Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Agreement between Thurston County, City of Lacey, City of Olympia, and City of Tumwater to support implementation of the 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement between Thurston County, City of Lacey, City of Olympia, and City of Tumwater to support implementation of the 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve a Resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement between Thurston County, City of Lacey, City of Olympia, and City of Tumwater to support implementation of the 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives.
Staff Contact:
Pamela Braff, PhD, Director of Climate Programs, Office of Community Vitality, 360.753.8249
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item
Background and Analysis:
Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative
In 2018, Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater began working with Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) to develop the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP). As part of the first phase of the project, the jurisdiction partners adopted a mutual emissions reduction goal, which is to: Reduce net communitywide greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2015 levels by 2030 and 85% below 2015 levels by 2050 to ensure that our community does its part to keep the global average temperature from rising more than 2° Celsius (3.6° F) above historic levels.
In 2021, all partner jurisdictions accepted the TCMP as the regional framework to significantly reduce local greenhouse gas emissions and approved a Phase III Interlocal Agreement to move the TCMP into implementation over the next year. Phase III was intended to serve as a bridge year, during which the partners would further develop implementation details and longer-term strategies for governance, monitoring, and outreach to support a coordinated regional approach to climate mitigation.
In 2023, the jurisdiction partners adopted a new Interlocal Agreement (ILA) for long‐term regionally coordinated implementation of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. The new ILA establishes a set of expectations for how the partners will work together as the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative (TCMC) to implement regional climate mitigation actions. Among other items, the ILA includes a process for the selection and implementation of annual regional initiatives, which will be collaboratively implemented by the TCMC partners.
Regional Initiatives Process
The process for selecting and implementing regional initiative is described in the TCMC Regional Implementation Guidance, which was adopted in 2023 as Exhibit A to the TCMC Interlocal Agreement. The process includes 5 main steps:
1. The Staff Team works with the Community Advisory Workgroup (CAW) and Executive Committee (EC) to prepare proposals for regional initiatives.
2. The Staff Team, CAW, and EC convene during the TCMC Annual Retreat to discuss and select a regional initiative for further work.
3. The Staff Team develops a project plan, timeline, and budget to implement the regional initiative.
4. Jurisdiction Partners allocate staff time and resources to implement the regional initiative.
5. If Jurisdiction Partners allocate the necessary resources, the Staff Team begins work on the regional initiative.
Steps 1-3 have been completed. The next step is for the jurisdiction partners to approve an Interlocal Agreement for the 2024 Regional Initiatives. The Staff Team will then begin to implement the regional initiatives as described in the corresponding project plans.
2024 Regional Initiatives
During the 2023 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative (TCMC) Annual Retreat and subsequent Executive Committee (EC) meeting, the TCMC agreed to advance two regional initiatives for 2024:
• Develop and launch a Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Campaign (EEE Campaign; ILA Exhibit A).
• Develop and propose a regional Home Energy Score Disclosure Policy (HES Policy; ILA Exhibit B).
The development of a regional EEE Campaign and HES Policy have been contemplated by the TCMC and community stakeholders for several years as high-impact actions for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reducing residential energy costs, particularly for low-to-moderate income households and overburdened communities. These concepts were selected for 2024 regional initiatives because they directly support two TCMP strategies (B1. Reduce energy use in existing buildings and B6. Convert to cleaner fuel sources), and because they would be significantly improved by regional coordination.
Climate Analysis:
Implementation of a Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Campaign and Home Energy Score Disclosure policy would result in long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. These projects would support two TCMP strategies: B1. Reduce energy use in existing buildings and B6. Convert to cleaner fuel sources. Approval of the ILA for the 2024 regional initiatives would enable early planning work necessary for the partners to implement these initiatives in 2025.
Equity Analysis:
Both regional initiatives have the potential to provide significant benefits for low-to-moderate income households and overburdened communities through energy efficiency and electrification retrofits, which can help reduce energy bills and improve the health, safety, and comfort of building occupants. The proposed project plans include opportunities for community outreach and engagement to ensure that the final project will achieve these goals as intended.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Both regional initiatives were supported by members of TCMC Community Advisory Work Group (CAW) during the 2023 annual retreat. The CAW is a regional workgroup which provides a range of community perspectives on climate mitigation action. Additional opportunities for community engagement and feedback will be provided throughout 2024.
Financial Impact:
The proposed cost for implementation of the 2024 regional initiatives is $14,875 per partner jurisdiction (Exhibit C). Sufficient funds are contained within Olympia’s 2024 Climate Program budget for these costs.
Options:
1. Approve a Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County, City of Lacey, City of Olympia, and City of Tumwater for implementation of the 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives.
2. Modify the Interlocal Agreement. Work with regional partners to modify the Interlocal Agreement to address City Council concerns.
3. Do not approve the Interlocal Agreement. The City would not collaborate with TCMC partners to implement the 2024 regional initiatives.
Attachments:
Resolution
Interlocal Agreement
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan Regional Implementation Guidance