Longmont City Council Tuesday night looked at the final recommendations from the Climate Action Task Force and debated about the process and timing of eventually putting the body’s ideas to practical use.
“I just don’t want to rubber stamp things and just move it along,” Councilwoman Polly Christensen said of the 160-page document.
Christensen said although she supports the goals of the task force — which included residents and city staff members — the proposals downplayed the impact they would have on most Longmont residents, who are low- to middle-income.
“We need to be using the right measurements here, we need to be talking about the reality of this town,” Christensen said.
Council members agreed to let staff answer questions about the process of reviewing the proposals and then bring recommendations to council on how to move forward. The city over the next two months will send the Climate Action Task Force proposals to various city advisory groups for review.
Councilwoman Marcia Martin said council needed to keep the climate change plan in perspective since it should be part of the city’s comprehensive plan for handling growth.
“Once we make it part of the comprehensive plan it will be like any other city project,” Martin said. “We don’t have to take such a deep dive today.”
The task force met eight times to come up with ways to stave off climate change in Longmont. The advisory group was formed after council in October voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency.
On June 30, council heard the first batch of proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Longmont. The groups suggested creating an eight-person Electrification Feasibility Committee to oversee an 18-month effort to research and develop a phased electrification plan by Nov. 1.
On Tuesday, council members heard ideas on adaptation and resilience, education, outreach and land use and waste management. They also looked at recommendations from the Just Transition Plan Committee, formed to ensure that often-ignored communities in Longmont are included in plans to fight climate change.
The task force recommendations on Tuesday called for creating programs to help reduce water consumption by 35 to 40% by 2025, using 2019 water consumption as a baseline.
The task force also wants the city to create a green jobs program for workers now in the oil and gas business. The city also should encourage residents to grow and sell their own food and get at least 75% of all homes and businesses to compost.
The Just Transition Plan Committee recommendations also call for the city to create job training programs for workers displaced by green jobs and to research the needs of those in low-income communities.
Correction: The summary of the electrification recommendation from the Climate Action Task Force recommended creating an eight-person Electrification Feasibility Committee to oversee an 18-month effort to research and develop a phased electrification plan by Nov. 1. The recommendation does not suggest that Longmont homes and businesses switch from natural gas to electricity over the next 18 months, and the city is not considering a policy that would require electrification of homes and businesses.
