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CC - FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: (1) Consider a Recommendation by the Sustainability Subcommittee to Discuss Entering Into an Agreement with Arts Earth Partnership in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $94,000 to Prepare a Sustainable City Plan and to Implement a Sustainable Business Certification Program; (2) Consideration of a Related Budget Amendment.
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Contact Person/Dept: Shelly Wolfberg
Phone Number: (310) 253-6008
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Commission Name:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/21/16 and 02/03/16); Arts Earth Partnership (01/21/16)
Department Approval: John Nachbar, City Manager (01/21/16)
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RECOMMENDATION
The City’s Sustainability Subcommittee recommends the City Council discuss (1) entering into a Professional Services Agreement with Arts Earth Partnership to i) prepare a Sustainable City Plan (SCP) and ii) to create and implement a Sustainable Business Certification Program; and (2) consider a budget amendment in an amount up to $94,000 to complete the work.
A budget amendment requires a 4/5ths affirmative vote.
BACKGROUND
The City has a history of establishing policies that protect the environment and has implemented programs and completed projects that further such policies.
On November 27, 2006 the City Council established a City Council Sustainability Subcommittee and approved submission of a $25,000 grant application with the American Institute of Architects to hire a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) to participate in the development of guidelines to establish sustainable policies, programs, and projects for the City (Guidelines). The grant was awarded, and SDAT worked with staff and the Sustainability Subcommittee to prepare the Guidelines that were subsequently presented to the public through a series of community meetings to obtain public comment. The purpose of the Guidelines is to inform policy decisions that consider the long-term impacts to the natural environment and economic health of the community. The Guidelines include recycling, energy efficiency, pollution elimination, clean energy, and the conservation of renewable and non-renewable resources.
The Guidelines have provided guidance to the City when considering projects, policies, and programs. However, combining these efforts into a comprehensive SCP with established goals and a strategy to implement them has not yet occurred.
Also, at a City Council meeting held in the latter part of 2015, Mayor O’Leary presented a letter he received from former New York City Mayor and the United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg regarding the Compact of Mayors. Additional information on the Compact of Mayors is provided later in this report.
DISCUSSION
Arts Earth Partnership (AEP) is a non-profit grassroots arts and planet advocacy organization based in Venice, California that was formed in 2004. AEP approached City staff with their proposals and were referred to the Sustainability Subcommittee where the proposals were considered at the Subcommittee’s September 16, 2015 meeting. After the presentation, the Sustainability Subcommittee determined to place consideration of the proposal on a future City Council agenda.
Sustainable City Plan:
AEP’s $45,000 proposal to prepare a SCP includes the following (see Attachment No. 2):
1. A comprehensive inventory and assessment of the City’s existing plans (including the General Plan), programs, and sustainability progress to date, including review of the City’s applicable codes, use of resources, and purchasing practices. The assessment will be used to establish a baseline that will become the basis for developing an implementation strategy to make the City even more sustainable.
2. An on-line stakeholder survey to collect community ideas and concerns to aid in formulating the short and long term sustainability vision for the City.
3. Conducting two in-person stakeholder focus groups comprised of City staff and members of the business, residential, and educational communities and community organizations which will participate in the development of the City’s short and long term sustainability goals.
4. Designing a sustainability reporting framework with established tracking indicators and implementation strategies.
5. Creating a reporting template to track the annual progress of the SCP’s implementation.
Once adopted by the City Council, the SCP may become a component of the City’s General Plan.
AEP anticipates it will take 18 months to complete the SCP. Development of the SCP will require a significant amount of staff time to compile the inventory of items necessary to complete the assessment, perform public outreach, attend stakeholder and coordination meetings, review the draft SCP, and implement its strategy and track its progress (should the City Council ultimately adopt the SCP). AEP has indicated that it is “beginning to construct a tentative Sustainability Advisory Board to provide the AEP team with technical support throughout the process of developing the Sustainable city plan for Culver City, should the Council vote to move forward. The establishment of a Sustainability Advisory Board -- comprised of experts in the field and representing the community -- is considered a best practice for municipalities undergoing this process.” (Attachment 3)
Creation of the SCP will require participation by the City’s Public Works, Finance, Transportation, Community Development, and Parks, Recreation and Community Service Departments. The significant work effort required to accomplish these tasks is not included in the City’s existing departmental work programs. Should the City Council determine to proceed with this effort, consideration should be given to its timing so that the work can be planned for and accommodated within upcoming work programs.
Sustainable Business Certification Program (SBCP):
AEP’s $29,000 September 2015 proposal (with an additional $20,000 business incentive option) to create and implement a SBCP includes the following (See Attachment No. 1):
1. Listing the various SBCP benefits and creation of a website portal and certification seal.
2. Creation of a sustainability checklist that is prepared with input received from two in-person stakeholder meetings that is approved for use by the California Green Business Network. The checklist will include such items as energy and water efficiency, resource use reduction, waste management, procurement policies, landscaping, transportation, pest control and employee well-being and safety.
3. Meeting with up to 100 City businesses in the arts and culture, automotive, office, food service and retail industries and, using the checklist, perform a sustainable business practice assessment and guide businesses through the certification process.
4. Making participating businesses aware of available financing and sourcing products that may be used to implement their assessment recommendations.
5. AEP will charge businesses a $300-$2,500 fee (based on their size) to perform the assessment.
6. Optional: Provide up to 40 businesses a $500 incentive (for a total of $20,000) to cover all or a portion of their assessment fee. AEP reports that providing the incentive significantly increases the number of businesses which participate in the SBCP.
AEP reports that, for those businesses that become certified, their employees oftentimes embrace the sustainable practices and have become enthusiastic ambassadors that promote the changes made to their customers and community. Implementation of the SBCP will become a key tool to raise environmental consciousness, and participants report having the sense that they are part of a proactive community with a clear vision to achieve a sustainable future.
Over the first year of the SBCP, AEP anticipates that, of the 100 businesses they contact, 30-36 will complete assessments. Of those that complete assessments, one-third (10-12) will become certified. AEP’s SBCP development clients include private firms in addition to the City of Santa Monica and the City of Los Angeles.
Upon expiration of the first year of the proposed agreement term, the City will evaluate the success of the program. At that time, if the decision is made to extend the agreement for an additional year, the cost would be $15,500, absent the optional $20,000 business incentive. If renewed for a second year, AEP will publish a report of SBCP participation.
Creation of a SCP and SBCP would organize and build upon the City’s existing sustainability progress achieved to date, establish a baseline to measure and track progress, increase transparency, strengthen accountability, and establish the City as a sustainability leader.
Among other things, AEP recommends that upon completion of the SCP, the City embark upon preparation of a Climate Action Plan which completion would lay the framework necessary for the City to sign the “Compact of Mayors”. The Compact of Mayors is an organization committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and to recognize those cities dedicated to achieving this goal. If the City enrolled in the Compact of Mayors, it would require the City to register its commitment to perform a series of tasks within three years to reduce climate change. The tasks include performing a citywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, preparing a climate change vulnerability and risk assessment, establishing measureable targets, and creating an action plan to reach those targets. More information on the Compact of Mayors can be found at: <http://www.compactofmayors.org/>.
The City Council’s Sustainability Subcommittee recommends the City Council consider a Professional Services Agreement with AEP that contains the SCP and the SBCP. The Sustainability Subcommittee also recommends consideration of the $20,000 SBCP incentive. Shea Cunningham, AEP’s Sustainability Programs Director, has provided the attached Letters of Support for AEP’s services. (Attachment 4)
Such professional services are exempt from the formal bidding requirements per Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.085.A.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
AEP’s preparation of a SCP and SBCP was not included in the City Council Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 or Work Plan. Should the City Council determine to move forward with AEP’s proposal, a budget amendment would be necessary from the General Fund reserve in an amount up to $94,000 (depending on the options selected by the City Council). Any appropriated funds not utilized will be returned to the General Fund reserve.
A budget amendment requires a 4/5ths affirmative vote.
ATTACHMENTS
1. September, 2015 EAP Sustainable Business Certification Program Proposal.
2. March 20, 2015 EAP Sustainable City Plan Proposal.
3. Proposed Composition of Sustainability Advisory Board.
4. Letters of Support provided by Ms. Cunningham.
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
Should the City Council decide to enter into an agreement with AEP, that the City Council:
1. Approve a professional services agreement with Arts Earth Partnership to complete a Sustainable City Plan and approve a budget amendment in the amount of $45,000 to provide the funds necessary to complete the work;
and/or
2. Approve an agreement with Arts Earth Partnership to implement a one-year Sustainable Business Certification Program and approve a budget amendment in the amount of $29,000 to provide the funds necessary to implement the Certification Program; and
a. (Optional) Include an additional $20,000 to provide a $500 incentive to 40 businesses to cover the cost to assess their business operations, increasing the total contract amount to $49,000; and
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.