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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD - MINUTES - 04/16/20251 4/16/2025 - Minutes Natural Resources Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, April 16, 2025 – 6:00 PM 222 Laporte Avenue and via Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 6:04 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Dawson Metcalf (Chair) • Kelly Stewart (Vice Chair) • Sara LoTemplio • Kelen Dowdy • Leslie Coleman • Sharel Erickson • Xavier Pereria b. Board Members Absent – • Teagan Loew • Barry Noon c. Staff Members Present – • Honore Depew, Staff Liaison • Brian Tholl, Energy Services Director d. Guest(s) – • 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Metcalf reviewed the agenda items. 4. COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MARCH 2025 Vice Chair Stewart made a motion, seconded by Dowdy, to approve the March 2025 regular meeting minutes as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously. 2 4/16/2025 - Minutes 6. NEW BUSINESS a. New Member Welcome/Councilmember Kelly Ohlson Current members and new members, Leslie Coleman, Sharel Erickson, and Xavier Pereria, introduced themselves and discussed their professional endeavors and interest in the Board. Councilmember Kelly Ohlson, Board liaison, welcomed the new members and provided a synopsis of his history of service on City Boards and Council. He noted he will not be seeking reelection in November and discussed the history of the Council liaison relationship with Boards. He also discussed the history of the Natural Areas tax and Natural Resources Advisory Board. Councilmember Kelly Ohlson stated he would like to see more communication from Boards with recommendations on items going before Council. Specifically, he suggested the Board provide input on Council’s work plan and priority list prior to the Council retreat following the election, which will likely occur in February or March. He also suggested the Board provide input on the budget and noted any information coming from Boards should get to Council prior to work sessions. He also stated a member could speak on behalf of the Board at Council meetings. Coleman asked what types of additional information Councilmember Ohlson would like to see from this Board. Councilmember Ohlson replied Council works on two-year work plans and encouraged the Board to weigh in on recycling, composting, climate, solid waste, and other topics it sees fit. He suggested the Board include supporting information for any memo or communication to Council. Additionally, he encouraged the Board to advise staff, though not direct them. Depew asked Councilmember Ohlson if he has any advice for the next Council in terms of balancing community needs and tensions and how community members and Board advisors help them consider those needs and tensions. Councilmember Ohlson replied Council and the City can do more than one thing at one time, but noted environmental issues have a long history of support in Fort Collins. He stated there will always be competing interests in desirable cities such as Fort Collins. b. Council Priority Update: Our Climate Future Honore Depew, Environmental Services Senior Environmental Manager, stated this item is scheduled to go to a Council work session on May 13th and is related to the Council priority on best practices emphasizing electrification. Next steps will also include updating and refreshing Our Climate Future as a framework and development of a more strategic funding plan. Depew outlined the components of the presentation: climate context, current efforts, and bridging to the future. He outlined the visionary outcomes and goals that are part of Our Climate Future, including carbon neutrality by 2050. He stated there are pathways toward the 2030 goal of 100% renewable electricity and zero waste, but it will take all available strategies to get there. 3 4/16/2025 - Minutes Depew discussed the current community-wide greenhouse gas inventory. It was noted that the dip in emissions in 2011 was due to it being a very wet year which resulted in extra hydropower. Additionally, the changes between 2019 and 2020 were due to a new wind project in Wyoming, and in 2025 and 2026, the Black Hollow solar project will be put online. Pereria asked about the definition of regional mix. Brian Tholl, Energy Services Director and Energy Board liaison, replied the regional mix accounts for purchases from the wholesale market. Pereria asked about the step changes in the 2025-2027 time frame. Tholl replied those changes are accounted for by some construction projects and some agreement work. Depew discussed the specific efforts around the elements of electrification that were identified at the start of the Council term. He commented the different levers that local government has to affect the way people exist in the community: economics, regulations, infrastructure, and behaviors. He also noted electrification has been broken down into the buckets of buildings, vehicles, and small engines. Additionally, Depew noted the number one policy tool in terms of being able to move the needle around emissions from building energy use is building performance standards. Depew also noted the utility rate structure helps support over $4 million of direct incentives for efficiency and electrification projects across the community. In terms of next steps, Depew highlighted the City organization leading by example in terms of building performance standards, increasing the number of vehicle charging stations with a federal grant, and coordination across City departments for conversion of small engine equipment to electric. He also commented on the importance of looking for approaches and solutions that can address multiple community concerns. Depew stated the first half of this year will focus on refreshing Our Climate Future, including a gaps analysis, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and assisting City employees in utilizing Our Climate Future as a framework to help them do their work better. That work will lead to the development of a guidebook for how the work can get done over the two-, five-, or thirty-year horizon. He noted the dedicated tax will provide approximately $180 million over the next twenty-five years and stated the goal of the funding plan is to guide in the medium- and long-term and can also help bring a focus to implementation in the short term. Members discussed the presentation and Depew commented on naming the role of Boards and Commissions in helping to develop the long-term strategy throughout the second half of the year. Dowdy commented on highlighting the importance of intersectionality of the actions. c. Large Methane User Fee Proposal Chair Metcalf noted this item is in response to a request from Pat Burger of the League of Women Voters for the Board to recommend adoption of a large methane user fee. He noted the Air Quality Advisory Board has submitted a memo to Council recommending Council direct staff to examine such a fee and options for implementation. He also 4 4/16/2025 - Minutes stated he drafted a similar memo should the Board want to send that on. Depew provided the information provided by Ms. Burger, which is essentially a proposed policy tool that would implement a fee on users that use more than 10,000 therms per year. He stated that according to the Fort Collins Sustainability Group, about 700 businesses would be impacted. Depew also noted that any fee that is collected from a user is required by law to go back to that user, in this case to help provide funding for improvements. Depew provided the information offered by Ms. Burger. Chair Metcalf provided the memo he drafted. Members concurred it is in alignment with the goals of the Board to direct staff to further consider the fee option. LoTemplio made a motion, seconded by Dowdy, to have Chair Metcalf craft a memo recommending Council direct staff to examine the large methane user fee proposal. The motion was adopted unanimously. 7. OTHER BUSINESS/UPDATES a. Board Member Reports Chair Metcalf reported on being asked to represent the Board as a part of the information committee for the civic assembly regarding the community engagement process for the future decision making for the Hughes Stadium site. He noted the property was dedicated as an open space with various possible uses per a community ballot initiative that forced the City to purchase the property. He stated there have been many proposed uses for the site, thus the civic assembly process. Chair Metcalf outlined the role of the information committee in the public engagement process and stated the civic assembly consists of 20 community members that were selected by a democratic lottery to take part in a 4-day process and deliberation to make a formal recommendation to Council regarding the future of the property. Chair Metcalf stated his recommendation was to consider a mixed-use concept for the site, including consideration of things like wildlife corridors, while also considering there is a major need in the community for a mountain bike park. He discussed additional information about how the democratic lottery process worked. Chair Metcalf stated the Board will be discussing the Water Efficiency Plan and the Natural Areas Strategic Framework staff will be requesting a formal recommendation after providing an update memo for the May meeting. He also recommended a discussion of the Board’s Work Plan, overall City review, and open meetings regulations with new members. Depew noted he will not be available to attend the June 18th meeting and asked if the Board would like to change the date or have a substitute liaison. The Board opted to have a substitute liaison. b. Six Month Calendar Review 5 4/16/2025 - Minutes 8. ADJOURNMENT • 8:08 pm Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 5/21/2025