City Planning Commission

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2025 HELD VIA ZOOM & IN PERSON AT CITY HALL Planning Commission Members Present: Joe Mann, Tom Sahlberg, Jim Baumker, Charlie Jencks, Dale Robbins and Phil Folyer. Adjunct Member(s) Present: Troy Mullenix Staff Present: Lisa Key, Amy Mullerleile, Lance Mueller and Kathy Cummings Call to Order: Meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. Roll Call: A quorum of members was present. Commissioner Mann asked that everyone stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Review of Agenda: Director Key requested that the order of the workshop presentations be switched. Climate Vulnerability will be discussed before Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory. Commissioner Sahlberg motioned to approve the agenda as modified, seconded by Commissioner Baumker. The motion was approved unanimously. Absences: Commissioners Dg Garcia and Gene Heuschel were unable to attend. A motion to excuse the commissioners was made by Commissioner Jencks and seconded by Commissioner Robbins. The motion carried unanimously. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Jencks motioned to approve the April 23rd meeting minutes, seconded by Commissioner Folyer. The motion was approved unanimously. Workshops: Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment: An overview was presented by Beth Miller, standing in for John Phillips, both of whom are with Parametrix, the consulting firm obtained by the city. She discussed that Washington State passed legislation that requires planning for climate change as part of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update. This Climate element consists of two sub-elements: Resilience and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction. Beth presented on the Resilience sub-element, which included a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on the city of Liberty Lake. This report detailed key climate risk hazards, community vulnerability factors, and at-risk populations within the city. The presentation included draft recommendations of the resilience sub-element goals and policy tools and how these were developed. Questions and discussions ensued regarding climate risk assessments and the draft resilience goals amongst staff and the commissioners. One potential risk brought forward by Commissioner Baumker was the warming of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the possible impact of having heavy chemicals released into the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie aquifer during times of hot temperatures and decreased snowpack. Beth took note and will forward to her colleague, John Phillips, for further review. Some members of the Climate Planning Advisory Team (CPAT) were present at the meeting. A couple of the members, Mark Sullivan and Krista Larsen provided verbal comments. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 1|2 May 14, 2025 GHG Priority Actions and Emissions Targets: Maddie Cheek, also a representative with Parametrix, gave the presentation on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission sub-element portion. She discussed the key GHG emissions inventory results collected from 2022 that were used to identify the city of Liberty Lake’s GHG emissions sources and establish an emissions baseline to measure against in the future. She stated that Commerce guidance stipulates that this reduction element should be developed with an overall target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and explained the importance of projected future emissions and state policy impacts to assist with developing the draft GHG emissions sub-element goals and policies for implementation. There were nine GHG Emissions reduction goals with sub-goals within the draft report that were further explained. A discussion followed amongst staff and the commissioners regarding emissions reduction from city operations. Beth Miller provided information on the next steps regarding the draft GHG Emissions sub- element after the goals are identified. It is scheduled to be reviewed by the Planning Commission on June 25th and then for review by the City Council on July 1st. On August 15th this draft, including all policies and all the calculations, will be submitted to WA State Department of Commerce for preapproval. The Resilience sub-element is to follow. Krista Larsen, a member of the Climate Planning Advisory Team (CPAT), shared the 7 R’s of waste management and would like to see the public educated on these principles. The Commission expressed appreciation for the contributions of the CPAT, including the involvement of student participants. Citizens Comments: None Secretary’s Report: Director Key shared the Updated Planning Commission Calendar which was included in their meeting packets, and the upcoming Public Engagement Schedule. The May 28th Planning Commission meeting will include a summary of the development code updates that will need to align with the new WA state laws. Commissioners and the public were encouraged to attend the upcoming City Council meeting and remain actively engaged in community planning efforts. Commissioner Reports: None Adjournment: Commissioner Jencks motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Folyer. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 5:58 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Page 2|2 May 14, 2025