TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor Angela Birney
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT(S):
Executive |
Maxine Whattam |
425-556-2310 |
Public Works |
Dave Juarez |
425-556-2733 |
DEPARTMENT STAFF:
Executive |
Jenny Lybeck |
Sustainability Program Manager |
Public Works |
Amanda Balzer |
Science and Data Analytics Supervisor |
TITLE:
title
Adoption of the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan
OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
recommendation
Staff seeks Council’s approval and adoption of the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan.
The Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (Attachment A) creates a 30-year roadmap for Redmond’s environmental sustainability work. It was developed through robust stakeholder engagement and builds on the 2014 Climate Action Implementation Plan and Environmental Initiative of the Community Strategic Plan. The Plan also aligns with the updated King County-Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C) Letter of Joint Commitments signed by the Mayor on May 19, 2020.
body
☒ Additional Background Information/Description of Proposal Attached
REQUESTED ACTION:
☐ Receive Information ☐ Provide Direction ☒ Approve
REQUEST RATIONALE:
• Relevant Plans/Policies:
Community Strategic Plan, Climate Action Implementation Plan
• Required:
N/A
• Council Request:
During the September 8, 2020, Committee of the Whole meeting, Council authorized staff to return with the final document for Council consideration.
• Other Key Facts:
N/A
OUTCOMES:
As a 30-year planning document, the City of Redmond’s Environmental Sustainability Action Plan outlines more than 165 actions that will be necessary to meet its sustainability goals and work towards carbon neutrality. The actions are identified as near-term (years 1-5), mid-term (years 5-10), and long-term (10+ years) and will be phased in over time. The Plan is organized across six focus areas:
1. Transportation and land use
2. Building and energy
3. Materials management and waste
4. Climate change and resilience
5. Natural systems
6. Water management
The City will rely on annual monitoring performance and public reporting to determine whether Redmond is making enough progress towards its goals and when additional compliance-based actions should be utilized.
COMMUNITY/STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND INVOLVEMENT:
• Timeline (previous or planned):
Internal City staff workshops and external stakeholder workshops were conducted in four phases throughout the Plan development process:
- Phase I Community Visioning (November 2019 - January 2020)
- Phase II Strategy Identification (February 2020 - March 2020)
- Phase III Strategy Refinement and Plan Development (April 2020 - May 2020)
- Phase IV Final Plan Review (June 2020 - July 2020)
• Outreach Methods and Results:
Phase IV results include:
- Online Open House: July 1-31, 2020
o 453 users visited site
o 353 comments collected
- Informational presentations at:
o OneRedmond
o Master Builders Association of Seattle and King County
o People for Climate Action
o Redmond Youth Partnership Advisory Committee (RYPAC)
• Feedback Summary:
- The majority (89%) of online open house respondents indicated that they “strongly support” or “support” the draft ESAP, with (70%) stating that Redmond should be a national leader in sustainability, no matter the cost.
- The majority of online open house respondents (92%) stated that they were willing to pay an increase in utility and property taxes to help fund implementation of the plan, with (60%) indicating they would be willing to pay $200 to $300 per year.
BUDGET IMPACT:
Total Cost:
Total implementation cost to City operational budget is estimated at $50 million over 30 years (cost estimate provided in 2020 dollars).
Approved in current biennial budget: ☐ Yes ☒ No ☐ N/A
Budget Offer Number:
2019/2020 Budget Offer for Plan development: 000185
Budget Priority:
2019/2020 Budget Priority for Plan development: Clean & Green
Other budget impacts or additional costs: ☒ Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A
If yes, explain:
The Plan includes a cost estimate of the net present value (NPV) of actions; this was not an in-depth budget exercise but an order of magnitude estimate of City costs per action. These costs are estimated at $50 million for new actions. Additional analysis and public stakeholder engagement will be required to gain a deeper understanding of future costs and impacts. The estimated budget breakdown over the next 30 years is as follows:
- near-term (1-5 years): estimated at $19 million
- mid-term (5-10 years): estimated at $20 million
- long-term (10+ years): estimated at $11 million
Council adoption of the Plan will set the stage for Council review of an environmental budget offer for the proposed 2021-2022 biennial budget, which will guide next steps in implementing the Plan’s near-term actions.
Funding source(s):
Funding for actions in the Plan will come from the Utilities, General Fund, and grants. Each biennium staff will prepare a sustainability implementation plan to solicit feedback on implementation priorities and integrate into the budgeting process.
Budget/Funding Constraints:
COVID-19 response and recovery may impact the funding of near-term actions (1-2 years). Fewer resources and staff capacity will result in slower progress towards the City’s sustainability targets. Cost impacts may be reduced by strategic staging of actions to reduce FTE needs and seeking grants and other funding sources to offset capital or one-time cost impacts.
☐ Additional budget details attached
COUNCIL REVIEW:
Previous Contact(s)
Date |
Meeting |
Requested Action |
9/10/2019 |
Committee of the Whole - Planning and Public Works |
Receive Information |
9/17/2019 |
Business Meeting |
Approve |
11/19/2019 |
Business Meeting |
Receive Information |
12/10/2019 |
Study Session |
Receive Information |
3/10/2020 |
Committee of the Whole - Planning and Public Works |
Receive Information |
4/14/2020 |
Committee of the Whole - Planning and Public Works |
Receive Information |
6/2/2020 |
Business Meeting |
Receive Information |
7/14/2020 |
Study Session |
Provide Direction |
8/11/2020 |
Study Session |
Provide Direction |
9/8/2020 |
Committee of the Whole - Planning and Public Works |
Provide Direction |
Proposed Upcoming Contact(s)
• Community Strategic Plan Updates - Quarterly
• 2020 Sustainability Plan Annual Report and greenhouse gas inventory update - Q4 2021
• 2023/2024 Implementation Plan - Q4 2021/Q1 2022
Time Constraints:
Council adoption of the Plan will set the stage for Council review of an environmental budget offer for the proposed 2021-2022 biennial budget.
ANTICIPATED RESULT IF NOT APPROVED:
If the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan is not adopted, the City will move forward incrementally to advance sustainability goals per the Environmental Sustainability initiative in the Community Strategic Plan.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Final Environmental Sustainability Action Plan