Longmont’s plan to develop a sustainable and environmentally friendly city needs to be sped up while funding sources to pay for programs and recommendations also need to be found to keep the effort moving, city officials said Tuesday night.
Longmont City Council reviewed Longmont’s Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Recommendations Report, which were put into place in 2016 and 2020 respectively. In many areas, environmental goals are being reached, city staff members told the council.
Longmont achieved the target of reducing household trash consumption in 2020. The city also secured $874,000 in grant funds to support projects that advance sustainable goals, including efficiency improvements and renewable energy at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, EV charging stations, parks and greenways maintenance and restoration, bicycle wayfinding and outdoor space for Main Street businesses during the pandemic, according to the report to the council.
The city also raised awareness of several sustainability efforts, Lisa Knoblauch, Longmont’s sustainability program manager told the council. The city’s Sustainable Opportunities, Lifestyles and Leadership program, or SOLL, helped 11 households complete eco-upgrades, Knoblauch said.
But the city’s plan to expand SOLL to 40 visits this year is only a small step toward the overall goal of reducing climate damage, Councilmember Joan Peck said.
“Forty homes for the size of our city isn’t very much,” Peck said. “I’d like to see us move faster.”
She also urged the city to tap federal stimulus funds to help pay for some of the climate action plan.
Councilmember Suse Hidalgo-Fehring said funds should be identified to help the city nudge closer to its sustainability goals, especially to help low-income neighborhoods. “I feel like this is an urgent priority,” Hidalgo-Fehring said. “I want to voice my support in getting the funds to make our goals happen.”
City Manager Harold Dominguez told the council that adding personnel and bolstering programs for the climate action plan will be weighed later this year as Longmont pieces together next year’s budget.
“...Additional work will be required to clarify and refine more detailed estimates on the fiscal impact of recommendations, as well as determine the return on investment,” the city report to council states. “Potential revenue and fund sources will be identified in that process.”
