Fiscal Note
There is no fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the plan. However, the report includes a number of recommendations for which the implementation will have fiscal impacts in the future, some quite significant. Implementing these specific recommendations within the plan will require inclusion in future capital and operating budgets, subject to Common Council approval at that time.
Title
To approve the Madison Sustainability Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, in September 2004, the "Building a Green Capital City: A Blueprint for Madison's Sustainable Design and Energy Future" report was accepted by the Common Council; and
WHEREAS, the report was developed by the Mayor's Energy Task Force, a group formed in October of 2003 and charged with making Madison a green capital city and creating a city that is a national leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy that also supports the city's economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, many of the recommendations of the report have been implemented, particularly those that City government could implement itself or those for which the City could play a "leading by example" role; and
WHEREAS, in 2005, the City of Madison adopted The Natural Step (TNS) as a sustainability framework; and
WHEREAS, the framework focuses on systems thinking allowing discussions about Madison as a sustainable community to evolve beyond energy efficiency and renewable energy; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, it became evident that the Green Capital City report needed to be updated and expanded; and
WHEREAS, in October of 2009, the Sustainable Design and Energy Committee (SDEC), took on the task of updating the report, with the assistance of a diverse group of stakeholders including experts from the following groups: financial, legal, residential construction/remodeling, building materials, faith-based, electric/gas utilities, commercial construction, water quality, urban planning, education, transportation, healthcare, renewable energy, architects, green building, university, and two members of the Common Council; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison defines sustainability as meeting the current environmental, social and economic needs of our community while ensuring the ability of future generations to meet their needs; and
WHEREAS, the new Sustainability Plan acts as an adjunct to the City's Comprehensive Plan, covers three broad areas: Environment, Economic Prosperity and Social/Community initiatives, and tries to balance these three interrelated areas, recognizing that a healthy environment underpins economic and social well-being; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison's efforts in sustainability will focus on three key areas that enhance our community's quality of life: environment, economic prosperity and social equity, and in its implementation will focus on the science-based principles of the sustainability framework, the Natural Step; and
WHEREAS, the goals and associated actions in the Plan are not meant to be prescriptive, but rather an attempt to lay out a series of priorities and directions that will help Madison become more sustainable and should be used and modified as innovation brings new technologies and new practices; and
WHEREAS, unforeseen events and changes may also have an impact on our community, therefore this plan also calls on Madison to be a resilient community that is able to withstand shocks, like an ice storm or a depressed economy, and rebuild itself when necessary by building resilience into our systems and seek directions and solutions that enable our community to adapt to change, utilize our resources effectively, and meet the challenges of the future; and
WHEREAS, a review of City boards, commissions and committees that regularly deal with sustainability issues should be conducted and a recommendation for streamlining the governance structure should be made and implemented. Common Council support of initiatives will also be a key to on-going success; and
WHEREAS, City agencies alone cannot implement all the strategies outlined. The City of Madison is committed to leading by example and is open to partnering with anyone interested in working on elements of the Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council hereby adopts The Madison Sustainability Plan: Fostering Environmental, Economic and Social Resilience; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that current and future decision makers, City employees, committee members, residents, businesses, NGOs and other entities are encouraged to look to the Sustainability Plan for guidance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that City agencies shall incorporate the Plan goals and actions into their on-going regular and annual work plans; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor shall discuss sustainability work plan items during his quarterly meetings with agency heads and presentations on sustainability efforts, and the City shall continue to create awareness on sustainability issues at community meetings and internal staff meetings; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that sustainability training will continue to be a part of the annual training schedule offered to all City employees and shall be given during new employee orientation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The Natural Step staff team shall, over the next two years, present information on The Natural Step and this Plan to all City committees and discuss with them how to incorporate sustainability into their work; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The Natural Step staff team shall report to the Common Council Organizational Committee and the Common Council on whether the current committees that deal with sustainability issues are the most effective structure to forward sustainability issues and on any improvements that could be made; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that public reporting on the outcomes of the Plan will be given to the community, the Mayor and the Common Council on a regular basis; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Sustainable Design and Energy Committee shall work on and monitor the implementation of this plan.