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Amendment of Town Code Chapter 3 to Expand the Climate Action Team
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Town Council with a proposed amendment to expand the Climate Action Team from nine to thirteen members.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Contact
CONTACT INFORMATION: Laura Janway, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, ljanway@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:ljanway@townofcarrboro.org>, (919) 918-7326; Patricia McGuire, Planning Director, pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org>, (919) 918-7327
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
_X__ Race/Equity __X__ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan ____Other
Council Direction Statement
The Climate Action Team is a Town advisory board which provides expertise and input on implementation of the Community Climate Action Plan and the municipal Energy and Climate Protection Plan and actively participates in the design, organization, and implementation of community outreach events. Racial Equity Pocket Questions are provided as Attachment B.
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Information
INFORMATION: On October 27, 2020, the Town Council adopted an Amendment to the Town Code establishing Section 3-24.16, the Climate Action Team (CAT). The CAT held its first meeting on November 18, 2021. There are currently two vacancies on the CAT and five applicants who have attended a CAT meeting. At the CAT’s November 16, 2022 meeting, members discussed expanding the board to accommodate all of the current applicants. At the December 15, 2022 CAT meeting, staff presented several options for modifying the board’s membership based on the discussion at the previous meeting. The options included:
• Option 1: Take no action to change the size of the Climate Action Team
• Option 2: Increase the size of the Climate Action Team by adding four members
• Option 3. Increase the size of the Climate Action Team by adding alternate members for each seat
The CAT voted to approve Option 2, increasing the size of the Climate Action Team by adding four members. Staff have prepared a draft amendment to the Town Code to accommodate this request (Attachment A).
Expanding the membership will raise the quorum requirements for the committee from five to seven. CAT members have expressed interest in this increase to facilitate subcommittee meetings.
In summary, the proposed amendment will increase the size of the CAT from nine to thirteen members and increase the quorum requirements from five to seven members.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal or staff impact related to this requested amendment.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: The Town Manager recommends that the Town Council consider the attached Town Code Amendment (Attachment B) to expand the Climate Action Team.
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