2023-07-06 Climate Protection Committee MinutesCity of Edmonds - Mayors Climate Protection Committee ("CPC')
July 6, 2023
Mission of the CPC is to (1) Encourage citizens to be a part of the solution, (2)
Encourage City staff and citizens to conserve current resources, (3) Work with the City
Council to implement ideas, and (4) Effectively address the future impacts of climate
change.
In Attendance:
Onsite (Brackett Meeting Room):
City Staff: Tristan Sewell, Sarah Brinkley, Susan McLaughlin, Leif Bjorback
Council Rep: Susan Paine
Public: Nancy Johnson, Nick Maxwell
Zoom:
Committee Members: Cynthia Pruitt (chair), Steve Cristol, Dawna Lahti
1. Call to Order, Review of Agenda, & Introductions
a. The meeting was called to order at 11:05am.
b. Nick Maxwell provided public comment natural gas appliances losing their Energy
Star status, and that July 7t" will have the highest tide of the year, which provides a
good example for sea level rise in Edmonds.
2. June Meeting Minutes
a. The June meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
3. Council Update
a. Councilmember Paine updated the CPC on the Comprehensive Plan update,
including the adoption of a climate element in the 2024 update, aligning with HB
1181 prior to the 2029 deadline. Council approved the scope of work for the selected
consultancy on June 5t", 2023. The Model Climate Element from the Department of
Commerce and Edmonds' 2020 Comprehensive Plan are attached for reference.
b. June 6t", WSDOT held a multimodal transportation forum, as it recently began
including level of service standards for bicycle and pedestrian traffic on State
projects. This impacts SR-104, Highway 99, and SR-526
c. The State's $1.4B housing budget legislation reallocated some funding from
transportation.
d. Representative Larsen hosted a bike townhall in Edmonds, with highlights of new and
future improvements for cyclists in the right-of-way.
4. Committee Roles and Responsibilities
a. Due to absences, the committee opted to defer this conversation until more current
members are present. This tied into the question of recruitment, as well.
b. The members attending confirmed the 'Survey Monkey' poll's results; the CPC will
meet for 90 minutes in the future.
c. Director McLaughlin relayed the Mayor's preference for the CPC's informality and
nimbleness, and his greenlighting of recruitment of new members. The recruitment
process recently received an update — Carolyn LaFave would have more information.
The Mayor appreciates public engagement with the CPC, but wants its work to
remain on -topic.
d. She reported, also, that how the CPC takes input from community members is up to
the CPC as long as that input does not dilute the contributions of the appointed
members.