CC Minutes - 10/08/08 Work Session

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Mr. Clark said he could back the idea in general terms but it gave him pause to say that the City “shall do so” without the details such as from where it would be funded. Ms. Taylor thanked the commission. She opined that the council had done a good job of selecting its members and that the Mayor’s leadership on sustainability should be commended. She recalled that she had suggested sustainabil- ity as a possible goal 12 years ago and people “thought it was a weird idea.” She averred that if the City achieved sustainable principles it would be priceless and cost would not be relevant. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to direct the City Manager to formally adopt the goal of making all City-owned facilities and City operations carbon neutral by 2020. Ms. Bettman did not think 2020 set an aggressive timeline. She declared that Portland had been successful in its sustainability movement and had marketed it as an economic development tool. She said she would support the motion. Mayor Piercy averred that it was the right thing to do and a practical solution. She said Eugene would be aiming for the practical and sensible things to pursue, not unlike the solar panel array that Industrial Finishes had installed and the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s (EWEB) investment in wind power. Ms. Solomon agreed that there should be an analysis of the costs. She felt that the council should be analyzing the recommendation through the same filter it used to analyze everything. She said part of economic development was job creation and this should be part of the analysis. She asked if the commission was tracking job creation through the Sustainability Commission. Ms. Fahy responded that the commission had discussed job creation but it had been discussed in a broader context and was not currently being tracked. Mr. Bruce stated that the task the subcommittee had taken on was to look at what was already there. He encouraged the councilors to review the SBI report. He underscored that it was their intent to present a broader framework for a long-term direction. He thought this would give staff the ability to come back and present options. Ms. Solomon ascertained from Mr. Bruce that the commission’s intent was to provide the first step and then the next step would be an analysis of what it would mean socially, environmentally, and economically. In response to a follow-up question from Ms. Solomon, Ms. Fahy confirmed that the $300,000 estimated cost would be annual if the City did nothing to further reduce carbon emissions. Ms. Solomon responded that the City was not doing anything. She underscored that she was not saying that she would not support it; but she wanted to see some clearer data. Mr. Clark remarked that he did not think the actions would change the “entire world,” but the City could get behind the ideals of sustainability. He said they needed to be operating in a more sustainable fashion both publicly and privately. He commented that his challenge was that this was a specific City goal, but there were competing priorities and budgetary concerns. He felt the recommendations were a little open-ended in terms of what they could cost and what some of the details were for implementation. He thought the motion could be adjusted to say that with the idea in mind of moving toward carbon neutrality by the year 2020, the City would like to know the full implementation costs or to hear back from the staff and the committee what some of the “potential roads to travel would be.” He stressed that he agreed with the ideals behind the recommendations. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 8, 2008 Page 3 Work Session