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Minutes 08-07-07 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH GREEN TASK FORCE MEETING HELD ON AUGUST 7, 2008, AT 1:00 P.M. IN CONFERENCE ROOM B BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Carisse LeJeune, Assistant to the City Manager Nancy Byrne, Assistant Director of Development Mike Dauta, Warehouse Manager Debbie Majors, Grants Administrator Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent Chris Roschek, Engineering Manager/Utilities Mike Simon, CRA Development Manager Absent: Christine Roberts, Assistant Director of Public Works Also Present: Steve Evans, Labs Supervisor Glenda Hall, Forestry and Grounds/Streets Manager (attending for Christine Roberts), Eric Johnson, Planner (attending for Mike Rumpf) Belinda Murphy, President, Inlet Cove Association (INCA) The meeting commenced at 1:00 p.m. with a Climate Communities member conference call hosted by the Green Task Force (GTF). Andrew Seth of Climate Communities announced the conference call would include discussions pertaining to nominations for the Climate Communities Executive Committee, the retreat scheduled for September 14-16, 2008 in Tarrytown, New York, and an update from the Policy Team. A committee had been selected to review the structure and governance of Climate Communities and to select a Nominating Committee to request volunteers to serve on the Executive Committee. Fifteen individuals volunteered to serve on the Executive Committee and the recommended slate was as follows: Supervisor Roger Dickinson, Sacramento County, California Mayor Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana, California Supervisor Valerie Brown, Sonoma County, California Mayor Dan Malloy, Stamford, Connecticut Commissioner Natacha Seijas, Miami-Dade County, Florida Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 Alderman Larry Stuber, Savannah, Georgia Supervisor Jane Halliburton, Story County, Iowa Mayor Ellen Moyer, Annapolis, Maryland County Executive Tom Suozzi, Nassau County, New York Supervisor John McGlennon, James City County, Virginia Supervisor Andrea McGimsey, Loudoun County, Virginia Supervisor James Burrell, New Kent County, Virginia Councilmember Larry Phillips, King County, Washington Councilmember Dow Constantine King County, Washington Councilmember Dave Somers, Snohomish County, Washington Motion Roger Dickinson moved ratification of the individuals suggested for the Executive Committee. Supervisor Jane Halliburton seconded the motion that passed unanimously. The Executive Committee would serve through 2009, and it was agreed Co-Chairs would be selected after the New York retreat. Mr. Seth provided an update on the retreat to be held September 14-16, 2008 at the Pocantico Conference Center in Tarrytown, New York. Fifty limited spots were available and were nearly filled. The retreat would be sponsored and paid for by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a New York City foundation. Check-in time would be Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 p.m. A reception would begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner. Accommodations would be provided at the Double Tree Tarrytown for attendees staying off-site. An agenda had been prepared and revised, and would be provided. The goal of the retreat was to produce a Local Climate Action Blueprint to be presented to the new Presidential Administration and Congress. It was anticipated the blueprint would be adopted at the New York retreat, and would be publicly launched in December. In addition, a Local Government Climate Summit was planned for April 2009 jointly with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. Matt Ward, of the Policy Team, noted materials pertaining to the Local Climate Action Blueprint and Federal Policy would be provided to members in advance of the retreat. PowerPoint presentations would be provided at the retreat pertaining to clean transportation, green buildings and energy. The Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP) was drafting a bipartisan plan for the next President and contacted Climate Communities and ICLEI to provide a policy paper pertaining to the role of local government in a climate plan. Staff drafted a 60-page white paper called "U.S. Climate Action from the Ground Up: Federal Policies to Promote Local Climate Protection" which included 30 recommendations on federal policies, programs, incentives and funding, and would serve as background information for the blueprint. A one-page draft 2 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 containing a seven-item priority list of issues central to America's climate policy would be provided to all members this date. The next call of the Policy Committee would be Wednesday, August 27, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, with regard to green buildings and energy, and clean transportation, followed by a call on September 3, 2008 prior to the Pocantico event. A broader conference call would also be made in early September to focus on an Energy Efficiency Block Grant, and support was sought for this initiative to be included in a domestic stimulus package. Mr. Seth would be attending a conference in August called "Beyond Light Bulbs and Hybrids" which would address federal policies that support climate action. Senior government officials and Florida local officials would also be in attendance. Mr. Seth would send the information to Ms. LeJeune in order for the City's officials to attend. Ms. LeJeune pointed out the Governor of Florida had begun imposing unfunded mandates on local governments. She inquired whether funding could be obtained at the local level in order to assist the City of Boynton Beach. She also requested advice as to whether there was anything the City's lobbyists could do with respect thereto. Mr. Seth indicated he would be pleased to speak to the City's lobbyists. I. Open Meeting and Approval of July 17, 2008 Meeting Summary Ms. LeJeune called the regular meeting of the Green Task Force (GTF) to order at 1:43 p.m. It was requested the following be added to the minutes: ?Johnson Control, Inc., an Energy Service Company (ESCO), would be brought in to attend a GTF meeting to provide a presentation with regard to projects that might come before the Commission as recommendations. The Finance Director, Public Works Director and City Manager would be invited to the meeting. It was requested the following corrections be made to the minutes: ?Mr. Kenny proposed the use of "Go Green Boynton Beach" rather than "Go Green Boynton." ?Linda Hall should be changed to Glenda Hall. Motion Ms. Byrne moved to accept the minutes as corrected. Ms. Majors seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 3 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 II. Discussion of Water/Landscaping Workshop The team was considering a water/landscaping workshop for the community at large. It was suggested representatives from Florida Yards and Neighborhoods, as well as other non-profit organizations, be invited. It was noted the Utilities Department currently maintained a WaterWise Program which was administered through an outside contractor. While it was currently set up as an educational program, WaterWise could be retooled toward residential and commercial uses. It was suggested a bullet-point presentation be put together, bringing such items to the public forefront as water conservation, the reclamation process and use of backflow meters. It was suggested the Library Program Room be considered as a venue for the workshop, which could also coincide with the Green Market. Ms. LeJeune would contact Sherry Johnson, who was in charge of the Green Market, to determine whether she would be interested in a venture of this nature. The target audience would be homeowners' association presidents, who could share the information with their associations. The workshop would be a one-on-one "right plant, right place" primer and would be geared toward the basics of the various disciplines, and the use of terminology (native versus exotic landscaping, invasive versus non-invasive, etc.). Resources would also be provided. Presentations could be held for water and landscaping, with a question and answer period to follow. Rain barrel demonstrations could be provided, or, in the alternative, materials and instructions could be provided to allow attendees to construct their own rain barrels. Tables could be set up outside for informational purposes and demonstrations. It would be necessary to determine the cost of a table. Programs could be offered in the Library Program Room and guest speakers could address relevant topics. In addition, the presentations could be used for future speaking engagements. Local businesses could participate for informational purposes only; soliciting would not be permitted. Not-for-profit organizations would be sought, as would governmental agencies such as the South Florida Water Management District and Lake Worth Drainage District. Ms. LeJeune requested Mr. Evans, Mr. Hallahan, Ms. Roberts and Ms. Hall collaborate and bring back ideas to a future meeting. Belinda Murphy, President of Inlet Cove Association (INCA), suggested a follow-up workshop be held involving the landscapers hired by the communities. Ms. LeJeune suggested invitations to the second workshop be provided through the homeowners' associations to landscaping businesses. Discussion ensued with regard to alterations to green the Landscape Code. With regard to the rewrite of the Land Development Regulations (LDRs), Ms. Byrne had previously suggested to Mike Rumpf, Planning & Zoning Director, that pervious areas be increased by putting in deciduous trees on some of the large development sites. This would help 4 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 reduce greenhouse gas emissions and add to radiant cooling. She also requested suggestions from Ms. Hall with regard to planting regulations. A recommendation was sought for green designees to begin working with each other in order to green the Landscape Code. Consensus The GTF recommended having the City arborists and urban forester begin working together with Planning and Zoning to update the LDRs regarding greening. III. Climate Communities Policy Task Force This item was discussed during the conference call. IV. Legislation/Florida Building Code A copy of legislation proposed by the Governor's Energy Commission was circulated for the team's review and is on file in the City Clerk's office. The legislation would affect the City's Comprehensive Plan and would require unfunded mandates. It was noted the Governor was taking action which would supersede the GTF's agenda. Planning and Zoning would be seeking direction from the GTF as to the impact of the legislation on the Comprehensive Plan. V. ICLEI Update/Clearwater, Florida – GHG Inventory Report It was noted a graduate student of the University of South Florida worked with the City in preparing the report. The software utilized was comprised of government operations and community operations. Mr. Roschek was awaiting additional information from various agencies. There were concerns raised by Hanna Matras regarding the Department of Transportation (DOT) data. The manner in which statistics were collected resulted in a 30% error rate, and this was not acceptable. She suggested focusing on local government initiatives first, which would provide the ability to create a tracking system. Thereafter, she would begin discussions with the groups the City belonged to, and with the Department of Transportation. A good deal of the analysis pertained to vehicle miles traveled. Climate Communities and ICLEI were focused on the funding that would come through the vehicle miles traveled initiative. Pilot projects were being discussed and would be addressed in the Special Session. Other concerns were raised pertaining to tracking as a community. It was noted the Governor would be approaching the City with regard to vehicle miles traveled and energy analysis. As funding would be tight, it would make sense to focus on City government as a viable measurement. 5 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 VI. Web Page/Green Initiatives Links for the website were put together by Ms. Rivers, Ms. Hall and Mr. Hallahan, and were provided to the team. Ms. Rivers was working with Alan Karjalainen to develop additional links. Ms. LeJeune pointed out Mr. Karjalainen was not a member of the GTF and had been volunteering his efforts. As a result, departmental issues had arisen with regard to the time he expended working with the GTF. Therefore, while Mr. Karjalainen would still assist the team with the web page, his efforts would be contributed in his spare time. Ms. LeJeune encouraged the members to come up with links within their own disciplines and put together green initiatives. She asked the team to give thought to ways in which individuals could shop green and become green households. VII. Discussion of Final Report and GTF Resolution Sunset Ms. LeJeune noted the GTF had been working collaboratively and commented this was the most productive team with whom she had worked in her eight years in municipal government. The team was unaware that because the GTF was created through a resolution adopted by the City Commission, it fell under the auspices of the Sunshine Law. As a result, collaborative efforts would have to cease. All communications would be made at meetings recorded and open to the public. She noted previous communications were transmitted via email, so that none of the members were excluded. As such, all communications were public record, as were all agendas and meeting summaries, which were available on the City's share drive. Going forward, however, the GTF would no longer conduct business in the same manner. The resolution provided for the GTF to sunset in September. In earlier discussions, the team had talked about making a request for the Commission to allow the GTF to continue. Subsequently, however, the members determined they would not request the continuance of the GTF. Ms. LeJeune had conversations with the City Manager and City Attorney. The City Attorney had agreed with the team's recommendation to request the City Commission allow the GTF to sunset and thereafter, be permitted to work on the initiatives at the staff level. This would allow for open communication, as staff would be working together as a City project committee, rather than as a duly appointed task force. Motion Ms. Byrne moved that the Green Task Force request the Commission allow the Green Task Force to sunset as per the resolution, and that staff is able to continue working on green initiatives as a City project committee under the direction of the City Manager's office. Ms. Rivers seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 6 Meeting Minutes Green Task Force Boynton Beach, Florida August 7, 2008 The white paper would be presented to the Commission and would include all recommendations discussed up to this point. Ms. Lejeune requested final elements of the white paper be provided to her for inclusion in the official agenda packet. The white paper would include the five elements set forth in the resolution. It was noted a recommendation could not be brought forward regarding "incentives for sustainable affordable housing developments" until discussions with City and CRA staff had concluded. VIII. New Business Brochures had previously been circulated by Ms. Byrne. Comments or changes should be provided to Ms. Lejeune for discussion at the next meeting. Ms. Byrne indicated she would be purchasing another go-green promotional item and requested feedback on the items to be considered: a cooler tote, a car-wash bucket, a mug, and a green calendar. The members were polled, and the items most favored were the cooler and the mug. With regard to memberships for next year, Ms. Byrne advised she ranked the organizations that provided the greatest value and, to date, Climate Communities was at the top of the list. The team agreed it would be beneficial to continue with Climate Communities. Ms. Byrne also remarked membership would likely continue in the Florida Green Building, but the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) membership might be dropped. Adjournment: There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 2:50 p.m. ~{)( Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 081108 7