City Council Work Session

Return to the Search Page Return to the Agenda

Meeting Date:	10/25/2022
From:	Jenny Niemann, Climate Program Manager
Department:	Administration
Co-Submitter:	Nicole Antonopoulos

TITLE:

Annual Revisions to the Carbon Neutrality Plan

DESIRED OUTCOME:

This is an informational update on proposed annual revisions to Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan.

Pending Council discussion, this item will return to Council for consideration for adoption on December 6th, 2022.
If Council would like more time to review the Plan revisions before adoption, staff can schedule a work session agenda item for November 29th, 2022.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Staff are in the process of revising the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan (CNP), adopted by City Council in June 2021. This revision is in accordance with the CNP implementation plan, which includes a commitment to annual revisions.

This is the first year of CNP revisions. Therefore, revisions will be limited and administrative in nature. Revisions will be focused into three key areas:

Incorporation of new critical information
Annual update to the greenhouse gas inventory
Consolidation of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (2018) and the Carbon Neutrality Plan (2021)

The staff presentation will provide a high-level review of the revisions.

The most significant revisions relate to the consolidation of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (2018) with the Carbon Neutrality Plan (2021). The revisions will move the following resilience target areas, strategies and actions from the 2018 Flagstaff Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, into the Carbon Neutrality Plan:

Water Resources
Economic Prosperity and Recreation
Public Health, Services, Facilities, and Safety

Staff are working with various stakeholders to incorporate these CAAP target areas into the CNP, including City staff from various divisions, Coconino County Health and Human Services, and advisory groups. These revisions will result in one climate planning document for Flagstaff that sets ambitious goals for both community resilience and deep emissions reductions.

INFORMATION:

FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Revising the Carbon Neutrality Plan will not result in financial impacts to the City. The revised Plan will include new information on the total community investment required to achieve the City’s climate goals.

Connection to Council Goal and/or Regional Plan:
Regional Plan:

Goal E&C.2 - Achieve carbon neutrality for the Flagstaff community by 2030.
Goal E&C.3 - Prepare Flagstaff’s community systems and resources to be more resilient to climate change impacts, and address climate change in a manner that prioritizes those most impacted and ensures the costs and benefits of climate adaptation and mitigation are equitably distributed.
- Policy E&C.3.2. Review and revise existing regulations, standards, and plans (codes, ordinances, etc.) to reduce the community’s vulnerability to climate change impacts and reduce the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities.
- Policy E&C.3.5. Improve the ability of vulnerable community members to adapt and thrive amidst the pressures of climate change.

Has there been previous council decision on this:
Yes. The Carbon Neutrality Plan was adopted in June 2021, following the declaration of the Climate Emergency in June 2020.
The 10 Year Housing Plan was adopted in February 2022, following the declaration of a Housing Emergency in December 2020.

Attachments
Powerpoint - Annual Revisions to the CNP