Sustainability Commission

Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes August 16th, 2023 Attendees: Mark Graf, Nathan Inks, Jonathan Matthews, Alexis Richards, Riley Maher, Michael Tabbert, Cassidy Beaupre Speakers may be referred to by initials. Speech attributed to speakers is paraphrased unless quoted. City Council, Department of Public Works, Green For Life, Sterling Heights, and Sterling Heights Sustainability Commission may be abbreviated as CC, DPW, GFL, SH, and SHSC, respectively. Call to Order – 18:00 Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call – Mark Graf, Nathan Inks, Riley Maher, Jonathan Matthews, Mike Tabbert Also in Attendance – Alexis Richards, Planner II Ryan Fox, Planner I Cassidy Beaupre, Sustainability Intern Approval of Agenda Motion: Matthews Second: Tabbert Ayes: Graf, Inks, Maher, Matthews, Tabbert Considerations Resolution in Support of Joining ICLEI The Office of Planning presented the resolution, drafted by Mr. Inks. Ms. Richards indicated that September 19th would be a good target meeting for the resolution to be adopted by City Council. Councilperson Yanez moved to set aside $25,000 to study the impacts of mowing in the City, including conducting a Greenhouse Gas Study. ICLEI membership will help achieve this goal, and thus the money can be spent to join ICLEI. Mr. Tabbert asked about pricing, and Ms. Richards explained that ICLEI membership provides enough benefits to justify the costs. A conversation regarding pricing ensued. Mr. Maher asked if the City was familiar with the Clearpath tool provided by ICLEI. Ms. Richards indicated that she had utilized it in her previous position. Mr. Inks asked for input on his draft of the resolution. Some minor changes are made to highlight the $25,000 appropriation. Motion to pass the resolution to support to City allocating funds to join ICLEI Motion: Tabbert Support: Matthews Ayes: Graf, Inks, Maher, Matthews, Tabbert Approval of Minutes from July 19th, 2023 Motion: Graf Support: Tabbert Ayes: Graf, Inks, Matthews, Tabbert Abstain: Maher Correspondence – The Office of Planning had no correspondence for the Commission. Committee Reports R^3 Committee Mr. Matthews reported that there was nothing new to report. Mr. Matthews asked for a timeline regarding the waste hauler RFP. Ms. Richards stated that she had been in contact with Mike Moore of DPW, and that there was potential for DPW to host a zoom meeting regarding the RFP. He is willing to meet with SHSC to discuss the final decision. Ms. Richards had further updates regarding the RFP, which is as follows: • All RFP Proposals have been received. • The DPW is currently negotiating final offers. • DPW plans to bring the proposal to City Council on September 5th. The new waste hauler would begin the contract on May 1st, 2024. • Refuse carts would be provided to all homes, as well as single stream recycling carts. • Yard waste brown bags will be accepted, as well as carts purchased by the residents. Cans with stickers will no longer be accepted. • The recycling center will be closed. • No change would be made to bulk service. Green Energy Committee Mr. Inks announced that he has been working on ordinance amendments, however nothing has officially moved yet. Mr. Maher explained to the SHSC that he is employed by DTE, and that he works as a data analyst. He asked Mr. Inks to further elaborate, and Mr. Inks explained that the Committee is interested in codifying solar panels in the zoning ordinance. Mr. Fox explained that the City does allow solar panels on residences through administrative means, but they are not currently codified. Mr. Maher explained that he will do some research about solar panels from the DTE perspective, and report back to the Commission. Stormwater and Wetlands Committee Mr. Inks explained that the report was previously circulated. Ms. Beaupre presented a report she prepared regarding tree canopy in the City. According to SEMCOG, SH has a tree canopy of 21.9%. Ms. Beaupre also presented her research on a natural features setback. Conversation ensues on wetlands setbacks. Mr. Fox gave an update on the impervious surface ordinance. The Ordinance was introduced to City Council on August 15th, to be adopted September 5th. SHSC asked questions regarding the implementation of the ordinance. A discussion was also has on a potential future Stormwater utility. Discussion was had regarding green roofs. Ms. Richards explained that the proposed North Van Dyke Avenue overlay district will feature green roofs by right. Parking will also be reduced in the overlay district. Old Business – Tree Grant Submission Mr. Fox explained that a grant submission has been made for a $4,000 tree grant through DTE. The grant would fund trees to be installed in James Nelson Park, to replace trees destroyed in recent weather events. Approximately 20-26 trees would be funded through the grant. Mr. Fox expressed confidence that the City will receive the grant. Ms. Richards updated the SHSC that federal grants are being pursued. Due to the manpower requirements needed to implement the larger grants, applying for smaller grants may not be possible. Mr. Inks expressed that the smaller grant could be used to fund an Arbor Day event, even if it is only for a smaller amount of funding. The Office of Planning updated the SHSC on a potential carbon credit system being explored by Green Macomb. 1 Metric ton of carbon sequestered would be equal to 1 carbon credit. Municipalities would then be able to sell these credits to garner charitable donations. Mr. Graf asked about TreeKeeper, and would all additional trees be logged in TreeKeeper. Ms. Richards assured that they would all be logged. EV Charging Update Ms. Richards stated that there is no large scale update on EV’s. The City has examined potential locations on City property throughout the City. The Community Center chargers will be replaced with the new chargers. The contract with our contractor, Flo, prohibits chargers from different companies being located on City property. Private chargers are not affected by this agreement. Rodent Extermination Update Ms. Beaupre did extensive research on rodent poison, in order to determine potential alternatives to the currently utilized rodent poison. The current poison has a high potential to infect larger predators on the food chain. An alternate was determined in the form of Zinc Phosphide, which does not affect larger animals as severely. SHSC consented to having the Office of Planning work with the Office of Neighborhood Services regarding the poison issue. Tree List Update Ms. Fox distributed a draft version of the General Tree Planting list that the City is researching. Mr. Fox presented the current Right-Of-Way Tree list, which DPW and the Office of Planning are working on amending. There is a focus on native tree plantings which support diversity. Mr. Fox explained that trees from the genus “Acer” are being avoided, due to their overabundance in the area. Mr. Graf asked if a prohibited tree list exists. Mr. Fox explained that one does exist in the zoning ordinance, and that the Office of Planning would be interested in removing that list in the future. The City would prefer the list to be administrative, so that it can be edited more easily. Mr. Graf asked if there has been any push back on the 50% native tree requirement in the tree preservation ordinance. Mr. Fox answered no, however some developers do need to be reminded of the requirement. No developers have contested the use of native trees so far. Sustainability Commission Expansion Mr. Fox updated that the City Council has approved the expansion of the SHSC to 9 members. This leaves the SHSC with 4 vacancies as of this meeting. He Office of Planning has identified four candidates for the Commission and passed them along to City Council for review. The goal is to have the members appointed at the September 5 th, 2023 City Council meeting. Mr. Inks and Mr. Matthews urged that the Office of Planning should implement a sort of onboarding process for the new members. Mr. Inks also asked what the best method to get agenda items to the Office of Planning would be. The Office of Planning assured the SHSC that measures would be taken to educate new members on the future and past of the SHSC. Ms. Richards stated that a long term agenda tracker would be helpful for the SHSC agendas going forward. Mr. Inks stated that agenda items should be uploaded by the Wednesday beforehand along with Committee reports. Treekeeper Ms. Richards explained that the City will be receiving a software demonstration in October from Davey Tree regarding the TreeKeeper software. More conversation is had regarding teaching new members about TreeKeeper. New Business New Member Introduction Mr. Maher introduced himself to the SHSC. Mr. Maher works as a DTE Data Analyst. He has been a lifelong resident of Sterling Heights, and was involved at the University of Michigan in the group Aquaponics. His undergraduate degree is in Data Analysis and his Graduate Degree was in Information Analysis, both from the University of Michigan. His mother, Lori Doughty, served on the Sterling Heights Planning Commission for several years. Michigan Healthy Climate Webinar Mr. Graf was unable to watch the webinar, and will provide an update on it once he is able to. Tree Volcanoes Mr. Graf provided an update on his conversations with Todd Macovis, head of Facilities Maintenance. Mr. Macovis assured Mr. Graf that action would be taken to address the volcano issue, to ensure better health for City Trees. City Manager Mark Vanderpool assured Mr. Graf that he has spoken with DPW and Parks and Recreation regarding the issue as well. Citizen Participation – There was no citizen participation. Motion to Adjourn Motion: Matthews Support: Maher Ayes: Graf, Inks, Maher, Matthews, Tabbert