TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Dana Murray, Environmental Programs Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Approve Composition and Roles for City’s Sustainability Task Force 2018-2019 (Community Development Director McIntosh).
APPROVE
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council approve the framework for Sustainability Task Force for 2018-2019, including purpose, composition, roles, duties and procedures (Attachments 1 & 4).
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Staff support for the Sustainability Task Force will require approximately fifty percent of the Environmental Manager’s time. However, the Task Force itself and its individual members will actively advance the Environmental Work Plan (Attachment 2) approved by the City Council. This will minimize the use of outside consultants and other paid staff to execute certain tasks, from research and analysis to public outreach and education.
BACKGROUND:
Manhattan Beach has a long history of environmental leadership, policy, and stewardship, both as a community and as a government agency. The vision for the sustainability movement in the City came from City’s 2007 Environmental Task Force, which was “to unite the community in a comprehensive effort to promote sustainable living in the City of Manhattan Beach, and led to the development of the City’s 2008 Green Report.
The City’s 2018-2020 Environmental Work Plan was presented to City Council at their meeting on November 7, 2017, and approved at the City Council Environmental Study Session on January 31, 2018. Included in the Environmental Work Plan is a proposal for the Environmental Programs Manager to form a technical, working task force to assist the City on a variety of environmental sustainability topics/issues areas. At the January 31st study session, City Council approved staff moving forward to establish a Task Force and bring back the criteria and process for which staff will use to appoint members.
The role and duties of Sustainability Task Force members are to provide technical expertise in environmental sustainability topics and provide original research and analysis to help form initiatives and policy recommendations to the City Council regarding environmental sustainability issues.
DISCUSSION:
Since the Environmental Study Session, staff created a Sustainability Task Force (STF) application for community members (Attachment 3) and promoted the opportunity through a number of avenues, which are outlined in the Outreach section of this report. The purpose of this working task force is to assist the City in developing long-term sustainability goals, share technical skills and lessons learned from previous environmental and sustainability pursuits, and contribute to the development of policies and programs related to a variety of topics, including (but not limited to):
• climate action and energy
• low-impact development and sustainable building
• plastic pollution reduction
• smart water management; and
• climate adaptation and resiliency.
On the Task Force Application, applicants were asked to indicate their expertise and background in specific issue areas. STF members will serve the City in a technical working group for a term of up to twelve months with the possibility to extend service at the end of one year. At the onset, the STF will meet once a month. As needed, the STF may hold working meetings prior to the monthly meetings, most often in subject-area subcommittees.
The City sought a diverse cross-section of community stakeholders from business, scientific, non-profit, environmental, and education fields with professional experience, demonstrated expertise, education, or volunteer experience in at least one of the key sustainability areas listed above. Proposed Members selected by the City’s Environmental Sustainability Division applied through a written application process. A list of Sustainability Task Force applicants can be found as Attachment 4. In addition to community members, the STF also includes key city staff from multiple departments, appointed by the City Manager.
After reviewing applications submitted to the Environmental Programs Manager in March, staff proposes the appointment of a technical working group to comprise the Sustainability Task Force for 2018-2019, commencing meetings on April 20th, 2018.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff advertised for applications to the Sustainability Task Force through an announcement on the City’s website, along with notifying residents on the City’s e-notification list-serve. Staff also posted the opportunity on social media. In addition, staff announced the opportunity at the Manhattan Beach Unified School District’s Green Committee Meeting and the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business Professionals Association meeting in March, as well as directly circulating the opportunity via email to various community groups in the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is not a project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachments:
1. Sustainability Task Force Guidance 2018
2. 2018-2020 Environmental Work Plan
3. MB Sustainability Task Force Application 2018
4. MB Sustainability Task Force Applicants