Kill-A-Watt” meter so they know they’re specific usage for
something.
Wonderful ideas for data collection.
Equity: Yes, a tiered or other weighted approach is essential.
Maybe $35,000 goes to households in the most need / income threshold; $10,000 to those in next
category and $5,000 for those who are relatively most affluent. EV should be a lower priority. Or why
not have it all go to those most in need? We do defer to staff on what they might think best on equity. Is
there a connection to existing income-based rehabilitation process. Might households with lower
incomes be asked to pay small relative co-pay. In general, the goal is to get change to as many
households as possible. Additionally, larger households may be generating more carbon emissions with
inefficient equipment. Incentivizing all residents to make a change is beneficial. Noting this, the City
recognizes the value of supporting residents who can least afford to make this change and would plan
for a tiered rebate approach by household, similar to the Root for Trees program. Some of the City’s
existing data and data coming soon to the City through analysis during the solar feasibility study may
shed light on areas of focus that could increase effectiveness & equity of the rebate program.
Funding: Minimum of $50,000 seems a reasonable starting point for the first year. $75,000 would be
great. This project will be especially impactful and directly support residents. Therefore, the City remains
flexible in its approach and due to some budgeted carryover funds from the prior year, has more than
$50,000 to allocate if program interest is high. By initially offering an easy, streamlined approach, similar
to the Root for Trees program, hopefully many property owners will understand it and be willing to act.
Re Table of Impacts:
In table of evaluation characteristics on p. 3, add a column to indicate whether/to what degree it will
decrease greenhouse gases. Is there a priority to diminishing energy or to diminishing GHGs? Staff can
do this.
“Encourage construct/retrofit with electric and alternative fuel energy sourcing” -- is encouragement
allowed given new state laws? Also this could have a partial economic impact (positive) Yes. See
comments regarding natural gas regulation.
The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide a
substantial infusion of resources to help turn the tide on the
pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for
a strong and equitable recovery.
The American Rescue Plan will deliver $350 billion for state, local, territorial, and
Tribal governments to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and bring back jobs.
Eligible Jurisdictions & Allocations
Direct Recipients
•States and District of Columbia
($195.3 billion)
•Counties ($65.1 billion)
•Metropolitan cities ($45.6 billion)
•Tribal governments ($20.0 billion)
•Territories ($4.5 billion)
Indirect Recipients
•Non-entitlement units ($19.5 billion)
Funding Objectives
•Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to
decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control
•Replace lost public sector revenue to strengthen support for vital
public services and help retain jobs
•Support immediate economic stabilization for households and
businesses
•Address systemic public health and economic challenges that
have contributed to the inequal impact of the pandemic
Address Negative Economic Impacts
Respond to economic harms to workers, families,
small businesses, impacted industries, and the
public sector
Premium Pay for Essential Workers
Offer additional support to those who have and
will bear the greatest health risks because of their
service in critical infrastructure sectors
Replace Public Sector Revenue Loss
Use funds to provide government services to
the extent of the reduction in revenue
experienced due to the pandemic
Support Public Health Response
Fund COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical
expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain
public health and safety staff
Broadband Infrastructure
Make necessary investments to provide unserved
or underserved locations with new or expanded
broadband access
Water and Sewer Infrastructure
Make necessary investments to improve access
to clean drinking water and invest in
wastewater and stormwater infrastructure
Example Uses of Funds