HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 9/13/2016 - Memorandum From John Bartholow, Natural Resources Advisory Board Re: Recommendations On The 2017-2018 Bfo OffersEnvironmental Services
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Fort Collins, CO 80522
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: September 6, 2016
TO: Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: John Bartholow, on behalf of the Natural Resources Advisory Board (NRAB)
SUBJECT: Recommendation on 2017-18 BFO offers
The NRAB has reviewed a subset of all BFO offers up for consideration. The 34 offers we
examined were submitted by the Environmental Services Department and Utilities, as well
as offers relevant to implementation of the Climate Action Plan, Road to Zero Waste, and
Nature in the City. This memo highlights the top 16 offers as ranked by our members.
In our assessment, Board members considered many factors, some of which tended to elevate the
perceived priority of some offers or reduce the priority of others. Those of highest priority tended
to be ones that are part of an ongoing and valued program, required for compliance, or needed
for an agreement. Other factors warranting high priority were offers that contribute significantly
to meeting goals of the Climate Action Plan and Road to Zero Waste, offer meaningful
opportunities for citizen engagement, set great examples for citizens and businesses, and/or have
an apparent favorable cost-benefit ratio. Factors that tended to lower the priority of an offer
included those that ostensibly may be delayed without significant negative consequences or have
seemingly high FTE requirements. There was a remarkably good agreement among NRAB
board members across the offers, though certainly not lock-step.
The first list below represents our top 16 choices out of the 34 we reviewed. The second list
contains all the other offers we examined. We stress that all offers have value, but that we
recognize that funding cannot likely cover them all adequately, so we highlight those that we felt
were the most worthy.
The BFO process is a challenge. It requires an enormous staff effort and time commitment, yet
can result in setting strategic direction beyond the nominal two-year cycle. We hope that we
have been able to contribute to this process in a meaningful way, and we may choose to weigh in
at a later date after we see the initial City Manager’s ranking.
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Offers Ranked Highest by the NRAB:
26.1 Ongoing: Environmental Services Department (ESD) budget. Increase in personnel of 13.1%.
Decrease in incidentals of 9.4% over previous budget. $1.58 million in ongoing annual budget.
84.1 Nature in the City Implementation Capacity – 1.0 FTE Environmental Planner, as approved
mid-budget cycle. $80,000 added to ongoing annual budget.
26.2 Timberline Recycling Center – operational costs for the new recycling center. Ongoing
expenses for maintaining critical program in Road to Zero Waste. $337,600 from KFCG Fund
ongoing.
6.56 Enhancement: Utilities: Wastewater – Sidestream Treatment – to meet future nitrogen and
phosphorus removal requirements, develop treatment process and build facility for water removed
from biosolids. High value waste diversion, potential products (fertilizer). Request $4.3 million
from Reserves.
26.11 Enhancement: 1.5 FTE Road to Zero Waste Support – addresses critical need for staff in
Sustainable Materials Management, which will fund long-term planning and enhance target
education and support for resident and business recycling, and provide representation in regional
wasteshed planning. These programs potentially yield 25% of GHG reductions in 2020 CAP
goals; this enhancement cannot be postponed. It also supports Road to Zero Waste goals
Community Recycling Ordinance implementation. Significant component of outreach and
engaging citizens and businesses. Preliminary analysis of samples of solid waste from Fort
Collins to the county landfill suggest that our diversion rate is going down and 50% of high
value aluminum is going into landfill. $235,000 added to the annual ongoing budget.
84.2 Enhancement: Transition Contractual Environmental Planner (84.1) to Classified. To support
long-range planning and staff continuity for 10 yrs of approved CCIP funding. $10,000 added to
annual ongoing budget.
6.76 Enhancement: Utilities: Light and Power – Energy Services – 100% of funds will go to
direct customer rebates and services for Efficiency Works Neighborhood and Business programs,
and Integrated Design Services. Priority because estimated 50% of CAP GHG emission
reduction goal is met through efficiency improvements and conservation in Electric Services.
Request $950,000 for 2017 and for 2018 from Reserves.
6.8 Enhancement: Renewable Community Shared Solar – Fort Collins portion of PRPA planned
project expected to add 1 megawatt of shared solar capacity. Funds will be used for customer
rebates. Priority because estimated 50% of CAP GHG emission reduction goal is met through
efficiency improvements and conservation in Electric Services. Request for $250,000 in 2017 and in
2018 from Reserves. $60,000 added to ongoing annual budget.
26.15 Enhancement: Climate Action Plan Program Assistant, transition from hourly to full-time
contractual, per City policy. $49,501 in ongoing annual budget.
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6.75 Enhancement: Utilities: Light and Power – Distributed Energy Resource Management System –
funds transition to DERMS from current Demand Response Management System for better
management of the grid. Coincides with change to Time of Use rates and phasing out of customer
incentives in 2018. Priority because estimated 50% of CAP GHG emission reduction goal is met
through efficiency improvements and conservation in Electric Services. Request for $179,400 in
2017 and $50,712 from Reserves.
26.13 KFCG Lead by Example Municipal Strategic Initiatives – Build ongoing programs in
direction they need to go for CAP bringing in known strategies with high return rates based on
comparable cities with proven success. One-time request of $270,250 in 2017 and addition of
$22,000 to ongoing budget in 2018.
26.17 Enhancement: City Energy Project matching funds for Fort Collins participation. The
cost-benefit ratio is very positive. Project would provide full-time staff person, resources and
support. The funds would only be used if Fort Collins is chosen to participate. One-time request
for $50,000 in 2017 and $50,000 in 2018.
26.18 Enhancement: Climate Action Plan Support will fund a reserve account for to allow the
city to respond in a timely manner to public/private partnership opportunities as they arise in the
next 2 years. Creation of this CAP Fund recommended at Council Worksession. $1.5 million in
general fund reserves for 2017 and the same in 2018.
26.3 Enhancement: Administrative Assistant change, transition from full-time hourly to
classified, per City policy. $49,501 in ongoing annual budget. $32,000 added to ongoing annual
budget.
26.8 KFCG Enhancement: Climate Action Plan Pilot Projects and Innovation Fund – continue
funding for community projects as approved by Council in 2016. Goal is to engage community and
private sectors developing and investing in solutions to advance CAP. One-time request of $500,000
in 2017 and $500,000 in 2018.
84.3 Enhancement: Nature in the City Programmatic Funding – pay for outreach and educational
efforts not covered in capital funding. Fort Collins needs to reach our youth if we are going to
have hope of implementing change long-term. If staff were to work with the Science teachers in
Fort Collins schools, they could have a large volunteer base built quickly. Many students lack
home instruction on recycling, water conservation, and protection of other natural resources.
Perhaps this coordinator could work to evolve the student into the conservationist. $20,000
added to the ongoing annual budget.
Remaining Offers We Reviewed:
6.55 Enhancement: Utilities: Wastewater – Resource Recovery Specialist 1.0 FTE – for Meadow
Springs Ranch biosolids land application daily operations. Increased volume of biosolids lead to
increased workload, creating scheduling and safety issues. Funds would support adding and
additional RR Specialist. $77,000 added to ongoing annual budget.
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6.19 Enhancement: Utilities: Water – Water Conservation Coordinator 1.0 FTE – to meet Water
Efficiency Plan Goal adopted by Council and submitted to state. Focus on outdoor residential
water use and expand conservation programs to new developments, multi-family, and
commercial. Increasing awareness of Colorado's water availability and educating the public on
ways in which to reduce their water consumption will enable Fort Collins to 'live within their
means' in terms of water use as our population continues to grow. As we can't produce more
water to serve more residents, we need to conserve more water per resident. Might be postponed;
Water Efficiency Plan Goal is 130 gal per capita per day in 2030. $75,000 added to ongoing
annual budget.
6.77 Enhancement: Utilities: Light and Power – 1.0 FTE Energy Services Engineer – increase
staffing for planning and implementing new services and increased participation in current
programs for energy conservation and improved efficiency. Priority because estimated 50% of
CAP GHG emission reduction goal is met through efficiency improvements and conservation in
Electric Services. $100,000 added to annual ongoing budget.
26.10 Enhancement: EV Community and Municipal EV Readiness Roadmap – needed for
updating the City Plan, Transportation Master Plan, and the upcoming Utilities analyses of the
electric grid distribution system. One-time request for $60,000 in 2017.
26.6 Enhancement FortZED – website and outreach support for ongoing program. Timing is
important because of the Georgetown University Energy Prize competition currently underway.
One-time expense of $25,000 in 2017 and $25,000 in 2018.
61.1 KFCG Enhancement: Expand Downtown Recycling – fund purchase of 58 new recycling
receptacles by Parks Department for city-owned facilities and parks downtown. One-time
requests of $58,000 in 2017 and $32,000 in 2018.
6.27 Enhancement: Utilities: Water – Watershed Protection – following best practices of other
Colorado cities, protect source drinking water supplies. Proactive regional program to avoid repeat
of 2012 severe impact on quality, supply and treatment operations from wildfires. $80,000 increase
in ongoing annual budget.
75.7 Enhancement: Neighborhood Livability-Code Compliance. Funding a full-time Inspector for
enforcing environmental codes and related policies and objectives. Critical need identified in ESD
for enhancing voluntary compliance and enforcement of updated land use code, meeting Strategic
Objectives of Road to Zero Waste (cardboard recycling, Pay-as-you-throw, construction debris), and
addressing fugitive dust. For example, no inspections have been done to evaluate compliance with
current land use code of properties adjacent to natural areas, open space, and riparian areas. This
offer adds 2 Code Inspectors and 1 Environmental Code Inspector, administrative and legal
assistance for a total of $425,000 to the ongoing annual budget, and one-time expense of $90,625 in
2017.
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26.4 KFCG Enhancement: Municipal Resiliency and Adaptation Planning – Part of Compact of
Mayors signed in 2015. Plan required by 2018. Internal work involved; does not require the
outreach and engagement that a Community Plan requires. One-time expense of $50,000 in 2017.
26.7 KFCG Enhancement: Municipal Innovation Fund – request for funding for years 6 & 7 of this
successful project in ESD’s Leading by Example category. Grants are awarded to cross-
departmental groups for pilot projects that improve City’s buildings, property, and operations saving
money and reducing carbon emissions. One-time requests for $100,000 in 2017 and the same in
2018.
6.78 Enhancement: Utilities: Light and Power – Non-residential Solar Purchase Program – mid-
size projects to add 2 megawatts thru 20 year purchase agreements to help meet 2020 Renewable
Energy Goals. Feed-in tariff model piloted in 2014-15. Supports customer interest. Priority
because estimated 50% of CAP GHG emission reduction goal is met through efficiency
improvements and conservation in Electric Services. $72,500 requested from General Funds for
2017; $280,000 added to annual ongoing budget in 2018.
6.79 Enhancement: Utilities: Light and Power – Renewable Non-Residential Solar Rebates –
Aim is to provide rebates to support midsize photovoltaic solar projects greater than 20 kilowatts
bringing a total of 1000 kilowatts per year for Renewable Energy Goals. Priority because
estimated 50% of CAP GHG emission reduction goal is met through efficiency improvements
and conservation in Electric Services Request $500,000 in 2017 and in 2018 from Reserves.
$10,000 will be added to annual ongoing budget.
26.16 Enhancement: Lead by Example Alternative Fuel Lawn and Garden Equipment –
accelerate the replacement of gas and diesel equipment with CNG and electric in order to
achieve CAP goals of GHG reduction and improve indoor and outdoor air quality. One-time
request of $50,000 in 2017 and in 2018.
84.4 Enhancement: CCIP Funding for NIC – Request for CCIP funding for 2017-18 from pool of $3
million approved. Request for $200,000 for 2017 and for 2018 from CCIP.
6.20 Enhancement: Utilities: Water – Water Conservation Specialist 1.0 FTE – contractual
position to prepare a commercial and industrial water efficiency strategy. Will address lack of
staff dedicated solely to commercial efforts. Might be postponed; Water Efficiency Plan Goal is
130 gal per capita per day in 2030. $83,000 added to the ongoing annual budget.
26.14 Enhancement: Local Food Coordinator – remove support for Food Business Cluster from
annual competition for funding in economic development program and provide a city position.
This offer does not address the existing non-profit NOCOFood Cluster, currently supported by
the city. The offer does not adequately address coordination with current stakeholders active in
Fort Collins: CSU Extension and UNC programs in Local Food Systems, numerous non-profits,
Larimer County Food Bank, Gardens on Spring Creek programs, and current Farmer’s Market
offerings. Perhaps creation of a Coordinator position could be postponed as current programs
mature. One-time request of $67,194 in 2017 and ongoing budget funding of $152,262 in 2017
and in 2018.
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26.12 Enhancement Indoor Air Quality Program – Healthy Homes – provide evaluation of
program after 5 years, develop DIY materials, translate materials into Spanish. Could be
postponed without losing a successful ongoing program. One-time request for $54,000 in 2017.
26.5 KFCG Enhancement: Community Resiliency and Adaptation Planning – it is not clear if
this Plan is necessary for the Compact of Mayors like the Municipal Resiliency and Adaptation
Plan is required. Requires outreach and engagement of stakeholders. Could be postponed to
explore possibilities of outside organization coordinating the project, grant funding, etc. One-
time request of $100,000 in 2018.
cc: Darin Atteberry
Katy Bigner