Traverse City commissioners will consider a trio of actions Monday aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change and improving the city’s long-term sustainability, including approving a decarbonization and climate resiliency resolution, adopting a building electrification policy, and supporting the hiring of a deputy planning director who will also serve as the city’s sustainability coordinator.

The proposed “resolution towards decarbonization and climate resiliency” is an update on a 2016 resolution passed by commissioners to increase renewable energy and sustainability options in the city. Commissioners committed that year to powering 100 percent of city operations with renewable energy by 2020. Commissioners later set a separate goal to use 100 percent renewable energy community-wide – across the entire Traverse City Light & Power (TCLP) portfolio – by 2040.

With the 2020 city goal met – and the 2040 community-wide goal in progress – the new resolution “refocuses efforts on the broader mission of decarbonization and climate resiliency,” Interim City Manager Nate Geinzer wrote to commissioners. “The intent of the resolution is to provide specific goals, but leaves the opportunity for the staff team – working with the city commission as appropriate – to identify the most energy, environmental, and financially responsible ways to achieve these goals, while considering operational and city service demands.” Geinzer said that the resolution aims to integrate “triple-bottom-line strategies” – addressing social, economic, and environmental considerations – into city policy.

The proposed resolution states that Traverse City will pursue achieving “carbon-neutral municipal operations” by 2050 and sets specific milestones for the city to meet by June 30, 2025. Those milestones include completing a baseline carbon emissions inventory in the next two years. “We need to know where we are at today to help strategically plan and prioritize our journey toward the goals of carbon-neutral city operations by 2050,” Geinzer wrote. The resolution also calls for creating a dashboard and metrics by which the community can measure the city’s progress and adopting city budgets that reflect commission resiliency goals.

“If the city commission's priority is sustainability, whether stormwater, non-motorized transportation, electrification, energy efficiency, etc., then the budget should reflect these priorities appropriately, while balancing other operational and capital needs,” Geinzer wrote. “As discussed, the aforementioned activities have costs – and most do not have designated funding sources. Again, this relates to a need for a better alignment of priorities and resources.”

Geinzer said successfully executing the resolution will require staffing support. In addition to approving the resolution language, commissioners will be asked Monday to approve the hiring of a new deputy planning director – a position that was previously budgeted for and discussed. In addition to working with City Planning Director Shawn Winter on implementing the city’s planning goals and projects, the deputy planning director would also serve as the city’s sustainability coordinator.

Tasks outlined in the proposed job description include providing a “point of contact to lead and strengthen the city's sustainability and resiliency initiatives,” as well as “providing assistance in obtaining sustainability and resiliency grants, contracts, and special projects.” The individual hired would also “promote and raise awareness, at all levels of the organization, of the impact of emerging sustainability issues...amplify the city’s sustainability and resilience efforts through education, training, marketing, conference participation, and other activities,” and “track and report on the metrics associated with the city’s carbon-reducing goals.”

Commissioners will also vote Monday on adopting a building electrification policy proposed by Commissioner Tim Werner. The policy would require all new buildings built on city-owned property after January 1 to be fully electrified and to obtain 100 percent clean energy from TCLP. Any city buildings undergoing major renovations – with project costs greater than $250,000 – would also need to meet the same requirements starting in 2024.

Replacement of city-owned boilers or other heating or water systems, new ice/snow melt systems installed on city properties or in city right-of-way, or housing developments requesting a city payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement would also have to be electrified and obtain 100 percent clean energy from TCLP. The PILOT clause could kick in starting October 1, according to the policy language. The policy also calls for city-owned property that’s sold or leased to be deed-restricted to full electrification and using clean energy from TCLP starting in October, and for any new and replacement city backup power to be supplied by batteries starting in July 2024.

Commissioners rejected an earlier version of the proposed policy in January in a 2-5 vote (with only Werner and Commissioner Linda Koebert in support) – primarily for logistical rather than philosophical reasons. Several commissioners agreed it was a top priority to address climate change, including the city’s building policy, but wanted to better understand how such a policy would be implemented and to hear more input from city staff.

In a memo to fellow commissioners, Werner urged moving ahead with adopting the policy, saying it would make the community a “leader in Michigan for taking real action toward achieving carbon-neutral status. This innovation and leadership is not a one-time announcement, but will be ongoing and attract talent to Traverse City. With this bold step, the coming years will present opportunities for building electrification throughout Traverse City, and we will be ready.” Building electrification will “use the best available technology, not outdated technology such as electric baseboard heaters,” Werner added.

Werner concluded by stating that if the city doesn’t start electrifying new buildings now, “we will have to go back and retrofit in a decade. Retrofit will be so much more expensive, and until then we are burning more fossil fuels every day.” From an “economics and budgeting perspective,” Werner said, “if Traverse City really is going to be carbon neutral by mid-century, building electrification must start now.”