HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-27-19 Joint Health and Public Safety and Utilities ji$013TH 4,4
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OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK
HEALTH &PUBLIC SAFETY FEBRUARY 27, 2019 5:30 P.M.
UTILITIES
JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING
Committee Members Present: Jo M. Broden, John Voorde, Jake Teshka (late)
Committee Members Absent: Karen White, Oliver Davis, Sharon L. McBride, Regina
Williams-Preston
Other Council Present: None
Other Council Absent: Tim Scott, Gavin Ferlic
Others Present: Graham Sparks, Bob Palmer
Presenters: Therese Dorau, Leah Thill, Alison Mihalich
Agenda: 1. Common Council Briefing on Climate Change:
Understanding Climate Change in South Bend
a. Current Local Actions (30 min)
b. Common Council Potential Actions(40 min)
c. Council Member Q&A (10 min)
d. Testimony/Public Comment(10 min)
2. Miscellaneous
Co-Committee Chair Jo M. Broden called the Joint Health and Public Safety. and Utilities
Committee meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. and outlined the evening's agenda.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, All of our meetings are videotaped, and those are available
for any Council Member, and we are making those available for anyone in the public on a jump
drive. Our past meeting that was held on February 18t is available on a jump drive.You can email
myself or the Chair of the Utilities Committee, Jake Teshka, and you could email us at
jbroden@southbendin.gov or jteshka@southbendin.gov and we can transfer that to you very
easily, as well as any of the handouts or PowerPoints that were provided at that meeting. We had
an outstanding meeting, and we have dual committee representation from At-Large Council
INTEGRITY' SERVICE' ACCESSIBILITY
JENNIFER M.COFFMAN BIANCA L.TIRADO JOSEPH R MOLNAR
CHIEF DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK
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CITY OF SOUTH BEND i OFFICE OF THE CLERK
Member, John Voorde. We are also very thankful for the presence of our attorney, Bob Palmer,
who sits in on all of our meetings, and Graham Sparks who has facilitated the preparation of this
meeting, and will have a lot of work to do capturing the minutes and the testimony, making sure
that everything is available for the public by way of his role in the South Bend City Clerk's Office.
She continued,Welcome to tonight's meeting and thank you for your attendance. How many folks
in the room were at the previous meeting? Wow, that's great! A couple of newbies are in the
audience, too. Hopefully you'll take advantage of the documents I previously mentioned that are
available from the previous meeting. I would like to quickly, and I shared these comments with
the reporter who was outside and it was what I thought was a very good meeting, share a couple
of things as preliminary remarks tonight.
Co-Committee Chair Jake Teshka arrived at 5:33 p.m.
Co-Committee Chair Broden went on, One (1) is, I think last meeting was a great opportunity to
get some of the science basics down. We had the benefit of not only adults who are working in the
field on all of these components relative to climate change,but we also had outstanding testimony
from the youth in our community. I don't think the quality has ever been matched in any meeting
I have ever sat in or observed. We are so indebted and so thankful to the students, for what you
gave to the Council and to our community at large. Thank you for coming back tonight. As a
former teacher, I would be happy to help sign extra credit forms, as would our attorney. If you've
been conscripted to be here, I hope that you'll find it illuminating and engaging, and I hope you'll
be all in after this meeting tonight.
She continued, We are going to start with current Administration actions, and then we will move
to look at selected community actions that are taking place. You can interpret `community' as
outside the Administration. Then we'll look at potential future actions by both the Administration
and the Council, working collaboratively with the community and then we will open it up for
public comment. Traditionally, we ask you to come and if there is a line just follow on that side of
the wall and sign in. We just need your name and your address at a minimum, and if the next
person on deck could be there and ready to step right in it will make things flow quickly. You are
limited to three(3)minutes at the mic, so hit a home run. I would like to end with closing remarks
from Council Members who are in attendance and know that we'll have our work cut out for us.
Those will just be preliminary remarks, not closing remarks. All of the handouts and PowerPoints
will be available after this meeting.
Therese Dorau, Director of the Sustainability Office with offices on the 13th floor of the County-
City Building, stated, Thank you for the opportunity to address you today, and thank you to the
community and youth supporters who are here today. Last week we talked about the science and
some of the impacts and concerns that we have about climate change and how it will impact South
Bend, but today we get the privilege of talking about the local solutions. After five (5) years of
serving as the Director of the Office of Sustainability, I can say that measures small and large at
every level of our community are taking place that have huge impacts not only on climate change
but on economic development, green jobs, urban heat island effects and a number of other
important areas. I am really impressed with all of the community partners we get to work with. I
am going to give you an overview about the Sustainability Office specifically and the work that I
do within the Administration. I have a few conceptual slides about sustainability at the local
government level that won't be part of the presentation I share today but will be included in the
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record. The Office of Sustainability was established in 2014 and I'll give you a quick overview of
its sustainability projects. One (1) conceptual slide I want to hit is just because this is kind of the
guiding framework for the Sustainability Office and the work that we do is the theory of the triple
bottom line. The triple bottom line is an approach to planning which really requires a balance of
planet, society and economy, and a balance of timeframes. We are thinking of what we are doing
today in terms of projects that we might be implementing,but also what the future generations are
going to need here in South Bend to make sure they can have the same quality of life as we enjoy.
It really is a balance. You can't have a successful sustainability initiative if you are only focused
on environmental concerns and you're not keeping an eye on equity or economic impact.
She continued,The first(1St) goal I have is focused on municipal operations and creating a culture
across all of our municipal operations that sustainability is just business as usual, not something
special that we do or something that only happens in one (1) office, but something that everyone
is responsible for. Then, incorporating that same awareness of sustainability into the culture and
practice of South Bend businesses and residents. My third (3rd) goal is to prepare our community
for the impacts of climate change and the fourth (4th) is to reduce the community's greenhouse
gas emissions.
She went on, The history of the Sustainability Office started in 2009 with the Recovery Act,but I
want to focus on what has happened since I joined in 2014 and even after that. We originally had
a very operational focus which was mostly internal project level work, but in the last two (2) to
three (3) years, the facilities function of the Sustainability Office has been split from the
Sustainability Office and transferred to Central Services, and the work that the Sustainability
Office has done has become increasingly policy level, focused on reducing emissions and
preparing for change. Just recently we've adopted the Global Covenant as a guiding framework of
the Sustainability Office. We really have increased the scale and the facility and energy
management work is still being done,but it is being provided in Central Services which is actually
a pretty logical place for it.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, For the youth in the crowd, Central Services, can you give
just a quick definition of who that encompasses?
Ms.Dorau replied,Central Services is just a division of our City Government that supplies services
that other people in the City Government need like vehicles, facilities,supplies,and print services.
Ms. Dorau continued, Specifically, some of these projects are initiatives of the Sustainability
Office,but many of the initiatives belong to other departments where the Sustainability Office has
had a chance to partner and provide additional support. I'm not remotely taking credit for the many
great things going on this City,but I am just grateful for the opportunity to bring the triple bottom
line perspective into the implementation of these projects. I mentioned the initial focus on
operational sustainability, and that was geared around all the ways that sustainability can save
money for local governments and, in turn, save money for taxpayers. A lot of our internal
operational projects focused on facility and fleet energy use: ways to reduce paper, providing
avenues for recycling, seeking out funding in terms of grants, energy rebates for partnerships,
educating employees on how their behaviors impact the City's expenses. A few more specific
examples include waste reducing and recycling, where the Sustainability Office provides a lot of
leadership.We're engaged with the Solid Waste Management District both in the Citizen Advisory
Committee and as an observer of the board meetings. We brought recycling to City facilities and
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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK
to some community events, and we are focused on community education as well, answering
questions about recycling and providing information to the public. Alternative fuel vehicles is
another area that the City focuses on in terms of sustainability. We've seen over the past six (6)
years or so, dramatic investments in the City's fleet in a couple of different ways that have
sustainability benefits. One (1) is right-sizing vehicles for the task, to make sure we are not using
oversized vehicles for something that doesn't require them. We've also been purchasing hybrids,
compressed natural gas vehicles,and researching the use of bio-gas from the waste water treatment
plant in trash trucks to close the loop and provide renewable biogases and fuel for those vehicles.
Our Central Services division has won numerous grants and awards for their leadership in cleaner
municipal vehicles, so we should be really proud of the work they have done. They have a Green
Fleet Certification from the National Association of Fleet Managers.
She went on, We've also been working in partnership with MACOG and others in supporting
community adoption of vehicles, and pictured here(referring to the presentation which is available
in the City Clerk's Office) is our EV Charger outside of the County-City Building. Education and
outreach is really valuable especially because so many of these projects are taking place in other
parts of City Government. This is to help give a different view of municipal services by
emphasizing all of the different ways that it benefits the community. It would be easy to just focus
on, Hey, we have a yard waste program, isn't that convenient? But the yard waste program saves
us money because we don't have to pay to dispose of it in a landfill, it reduces greenhouse gasses
because it doesn't end up in a landfill,those materials collected don't end up in a storm sewer and
cause flooding, and then those materials are composted to create a value-added product that is
available to residents at no cost. The breadth of that story is difficult to tell from folks that are
focused on operating the program day in and day out, so I really appreciate the opportunity to step
in and talk about City services in a new light that really highlights the community benefits.
She continued, The Green Ribbon Commission is a really exciting part of my job. We brought
leaders together from all sectors. We have education institutions, our businesses, our utilities,
several non-profits in the area, other governments and several students join me on the Green
Ribbon Commission which is co-chaired by sustainability leaders from both Notre Dame and IU-
South Bend. The Green Ribbon Commissioners are really important because they are a sounding
board for the projects that we're taking on and the direction that we're going in the Sustainability
Office. They're also valuable ambassadors that carry City information back to their organizations
and help advocate for the work that the City is doing. Then they provide additional resources to
me in the Sustainability Office and to each other, forming partnerships with fellow Green Ribbon
Commission members, helping each other out with projects and making sure that we're not
duplicating efforts. Renewable energy is another area where we've been actively installing solar
on three (3) of our own facilities and making it easier for residents to understand the benefits of
renewables and install their own. Energy management is a really valuable area. We're pursuing
efficiency projects in our facilities, identifying unique funding mechanisms like the energy saving
performance contracts, then tracking energy data to identify opportunities.
Co-Committee Chair Broden interrupted to announce that people are free to stand in the back of
the room, but if anybody wants to get a seat, now might be a good time to move around to make
room for others to sit.
Ms. Dorau stated, We also do a lot of regional and State engagement, working with our utility
companies, our lawmakers and regulators on energy matters that have both cost and climate
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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK
impacts for the City and the residents, collaborating with local government leaders across the state
and across the Midwest, as well as other universities in Indiana. We lead by example by working
with staff in other cities and presenting our work at conferences. Green infrastructure is a big area
of sustainability opportunity with a number of additional benefits. Pictured here is an urban tree
canopy which is also a part of permeable sidewalks and parking strips to manage storm water more
effectively and reduce the cost of complying with the storm Water Consent Decree. It also provides
habitat, absorbs heat, and provides some beautification to the street scape. Parks and trails,
supporting biking and walking as transportation is really important and also provides many of the
benefits that you'd get from a green infrastructure project, not to mention the social health and
economic benefits of creating great public spaces. The City has been active in Complete Streets
projects, including safe routes to school,making sure that kids are treated as pedestrians that want
to get to their destination safely as well as Smart Streets,which included bike lanes and bike paths,
sidewalk improvements, transit improvements, bus stops and amenities on the street that make it
easier to be a pedestrian, a bicyclist or a transit user. South Bend Green Corps is a big project
working with lower income houses to understand energy bills,learn behaviors that can save energy
and money, and install simple measures that make the home more comfortable and cost effective.
It's an AmeriCorps program that is party grant-funded, and we are excited to be training
Americorps members in these growing job fields. Then in terms of transportation alternatives, the
City is encouraging thinking of mobility outside of the traditional car and driver model, but
supporting biking, walking and public transit, and programs that connect employees to jobs.
She continued, My priority projects for 2019 are the Climate Action Plan, which is one (1) of my
big projects, I'd like to increase the number of solar installations in City facilities, I want to look
at our streetlights which is a big user of energy, therefore a big source of emissions for our City. It
would be a reasonable thing to go after, and then the South Bend Green Corps program.
She went on, I want to talk about why the Climate Action Plan is on my top priority list for 2019.
It's been a couple of years in the making and it has been an exciting path, so I'm happy to share
that with you. I mentioned that we were originally very focused on our operational efficiency in
the City Government, wanting to lead by example, implementing sustainability measures within
City Government. But as federal policies seem to be shifting and there is a lot more conversation
about what cities are able to do in the context that we have,Mayor Pete decided to have the"We're
Still In" statement, which came from the Climate Mayor's Organization, he also signed the One
Hundred Percent (100%) for Clean Energy Pledge in 2017. He has been thinking about this, and
the more we realized that we weren't going to get the kind of Federal assistance we had been
hoping for, the more we became interested in how we had to plan it for ourselves. In 2016 and
2018, I don't need to remind anyone of this, and last week Dr. Hamlet had some really visible
pictures of that, but we had a 1,000 year rainfall followed by a 2,500 year flood within eighteen
(18) months of each other. I don't need to remind you of this either, but here are some photos of
direct impacts on City infrastructure and personal property. In Mayor Pete's 2018 State of the City
Address, he said, "Either we have run from extraordinary odds these last few years, or something
is changing. For South Bend, climate issues are no longer a political football. They're an on-the-
ground reality that we will need to plan for." I think this was a very important moment, those
weather events, and that led to the City joining the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and
Energy, which is a commitment to a specific framework. A lot of those other statements were
statements of value and of interest in taking action,but the Global Covenant really gave us a step-
wise process to move forward on. It is a non-binding commitment, but it's more than just an
agreement. There are 7,400 local governments from all over the world representing 600 million
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CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK
people. We are the second (2nd) in Indiana to sign. Carmel beat us to it, but they have not
accomplished anything since they've signed it. So, we're the first (1st) city to complete a Global
Covenant of Mayors compliant inventory. We've taken the first (1St) two (2) of the four(4) steps,
we did the commitment step,we preformed our community greenhouse gas inventory, so our next
steps are to set our emissions targets and make the plan to reach reductions targets. Those are the
four (4) main steps of the Global Covenant. The Global Covenant also encourages Cities to
evaluate climate vulnerability and also improve access to climate sustainability. It is usually the
wealthier households and businesses that can afford solar and other alternative energies, and lower
income families who could really benefit do not always have access. This is a Global Covenant,
so there are folks in really under resourced communities around the globe that will just never have
access if we don't plan for that. That is the end of my first (1st)presentation. I gave you a bit of an
overview and then I'll pick up where this left off and I'll get a little more into detail about what
we will be doing moving forward.
Ms. Dorau introduced the two (2) invited speakers. Ms. Dorau stated, Leah Thill will be speaking
first (1st). She is the Senior Environmental Planner with the Michiana Area Council of
Governments(MACOG).We asked her to be part of the invited panel because they have a regional
approach to sustainability that is unique because it reflects their specific mission and I feel that
MACOG is a really impactful organization because they provide access to technical and financial
resources, and they help drive regional collaboration which is difficult to do from the City level.
We are really fortunate to have MACOG as a City partner.
Leah Thill, Senior Environmental Planner for MACOG with offices located on the 11th floor of
the County-City Building, stated, MACOG is the Michiana Area Council of Governments. We are
a voluntary organization of local governments, thirty-five (35) cities and towns covering the four
(4)counties that are shown on the map,including St.Joseph County where we are,but also Elkhart,
Marshall and Kosciusko Counties, covering several other cities. Our vision is to advance the
region's economic vitality, enhance quality of life and place, and build that strong sense of place
across the region and expand opportunities that attract and retain talent. We do that by
collaboratively studying and attempting to resolve interlocal issues. Those could be transportation,
transit, economic development, environmental and sustainability issues as well. Many things cross
the boundaries that are set in terms of municipal borders, especially watersheds which have their
own natural boundaries. As far as collaboration along that scale to make an impact, I wanted to
give some context to the general work that we do. Our main program areas are transportation,
transit, community development and sustainability. We're probably best known for our work
around transportation or our GIS map. We're the metropolitan planning organization, rural
planning organization,and economic development district for the region,but I'm here to talk about
some of the other areas that we don't share as much about. The first (1St) is transit; public transit.
MACOG operates the Interurban Trolley in Goshen and Elkhart and has been doing that for twenty
(20) years as well as the paratransit service. In terms of community development,we have assisted
in preparing comprehensive plans for small towns or other studies like parking studies.
She continued, Sustainability is the area where the majority of my work is in so that's what I'm
here to talk about today. I am going to touch on four (4) key areas. The first three (3) are most
related to emissions impacts and then the fourth(4th) would fall into the category of preparing for
or mitigating what we might expect in terms of flooding or some other things like that as well. I'll
start with transportation because that's the area where we do the most work. Air quality
improvement projects and grants that MACOG has been involved with have helped procure and
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build infrastructure such as the CNG station that is used by both South Bend TRANSPO and the
City of South Bend to procure busses as well as to design and build projects such as the
roundabouts and other projects as well that help improve air quality and reduce emissions, but
also, there are other benefits like safety or traffic flow. Some other things that we're involved in
related to active transportation and providing more choices and accessibility to multi-modal
transportation include the ability to bike or walk,without a requirement to have a single-occupancy
vehicle in order to make that trip. MACOG completed the 2016 active transportation plan. You
can see a map of some of those proposed projects on the screen here (referencing a slide in the
presentation), as well as some examples of some projects. These are from Plymouth and one(1)is
from the City of South Bend as well. The active transportation area of our work this year has
revolved around regional trail branding and wayfinding, which is building a regional brand to
highlight the great regional assets that we have that people may not be aware of and to bring
attention to that especially as different segments are completed, that's helpful to bring awareness.
Then we're involved in activities around public awareness and education like walk to school day
or bike to work week. We also are involved in public transit, as well, as I mentioned in Goshen
and Elkhart in Elkhart County, but we're also continuously trying to improve that for the benefit
of the region and that does have impacts here to this community. One (1) specific example, our
transit planners collaborated with South Bend TRANSPO to partner with the Interurban Trolley
and actually extend the Yellow Line. Previously it did not stop in downtown Mishawaka but now
it comes all the way into downtown Mishawaka so the transfer is easier. The frequency of service
was bumped up to every thirty (30) minutes. That provides accessibility to jobs, and to get into
Elkhart,Mishawaka and ultimately South Bend for a variety of different reasons.That is something
we are always looking at, holistically improving access with modes of transportation that is not
dependent on vehicle ownership. Another aspect of our transportation efforts around
environmental sustainability is the Northern Indiana Green Fleet Program. That is a partnership
with South Shore Clean Cities, and it focuses on alternative fuels and advanced vehicles, but the
core of that has been in this last year, doing alternative fuel feasibility analyses and fleet audits for
public schools as well as our municipalities and others including Notre Dame and many cities
across the region to help identify specifically, at a vehicle level, which vehicles are candidates for
grants to replace them and which should be replaced first(1st)based on emissions. Along with the
feasibility and the total cost over the life of that vehicle of going with different options as well.
There is an education component to that program. We partnered with Downtown South Bend last
May and the Office of Sustainability in South Bend to do a Ride and Drive event to bring attention
to the availability and existence today of electric vehicles in our community, and we had an event
like that in Goshen as well. Several hundred people were able to attend and test drive and
experience advanced vehicles and electric vehicles.
She went on, Another area that we think about a lot is related to our mandate which is to keep our
region in compliance with the national ambient air quality standards. Part of this region was not in
compliance a number of years ago and so that is on the forefront of our minds. Part of what we do
is convene the partners of the Clean Air program and try to encourage businesses, organizations,
and private citizens to voluntarily go above and beyond to promote clean air and take voluntary
steps to lower emissions. Then, build awareness around the air quality action season, which is in
the summer when ozone is more prevalent.That's related to vehicle emissions and other emissions,
so that's really critical to understand, and the potential health impacts of unhealthy levels of ozone
as well. Finally, this is a fairly new area for us. As opportunities come up that are in alignment
with our mission and that local governments are interested in,we provide assistance on this. South
Bend participated in the Department of Energy SolSmart program in 2017 and then Goshen did as
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well. I also want to point out the map here shows the concentration of solar in the area now and
there is a link to a map sirensolar.org, and if you go to map you can track the changes in the solar
projects in the region. It's pretty remarkable. You can see the two (2) red dots on the map. South
Bend and Goshen really stand out there. Here's a little bit about what Goshen has been up to.
Ms. Thill continued, I should mention, as well, that South Bend got to the bronze level of
designation if I didn't say that already and is continuing to work on solar related issues.The whole
goal of the program is to make it easier, faster and cheaper for people to go solar so it is bringing
solar to the general public and making it more accessible. That happens through a variety of things
including working on zoning code,permitting,and making sure that the Fire Department is trained.
The photo you saw on the last slide was working with the City of Goshen Fire Department so that
they were trained to safely respond to a fire in the event that it would involve solar panels.
She showed a video presentation which is available in the City Clerk's Office.
Ms. Thill went on, So, that also captures what South Bend has been working on since 2017, and
South Bend participated in Solarize Northern Indiana as well. There were about twenty-four(24)
projects in this area. Sixteen(16)in South Bend resulted from that initiative. That was driven by a
steering committee of volunteer members, several of whom are in this room today. We're grateful
for their contribution to make that a success. The last item that I'm going to talk about is related
to water, and that's the St. Joseph River Basin Commission. The River Basin Director is actually
a staff member of MACOG and wanted me to provide some comments. For those of you who are
not familiar with the St. Joseph River Basin Commission,the watershed is shown on the map, and
the commission that he is the director of focuses on the whole watershed. But,the Indiana counties
are the ones that provide the funding for the commission. It was established in 1988, so, it's been
around for a while. Last year in the Indiana General Assembly, the scope was increased to include
flooding and water quantity issues in addition to focusing on water quality. So, that's definitely
something to note when we think about preparing for increases in water in the future. Its also
important to note the importance of the regional scale and the watershed scale because we are
mostly all downstream of somebody, and we're probably upstream of somebody else. That's why
it is important to collaborate on that. I want to highlight a few things that are happening upstream
of South Bend that make it easier for South Bend to accommodate those changes. One(1)of those
changes is the permeable pavers, which helps with recharging the water into the ground water
instead of sending it into the combined sewers. In rural areas upstream, there are efforts that are
being led by the soil and water conservation districts to work with private land owners to improve
soil health on agricultural lands. Best management practices, like no till and cover crops, actually
have benefits for the farmers through increased profitability and increased drought and pest
tolerance as well as lowering input costs like fertilizer. At the same time, it reduces the amount of
water that must be managed in county drains and that ultimately makes its way down to us in South
Bend. I also wanted to highlight research being conducted by the University of Notre Dame in
Kosciusko County, which is where the City of Warsaw is located to our south. They have shown
a dramatic reduction in pollution and an overall amount of water that makes its way to the county
drains when these management practices are implemented on a larger scale. Other areas upstream,
Kosciusko, Steuben and Elkhart Counties have been utilizing something called a two (2) stage
ditch, and the benefits of that are pollution reduction, flood mitigation and lower maintenance
costs. One (1) last innovative pilot example, in Lagrange County they're experimenting with a
drain maintenance funding strategy that creates a financial incentive through ditch tax reduction
for private land owners who use and manage their land in ways that benefit the system as a whole
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and reduce costs as a whole and reduce the amount of water and sediment that must be managed
there by the County drains. Those are examples of what your neighbors upstream are up to to
benefit everyone in the watershed. If there are no questions, I'll turn it over to the next speaker.
Co-Committee Chair Broden asked,The active transportation plan,there certainly is interest across
many of the components of your presentation,but the active transportation plan,just relative to its
newness and ease for people to plug into, a link or source that individuals could—ah, good, if you
want to point that out please.
Ms. Thill stated, Yes. The link is on the slide there and you can get to the project map to see that
and you can also look at each chapter of that plan.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, I also see the MACOG site there. Do you also have a Twitter
or Facebook?
Ms. Thill stated, Thank you for asking. We just launched Facebook this past year, it's very
exciting. We do not have Twitter.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, And my last question,many of these issues hit our legislators
downstate in county government,and then of course federal funding helps your work and of course
these individual projects. So, is there anything briefly that you would like to address or touch on
with regards to anything happening in the Indiana General Assembly? Or would you like to follow
up?
Ms.Thill replied, I would be happy to follow up. I think where MACOG has been most active was
around legislation last year with the St. Joseph River Basin Commission scope expanded, and
they're generally more active because its within their responsibilities to be involved in state and
federal policy,but I'd be happy to chase after it.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, And we can take something in the record on that. Explain
AIM in terms of who they represent and how they interface with you?
Ms. Thill explained, AIM was the organization that gave Goshen the Green Project of the Year
Award for their solar leadership. They are Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, but they were
formerly knowns as Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, so they are in association with four
hundred (400) and some cities and towns in Indiana, and they provide assistance on a variety of
issues to help educate and prepare elected officials and others to lead their communities and so the
City of Goshen was very pleased with their recognition at that scale.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated,Thank you for your work every day of the week on behalf of
the citizens of South Bend and also regionally, and again,thank you for your presentation tonight.
Ms. Dorau stated, Just to introduce our next speaker and thank you Leah and MACOG, once you
see the scope of what they do you realize why we can't do sustainability without them. I want to
introduce Allison Mihalich who is the Senior Program Director from the University of Notre Dame
Office of Sustainability. We asked her to come and speak about the sustainability planning process
that Notre Dame is currently driving on their own campus, as an example of an organization that
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is locally being strategic and thoughtful toward tackling climate change issues. We are grateful for
the opportunity to learn from Notre Dame's experiences there.
Allison Mihalich, Senior Program Director at the University of Notre Dame Office of
Sustainability, with offices located at 100 Bronson Hall, University of Notre Dame, stated, Good
evening and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today to share a brief overview at a high
level, regarding our sustainability strategy document as well as our strategy planning process
specifically. Notre Dame has a long history of supporting environmental stewardship with the aim
of moving the needle forward, advancing sustainability. As you see, (referencing a slide in the
presentation) our timeline, in 2003 the Utilities Department kicked off a long-range planning
process that served as a foundation for consideration of a University-wide emissions reduction
goal. The first(1St) emissions related goal the University set for itself was in 2010 and that focused
on Scope One (1) and Scope Two (2) emissions. These sources of emissions are our direct
emissions from our own sources, as well as our indirect emissions that were either purchased or
generated. So,our goal for the whole University,is by 2030 to reduce our Scope One(1)and Scope
Two (2)by fifty percent(50%)per gross square foot from the 2005 level. I'll show you where you
stand now in a few slides. We also have an aspirational goal. Our long-range goal is to reduce
emissions by eighty-three percent (83%) from 2005 levels by 2050, eventually becoming carbon-
neutral. In 2008, my office was established. In 2010, we set our first (1st) goal. From 2015-2016
the university commenced planning efforts around sustainability goals and formed a committee.
We started the planning process before Pope Francis's encyclical was issued in December of 2015
on"Care for our Common Home". The encyclical really helped us accelerate our planning efforts.
In the spring of 2016 we released committee recommendations, and our formal finalized plan was
released in September of 2016. This just gives a look at the planning process I mentioned earlier.
The Utilities long-range plan served as a foundational document to help kick things off and set
ambitious but achievable goals for the University. Once we engaged the Utilities Department, we
looked outside of the University and did extensive benchmarking of peer institutions to see like
schools, schools across the nation and globally, what goals were they setting for themselves, what
were they prioritizing,how ambitious were they, and what timeline were they looking at. We then
looked internally and got feedback from campus constituents, including the Utilities working
group that was formed as part of their long-range planning process. There was also an Energy and
Environmental Issues Committee that was engaged along with Student Government. Then it was
time to draft, review and iterate. The little chart in the bottom right corner shows our emissions
reduction to date. I am happy to report since we set that goal, we are ahead of schedule and we
realized sixty-seven percent(67%)reduction in our Scope One(1) and Two (2) emissions. So, we
are ahead of the goal that we set for ourselves which is really exciting. You will see a slight uptick
where our footprint is growing, that is due to some construction of sustainably designed buildings,
so we anticipate that leveling off and then declining more aggressively.
Co-Committee Chair Broden asked, Do you mind if I ask for a round of applause?
Ms. Mihalich continued, So,this just gives a little more detail about the groups and the people that
were involved and actively engaged in the planning process. The Utilities Department Task Force
and Working Group had representatives from faculty, staff from Utilities, staff from the
Sustainability Office, from our Finance Department, as well as bringing in external industry
experts. I mentioned that we engaged student government to get their input. Then there was an
Energy and Environmental Committee formed which was diversely represented. We had faculty
from each College at the University, also the Office of Sustainability was represented to help
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facilitate. We had representatives from Facilities and Maintenance, we had Legal there and
students. So, throughout the whole planning process, we focused on these main considerations,
and this is echoing Therese's earlier comment. The triple bottom line mattered. People,planet and
profit. So, the plan itself had to be a living document and it had to afford flexibility. It recognized
in some areas that we weren't necessarily ready to commit to a specific five (5) year goal and it
afforded the flexibility to set goals for ourselves. In some areas we had work to do. The
sustainability strategy was grounded in our Catholic Mission. We incorporated some language like
the quote from Pope Francis in our strategy. The goal was that it would be comprehensive, that it
would cover all things sustainability. I'll go into a little more detail about the six(6)key strategies
in a second. It also had to be achievable and affordable. Those were two (2) very important
planning considerations. I mentioned we were successful in connecting our sustainability strategy
to our Catholic Mission through the incorporation of language from Pope Francis' encyclical. I'd
like to read this quote, "We are faced now with two (2) separate crises, one(1) environmental and
the other social, but rather with one (1) complex crisis which is both social and environmental."
That was very important to our planning process. I had mentioned that at a glance, our strategy
document had six (6) key strategy areas. Each of those had an aspirational five (5) year goal with
supporting specific strategies in the following area. I already mentioned the energy and emissions
area, but also water, building and construction, waste, procurement, licensing and food sourcing
as well as education, research and community outreach. Once the committee recommendations
were issued in early 2016, we realized that we needed to call out a seventh (7th) key area that is
not in our strategy, and that was communications. That was established as a key goal to help us
shine a light on the work of the other six (6) key areas, and to let the campus and the broader
community know of the sustainability efforts taking place. I did mention the plan recognized in
some of these key areas, we weren't yet ready to set goals and I am pleased to report that we have
set those goals now through the formation of our standing committee and small working groups.
As part of the planning process,two(2)recommendations were made. One(1)is that our Executive
Vice President would champion and convene a standing committee that was diversely represented
through the six (6)key areas. Some of those members are in this room this evening. That standing
committee meets twice a year and then they review recommendations from our standing groups.
Each of our seven (7) areas had a small working group. Those small working groups were
composed of students, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty as well as staff from
operational units across campus, experts and non-experts alike. So, we always felt like we were
getting fresh perspectives and it was a place where ideas could be shared. This is an image of the
seven (7) small working areas. I could submit this if you would like a copy of the strategy
document for the record. We do have Facebook and Twitter, and all of that can be found on
green.nd.edu.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, And then we can just affirmatively accept that even though
we don't have the tangible document. Thank you. You referenced students that were a part of this.
If any of you are in the audience tonight, if you would just take a quick minute to stand up, we
would appreciate it. I think you also mentioned there were some individuals who served on the
working groups who might be in the room as well, if you would be kind enough to stand. Thank
you. Any preliminary questions from Council Members?
Co-Committee Chair Teshka stated,Thank you for being here. I love that you are interacting with
our Office of Sustainability and that everybody is talking and feeding off each other. I'm reading
this book right now, it is called The Shortest Way Home by this guy named Pete Buttigieg. In it
he talked about College Town 2.0, which is where I think we're at right now in our relationship
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with not only Notre Dame, but also IUSB and St. Mary's. It's just wonderful to see the interaction
with the City by the wonderful institutions that we have here. So, thank you.
Ms. Mihalich stated, Thank you for your partnership.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, I really appreciate it. Thank you. I have some additional
thoughts, but we'll continue with the meeting and then if you're available to stay, then maybe we
can tie it all together. And congratulations on your plan and your success.
Co-Committee Chair Broden recessed the meeting for a five (5)minute stretch break at 6:27 pm.
Co-Committee Chair Teshka reconvened the meeting at 6:34 p.m.
Ms. Dorau stated, We have left the past and are moving towards what we are going to do in the
future. We are in uncharted territory as far as the City of South Bend's activities go, although there
are a number of cities that have engaged in Climate Action Planning before us. As I move into the
next round of slides and the conversation that might ensue, we realize that all of this is kind of
fluid and flexible, and we recognize the need to tailor this to South Bend and our circumstances,
situations, opportunities, and the things that we see that we can get a lot of value out of. There is a
full report from the United Nations,related to the sustainable development goals. There is a report
that puts some data and numbers around the benefits that we would expect to see if we globally
took climate action in a couple of different categories related to health,the economy and the quality
of life. Another terminology item that we didn't get to talk about last week, there really are two
(2) basic approaches to climate action, and its important to recognize the difference. One (1) is
more about preventing changes in climate and the other is more about managing symptoms.
Adaptation is reducing how vulnerable our natural system and our human system are to the impacts
that Dr. Hamlet talked about last week, and also to increase our ability to adapt to the stresses and
changes that we're going to be experiencing while maintaining our basic social structures. So,that
recognizes that the climate already is changing or will be changing, that is the definition of
adaptation. Mitigation is really focused on minimizing the changes in climate. There is no cure for
climate change,necessarily,or at least not in a number of years that we can wrap our minds around.
So, mitigation is prevention and adaptation is managing symptoms.
She continued, I do have what I felt is a pretty easy-to-read example from Calvary, Canada, and
their city climate planning process. This is a venn diagram if you can just imagine with me the rest
of the circle here. It shows that mitigation, the types of activities that would be considered
mitigation are things like sustainable transportation, clean energy, energy efficiency. Things that
are considered adaptation are things like disaster management, flood protection, upgrading
infrastructure, and there is some overlap related to renewable energy and smarter energy systems,
water conservation, local food,the way that we design our communities and our green spaces. So,
I think that's a good example of the difference between mitigation and adaptation. I promised to
get back to the Global Covenant, and as I said the Global Covenant provides for the Sustainability
Office, a framework for action. So, it is a clear and step-wise framework for community-level
action. This is a step forward from the internal actions that we have been taking. Those internal
actions were really opportunistic. They were "What depai tiiient wants to partner with me, where
is the grant funding, who has an opportunity or a new building or a new purchase that we can
discuss?" But the global framework will help us focus on the community and take a more
thoughtful and strategic approach to climate planning. The City has dozens of current initiatives
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that have climate and sustainability benefits for the community and the Global Covenant is just
the way to bring all of those together. The global covenant guidance documents outline a dual-
track approach, so both mitigation and adaptation are mentioned in the Covenant. As I said, we
completed the commit step, which is step one (1). We've also completed the measure and report
emissions step under the mitigation tract which we talked about last week. The Sustainability
Office is going to be focusing first (1St) on mitigation, with the next two (2) steps being to set the
greenhouse gas reduction targets and develop a Climate Action Plan. Adaptation planning is also
very essential, but it is a different process that requires a different technical expertise and a
different level of resources. We're going to start with mitigation, but we know that adaptation is
important. Just a reminder of the planning scale,this is a circle visual that I used last week. We are
talking about community facing strategies, recognizing that the government operation strategies
are already in play. This is just what the Sustainability Office is planning, I mentioned that it is
one (1) of my four (4) goals of 2019 as part of my Climate Action Plan. We're looking for
community scale strategies to reduce emissions. I expect to do this in the first (1St) half of 2019
with the help of a consultant.
She continued,The Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory that we completed will be the data that
drives one(1)of the key pieces of data that drives the development of this plan. I want to point out
that a lot of communities have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their Climate Action
Planning Process. I did not budget that much, if you recall, for this effort. Other communities have
included it in their comprehensive plan updates, which is also an expensive proposition. So, my
proposal is that by evaluating national and regional best practices from peer cities, and then
mirroring that with feedback from our local stakeholders in reviewing a lot of the existing South
Bend planning efforts that have been undertaken in the last couple of years,we have a lot of survey
results,neighborhood plans,parks plans,master plans that we can rely on. I think that we can have
a more cost-effective planning process by leveraging the work that has already been done by
consultants and other communities and then layering in the South Bend specific context and the
resources we've already developed that are South Bend specific. As I mentioned, we're going to
be focused on adaptation. So, to keep within my planning budget, we're going to focus just on
mitigation strategies for the Climate Action Plan. The deliverables,we're going to meet mid-range
and long-range, we're going to have gas reduction targets. I've interviewed a number of cities our
size that have done Climate Action Plans and this was one (1) of their recommendations, that we
have interim goals so we don't feel overwhelmed by where we need to go and that we can show
success early or we can know whether we need to get back on track. We're not all going to have
the success that Notre Dame had in being able to sharply reduce emissions there. The second(2nd)
deliverable is three (3) to five (5) year-term strategies. A lot of the plans that I've reviewed,
communities created exhaustive lists of all possible measures and all possible areas,many of them
pet projects of different organizations. It was difficult to prioritize and build consensus around,
and therefore difficult to get moving. So, focusing on the highest priority near term strategies, we
can get moving more quickly. This is all designed to be a quick start, cost effective planning
process that really builds on lessons learned from other communities.
She continued, Although we won't know which strategies will be recommended by the Climate
Action Planning Process, we can look to other communities to understand what other types of
strategies are common, and then we can also start thinking about the South Bend specific priorities
and how we might want to implement these. Their typical strategy areas fall within these four(4)
categories: transportation, energy supply, building energy use, and consumption and waste
reduction. You may see some connections between these strategy areas and the areas of emissions
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that I covered in the inventory last week. Although we won't know what the South Bend specific
strategy will be, I do have some resources from 2018 that have done a literature review of what
other communities have done. They have good executive summaries which I have prepared for
you, but you can also read the full report by following the links in the slide of the presentation. It
is really just a list of the types of strategies that cities are commonly considering to give you a
sense of where our Climate Action Plan might end up. I talked a little bit about prioritizing
strategies and it is a lot harder to do that when you have a long list,but there are going to be factors
that we should consider. First(1St) and foremost, is the strategy that we're considering going to be
effective in reducing emissions and how much emissions reduction should we expect? Is it
feasible? Can we get it off the ground with existing resources and partners, or is it going to take a
lot of development or some major funding rocks to be overturned? Can we tweak existing policies
and programs to make the solution low cost, or is it going to require a significant investment like
a construction project? Then also thinking about what the financial impact will be on individuals
and businesses. We want to make sure any time you're doing a plan, and I know that the Council
reviews several plans,but anytime you are doing a plan it is an opportunity to align with other City
priorities. I would think about storm water management,providing mobility for all kinds of people,
workforce development and supporting new industries that are growing here in South Bend,
ensuring quality neighborhoods. So, one (1) of our priority filters can be the other things that are
important to the Council and to the Administration. It's always important to hold an equity lense.
Does the strategy that we're selecting better the lives of the most vulnerable and reflect the assets
that the neighborhoods bring to the table? Does it address the needs that the community has
highlighted that they are experiencing? So, it can be very reflective of the truths that are brought
to us by area residents and businesses, and I think that will make it a stronger, less painful process
for everyone.
She continued, In order to get to this short list of really effective strategies, we want to weigh and
consider all of these things. We'll develop that process with the consultant,but I just wanted to let
you know that this is where I am thinking of prioritizing what we should be considering in our
prioritization, and I would be open to adding others. The last thing I wanted a couple of things
beyond how we would actually do this to prepare for the future, we may see recommendations for
everything from low-cost educational programs to brand new City ordinances. South Bend's
approach should be measured to make sure we understand the costs and benefits of each, and I
have a diagram to help us visualize that this could be a phased approach. We have already covered
a lot of the fundamentals. We've looked at our operational emissions, we've done our inventory,
we're going to be setting goals and making commitments. That is the foundation, and we have
already checked,or are checking,a lot of those off. Some of the others will be an easier lift because
we can use existing policy tools and the established authority that the Administration and the
Council has. We should focus on our biggest sources of community emissions, but we can use a
lot of the tools in our toolbox already. Planning and zoning, Public Works investments, Parks,
VPA and tree canopy projects,the massive stormwater infrastructure investments that we're going
to be making, and the economic development tools that we commonly use already. We don't
necessarily have to build something brand new to be able to get started with climate action, it can
be tweaks to existing. Now, there are some things that other communities have tried that can be
extraordinarily impactful that require more consideration and more planning. Any new policies or
significant expansion of existing policies,incentive programs that are extremely effective but need
a funding source, public private partnerships are a huge opportunity and an area of strong interest
to many cities as you'll see from the U.S. Conference of Mayors Report. Advocacy, which would
involve working with regulators to help remove some of the barriers that keep us from making
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smart climate strategy for ourselves, and then new technology which is always an ever-changing
opportunity. Then the last slide is just a way to think about the new policies and programs. This
really helps me realize that the measured approach that involves stakeholders is probably going to
be more effective in the long run in reducing emissions, and it also can lay the groundwork if you
do it step-wise. This diagram shows one (1) possible process, and if you roll out a policy
incrementally and engage the stakeholders in the design phase of any policy, you're celebrating
your local champions, you're showing local folks that it can be done, you're learning from people
who have done it well, and you're building all of that into what a long-term program could be,
involving the folks that would be impacted by the policy along the way. Then you would move
into a voluntary process,which could have an incentive program with some funding attached to it,
or a recognition program to celebrate successes. You've got these champions now that can be
mentors that show other businesses that it can be done. Think about if First Source is being very
successful at something, can they work with an accountant that has an office on the Westside and
help them learn the same strategies even though they don't have as many resources. It's a good
way to proof the concept and recruit support, and it's also a good opportunity to have a
stakeholder's review. I will say that in some of our measures,we can stop here at voluntary because
voluntary programs can be very effective in reducing emissions if they're done right and the
community embraces them. There may be some situations where we would want to move into a
more mandatory compliance-based situation, but the voluntary program as kind of a pilot really
helps lay the groundwork and build support and show people that it can be done. It also helps
people understand what costs we're asking the community to incur with the new policy. In my
mind, I envision a five (5) year timeline, but this is just a framework and a way that I sometimes
think about programs and I wanted to share that with you. That is where I'm going and I think
Councilmember Broden will have some comments on where Council might go.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, So, in the past, when Council, at least in the short past that
I've been involved,this is only my first(1St)term,third(P')year, I think I can speak to some level
of some authority of how we have approached major legislation initiatives, either independent or
in conjunction with the Administration, or vice versa. It could either be initiated by Council or it
could be initiated or started by our Administration, led by the Mayor and our departments. And
then at some point when it gets to funding those,those ideas and plans,it all comes down to budget
which is our primary responsibility, our foremost responsibility as Council Members. And then as
I had said last, and am always reminded when I walk through the doors of this building or even go
to Martin's,my other main job is to represent the will of my constituents as a district representative,
always mindful that the fourth (4th) district is not an island of itself, we really comprise an entire
City. That is why we have, I think to the right of this chair for the most part where our Council
President sits at our regularly scheduled meetings on the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) Monday of
every month, our district members, the last three (3) chairs and I think Councilmember Voorde is
in his regular seat, those are At-Large Council Members. So we have distinct roles and
responsibilities as elected officials, for our districts, but then my district is first(1St) and foremost
in the context of the broader City, whereas, At-Large members have the real responsibility City-
wide making sure we're all on the same page and ship, and that things are funded and we continue
to thrive and do well as a community, and that our individual citizens have that as well. Having
said that, again, if it is an idea and something that we feel is valued and we want action, typically
what we have done in the past is, whether Council or Administration, those ideas come forth and
then we try to work together on them collaboratively. Hopefully,as they're looked at and evaluated
and pieced together as a strategy. I think really, at least in my opinion, that has been the best
process. That way the ideas don't get ahead of Council and the budget funding. In the end, we can
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actually fund and do what we say we want to do as a community. Sometimes, though, our
community gets out ahead of issues, right? And it says, 'we want more'. So, I think what I am
envisioning and what I'm talking about with other members on the Council, is that with regard to
the request that was given to us is to actually look at a Climate Action Plan. That was the context
of that ask or the history of that ask that was well-presented,very expertly,in our previous meeting.
The question is where do we go from here? I think that Therese has provided background and I
hope we all have an understanding of the initiatives that she has in her wheelhouse within her
department that she's been sheparding along with a lot of different partners. I think that was very
evident tonight and the same could be said about MACOG and their role and responsibilities in
the community. With regard to getting to a plan, we're looking at that similar collaboration and
that process that is informed both by bringing together the Administration and bringing together
our community experts. We certainly have some in the audience tonight and beyond these doors
we are very rich. Then we certainly have the expertise that is not in a body, it's actually in
documents with regard to what other cities are doing and where they're finding the most bang for
their buck and the most impact. And the last piece would be our community as a whole. I think
important to all of this is the underlying question, what do we value? What will we value? That's
important throughout the whole process because it can guide us in a plan but it can also get us to
the really important thing, getting the plan done. And of course for the adults in the room it's
probably easy to imagine but most actions require support and dollars, and as taxpayers, you help
drive those values and point us as Council Members to those values and where to look to get those
funds. So, having said that, I think what I would like to do is to share the thought that in terms of
timeframe, we had initially spoken about in April, really bouncing off of these two (2) meetings,
really keeping the momentum and the energy, and really specifically looking for some action. It
could be a resolution that gets at some of the goals and strategy pieces that Therese lined up with
regards to the consultant. That basically takes what is now in the Administration's lane and brings
the Council to view that and say is it a priority. If it is, and we all say yes, then we as a Council,
speaking on your behalf can say, go for it, go all out. So,that's kind of an April thought. And then
as the year progresses, we'll have the goal in mind to get to an actual plan. I hope you heard very
clearly what Therese was thinking of and the experts. We will be looking to to deal with the
mitigation side, not so much the adaptation side. Not that the adaptation side is less important to
us as a community, but we are already on that track, correct? I'm not switching the words, right?
But not that we have any less interest in one (1) tract versus the other tract, but I think instructive
from the individual from Notre Dame and her fine remarks is that you want to make sure that you
have a shared value. Everyone knows the importance of a plan, and can pick out three (3) to five
(5) strategies, in their case I think they did seven (7) and look for where can we get wins. Where
can we get impacts and see movement fast?
She continued, So, to that end, I think what I'd like to do at this point in the meeting is pivot to the
public comment and allow you to use these next twenty-five (25) minutes or so to comment on
what you heard tonight specifically, or from the last meeting, and just share with us some of your
thoughts. Then what we'll do, we'll purposely schedule follow up meetings after this with a goal
in mind of getting the planning groups, getting the work groups going and intentionally rolling up
our sleeves on this in a really quick timeframe. My goal is to have a lot of this baked in in terms
of a plan. I'm departing the Council at the end of this year. We have significant changes, perhaps,
on Council and certainly in our Administration upstairs in the Mayor's Office. So,I think that what
we do between now and after this meeting, and out of this meeting, all the way to December is
important. And I hope that timeframe doesn't scare anybody because good policy and good plans
take time. They take broad, smart input so we don't go off on some wrong track. We can't afford
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to go off on some wrong track, in my estimation, on this. Those are my thoughts, and I hope to
give you a little bit of a timeline on that. I'm just going to admit it, Therese has been awesome to
us in terms of the Common Council and to myself in particular. There's a lot, and I'm the first(1st)
one (1) to say, and students in front, the smaller ones, if you haven't learned this already, if you
don't know something, say you don't know it and ask for help. And that's me, and that has been
me. Not completely, but on sustainability and climate change, there's stuff that I had learned and
knew,but Therese and her department have really opened my eyes and particularly in this role that
I play. I am very thankful to her and I want to make sure I get this right, so I'll also look for her
direction throughout these meetings.
Co-Committee Chair Broden opened the floor for public comment.
Ms.Dorau stated, If you commented last week,please make sure everyone who didn't get a chance
to comment last week has the opportunity to speak before you stand up to speak. If you have them
printed out or you have drawings, you can leave them.
Jackie Brebeck, 1855 Vaness Street, stated, Today, we as youth leaders who presented last time
are asking for legislation on the issue of climate change. Ideally, we would like an ordinance, so I
will share why we think an ordinance is beneficial. Julie will talk a little bit about what we would
like to see in legislation, then Ty will talk about how and when we would like to see it
accomplished. Much of this builds on research done in the previously mentioned sustainability
class of 2017 taught by Professor Sakimoto and Professor Walls that I was in two (2) years ago.
That is something that many in our community, and I personally,have been anticipating for a long
time now. If it could happen before I graduate,that would be amazing and it would mean the world
to me. Let me talk about why we want an ordinance. First (1st) of all, an ordinance would
demonstrate a broader, more city-wide commitment to remedying the issue of climate change
through a clear plan. Not only would it be a greater commitment, it would be one (1) that holds
the City accountable to taking meaningful action on behalf of the residents of South Bend. It would
have unifying power for the community organizations and all the individuals that are here today
and all throughout South Bend who are already working towards goals of sustainable development,
as a clear statement of values and recognition of the urgency of this issue. This issue is urgent, as
I mentioned in the last meeting. Not only are the impacts of climate change already present in
South Bend through floods and the polar vortex, but these impacts are already impacting
vulnerable areas around the world, like where my home is. We can not afford to wait any more
and we should not wait for others to take action before we do. We would be the second (2nd) city
in America to pass an ordinance,making South Bend a leader in this movement combatting climate
change,and setting an example for other cities to take stronger action.Additionally,once the City's
commitment is formal, access to more resources to help with achieving our goals will be increased
through potential grants or monetary awards like the Bloomberg Philanthropy's American Cities
Climate Challenge. While yes, it is a personal dream of mine and others' in the community to see
this happen, passing legislation on this issue is so much more than that. It would be in the best
interest of South Bend for the aforementioned reasons: commitment, accountability, unification,
recognition, leadership and opportunity. Thank you for your time, and now Julia will elaborate on
what we would like to see.
Julia McKenna, 410 Peashway Street, stated, There are a number of important reasons why we
need legislative action on climate change now. I would also like to emphasize some of the key
aspects that are required in an effective climate change recovery proposition. First(1st),it is critical
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that City officials understand the greenhouse inventory that the Sustainability Department
undertook to assess trends in energy use and sustainability within government and community
operations. At our last meeting, Therese Dorau gave an excellent explanation of this assessment,
and it can be used to understand the baseline of where South Bend is and where it can be with
regards to sustainable policy. This assessment can then be used to appropriately design achievable
but aggressive targets and benchmarks for the City. These can help us design our climate goals
and provide a framework for legislation action on things like emissions and energy use. Within
these benchmarks it is important to have multistep checkpoints that allow us to analyze progress
not just by an end result but by gradual progress the City is making. Such goals should be designed
in correlation with preexisting City projects and things like the future Climate Action Plan in the
Office of Sustainability. In doing so,we can ensure that all targets align with the triple bottom line
assessment which looks at the social, environmental and financial impacts of all suggested
guidelines. As a third (3`d) prong of a successful Climate Action Plan, we would also encourage
climate recovery reporting to continually assess progress and identify areas of concern for the City.
Through providing iterative progress reports, the targets and benchmarks can be modified or
analyzed as progress continues. The City must also consider how we will adapt to climate related
issues like flooding,in addition to focusing much of our efforts on mitigation.We would encourage
the City to look at what areas in South Bend are most vulnerable to climate hazards, and what
solutions can be implemented through things like infrastructure and technology. This will allow
legislation to take a dual pronged approach to climate change. With these elements, the City will
be able to create legislation that not only emphasizes our commitment to sustainability, but also
that makes us accountable for our actions and respects community input. These suggestions come
after a long process of both academic and personal research in our community. Ideally with this
proposed outline, the City can implement thoughtful and pragmatic solutions to our climate crisis.
As a senior, who is a student and concerned about her future, and also from the perspective of a
climate realist, I urge you to utilize the abundance of local resources in our community to draft
legislation that meaningfully addresses all aspects of climate change and the dangers it imposes.
Tai Verbrugge, 18370 Dunn Road,Apt.2104,stated,In terms of a timeline,we ask that the Council
work on drafting an ordinance during the month of March, 2019 with the intent that such a bill
would be ready for a vote in April. We believe that there should be a sense of urgency in forming
and passing this legislation, as climate change is a compound issue. The longer we put off
significant action, the warmer the atmosphere gets and the more difficult and costly it will be to
avoid serious environmental consequences. Passing this in April would also be thematically
appropriate, as April is commonly celebrated as Earth Month. We also encourage Council to
maintain transparency and keep open lines of communication with the broader community during
the drafting process so that the citizens affected by this legislation would have a seat at the table.
Thank you.
Grace Kelly, 301 Peashway Street, stated, I would like to share a personal experience of mine and
the solution. There's a farm here in South Bend that some of you,many of you,may be acquainted
with. It has all the usual features. Several chickens, two (2)barns, two (2) greenhouses, and many
many gardens. The only noticeable difference about this running, operating farm, is that it is
surrounded by three (3) major South Bend streets and it is a school. Good Shepard Montessori
didn't start out as a farm. And it is still first (1St) and foremost a school. But as part of the
curriculum, Good Shepard has an onsite farm program, led by Ms. Theri Niemier, which gives
children a hands on experience of sustainable agriculture. I am now a seventh (7th) grader at Good
Shepard, and not only are we focused on agriculture, but on sustainability. The land now carries a
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full water capture system, and several rain gardens, and every inch of the land is used to its full
capacity. I have seen what little measures can be taken to preserve huge amounts of energy, fuel
and water, and to preserve our earth. It just starts with taking your first(1St) steps. Thank you.
Vic Myers, 336 West Navarre St., stated, I'm a retired research chemist and a member of Solarize
South Bend, and I've been advocating for climate change measures for some time. I thank the
Council for the opportunity to listen to comment and I prepared these remarks before hearing all
of the wonderful testimony already, and I'm very impressed with what is already being done, and
want to work with that. So this is commenting, not in opposition, but in support. In 2015, over
three(3)years ago, I attended an amazing two(2)day symposium at the University of Notre Dame,
which some of you may have been at. It was titled Climate Investing Transition to a Low Carbon
World, and it was filled with ideas and solutions from scientists, government officials,
entrepreneurs, and business executives. One(1)of the keynote speakers, Paul Hawkin,introduced
a project that he initiated called Project Drawdown, which recruited scientists and other experts
around the world to evaluate proven, existing solutions to reduce atmospheric carbon, and then
through research and peer review, vet the top one hundred (100) ideas in terms of their
effectiveness and cost at reducing carbon. He realized that offering workable solutions to the
serious threats of climate change would be much more effective at galvanizing the public than
preaching doom and gloom. He shows that it is feasible not merely to slow the buildup of CO2 but
actually to reduce atmospheric carbon levels, and that's the reason for the term drawdown. Very
aggressive, not something that everyone would think possible. So, I recommend that this Council
and working groups participating in this process, refer to this valuable list which can be found in
his book, published in 2017, but also available at the free website called drawdown.org. I filtered
this list to include the fifteen(15) solutions most relevant to South Bend, and northern Indiana and
arranged in terms of decreasing impact.Ranked number one(1)is refrigerant management,making
sure the CFCs, freon does not leak out. And wind turbines and solar are both mentioned, but we
should not overlook less obvious but impactful solutions in agriculture and other energy
conservation practices, no till farming, cover crops, composting, those have already been
mentioned. Biking and infrastructure for walking, etcetera. And I include my remarks.
Co-Committee Chair Teshka stated, I don't think we stated it specifically at this meeting, but
public comment is limited to three(3)minutes. If you have something written as Therese stated, it
will go into the public record. Electronic copies are helpful, too. You can always email the City
Council, the Clerk's Office, anything that you want to be placed into the record. Thank you.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated,And it does help with the compilation of the minutes after this
event that we can take the electronic and match that to the audio/video and it actually helps
expedite that.
Lucy Garvey 2128 Portage Avenue, stated, I am nine (9) years old. My family and I have a few
habits that I think might be easy for others to do as well. For example,we compost our food scraps
and yard waste. We never water our lawn and we are replacing grass with fruit trees and native
flowers. We have rain barrels to capture water and give to our plants, and we try not to use too
many prepackaged items, especially plastic water bottles,bags and straws. Thank you.
Chris Vander Bossche, 1735 W. Northshore Drive, stated, I'm here to talk about one (1) piece of
the mitigation that's already been mentioned, bicycling. I'm a member of the Bike Michiana
Coalition, and I also work on the City Advisory Committee. If you go to the Bike Michiana
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Coalition website, you'll see that our mission is to promote bicycling for commuting and
recreation. Underlying this goal is reducing greenhouse emissions by promoting cycling as an
alternative form of transportation. That's why, at least in my mind, while we promote recreational
cycling, our main focus is on commuting. Bicycles offer a viable alternative to cars, as fewer than
all trips are three (3) miles or less, very doable on a bike. Every commuter trip on a bike is
obviously one (1) less trip in a car. South Bend has done quite a bit to encourage cycling, hence
our recent promotion to Silver Level Bike Friendly City Status. But, we need to do more.
According to current data, the share of trips by bicycling here is one-point five percent (1.5%) of
all trips. The data on other cities including snow belt cities, shows we can do much better. There
is no one(1)way to raise that number. We must make cycling safer, easier, more convenient, and
to do so we need to coordinate efforts across City Departments,including City Planning,the Street
Department, Education, Law Enforcement, Health and so on. As we have seen with the expansion
of the City's bike system, if you build it, they will come. South Bend is moving in the right
direction, let's finish the job.
Analise McKenna, 410 Peashway Street, stated, I'm a fifth (5th) grader at Good Shepard
Montessori School. My school focuses a lot on sustainability. We recycle a lot and we have
compost bins in every classroom. We have a farm curriculum where in fall, from the beginning of
school, to the start of winter, and in spring until the end of school, we go to a farm once a week.
During the winter last year, when we were not going to farm, our teacher started helping us make
compost bins called worm bins. They are big bins with worms and newspaper and the worms will
compost. She told us it would help us compost more food, and that would help us not waste a lot
more food. I thought that was really cool. My point is, if we have compost bins, along with
recycling bins around the City, less and less things would go to landfills and there would be less
pollution. Thank you.
Mike Keen, 1012 Riverside Drive, stated, I'm the founding Director of Center for a Sustainable
Future, and I'm currently a Principal with Thrive Michiana. I would like to start with an apology.
My apology is to all of the young people in this room, as a member of the baby boomer generation
that has been the most destructive generation in the history of our planet. We have created a mess
that unfortunately we have been unable to adequately respond to. I would like to say thank you to
all of those young people in this room who are going to help solve this mess, because you're
standing up tonight in a place that we should have been two (2) or three (3) decades ago. I hope
that your example is causing us to recognize that we do need to act as we think about it. We stand
at a pivotal point in the history of humanity. The history of our planet, in essence, we either have
the opportunity to realize the evolutionary potential of our species, or destroy our planet
completely, along with the other species that share it. That being said, I have a millennial hope. It
is the kinds of decisions and activity that are being taken in rooms like this across the country in
thousands of communities and around the world that will make that difference and will actually
create that change. It won't happen in the next ten (10) years, and it won't happen in the next
twenty(20) or thirty (30), but we can see the changes begin and perhaps in the next fifty (50) or
one hundred (100) years, we can begin to see ourselves moving toward a sustainable future for
Michiana and for all of the world. So, thank you everybody very much for helping us and being
the conscience for too many of us who have lost it, perhaps, in our older age. Thank you very
much.
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McKinley Lewis, 3105 Salem Drive, stated, Dear City Council, one (1) solution is to plant more
trees which help us breath. They also give us shade which cools down the city. Planting trees also
saves the City money by preventing flooding. Thank you.
Michael Dunam, 52473 Swanson Drive, I am sixteen (16) years old and I am a junior at John
Adams High School. I've been a member of Cub Scouts, Webelows and Boy Scouts for around a
total of seven(7) years. I am currently the senior patrol leader of Troop 173 which is out of Grace
United Methodist Church, and as of a month ago,an Eagle Scout.There is a pledge in scouts called
the Outdoor Cub, and it goes,As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manor,
be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation minded. Furthermore, in
order to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout,scouts must either earn the sustainability or environmental
science merit badge. Considering that this is an organization with over 2 million members, this
clearly demonstrates the need to educate youth on the importance of sustainability on a national
level. However, on a more local level,many troops in the area have spent countless hours cleaning
up trails, volunteering for parks, and picking up trash from around the rivers. In my personal
opinion, it is the job of scouts to ensure that we leave things better than they were before. When
we leave a campsite, or trail, we always make sure it is the same, if not better than when we first
(1St) found it. This is the idea of leave no trace. I personally think that the scout website actually
puts it best.The leave no trace principles might seem unimportant until you consider the combined
effects of millions of others. In the same way,we should all do our part to leave the earth as pristine
as we can for all of those who will come after us. Thank you.
Emily Smith,2320 Ribourde Drive, stated, I am here representing St. Joseph High School and our
environmental club,the Social and Ecological Concerns Organization(SECO). St. Joe and SECO,
in general,would just like to thank you for taking on the challenge that is legislating around climate
change. Within our club at St. Joe, we try to educate our student body and the rest of our
community on topics like fair trade and man-made climate change, and we do this through events
and videos that make them accessible and relatable to high schoolers. As high school and middle
school young adults gain more knowledge about climate change, the more it becomes apparent
that we have to stand up and fight alongside generations above us for acknowledgement of our
changing climate. Also, we have to recognize that it is the older generations that we have to work
with,not just fight against. We have to put our faith in these older generations to vote on the issues
that are affecting us right now and will continue to affect us as we grow up. We can't vote yet,we
can only trust in you guys. So, St. Joseph and SECO would just like to thank you for the ability to
be here to speak, for you to donate your time to listen to us. Thank you.
Theri Niemier, 3575 West Bertrand Road, Niles, MI, stated, I am the director of Bertrand Farm at
Good Shepard Montessori School,a working and educational urban farm here in Downtown South
Bend on the corner of Jefferson and Eddy. I've been a local farmer and educator for over twenty
(20) years, working to empower farmers and eaters to be the movement that builds localized food
economies, systems resilience. Agriculture is currently the number one (1) producer of all
greenhouse gas emissions. As much as thirty-three percent (33%) with transportation making up
half(1/2) of that. Of course greenhouse gases are linked to global warming and climate change.
I'm not sure that it's enough to focus on decreasing our emissions, but we must also put great
energy into syncing more of those. Agriculture is a big and necessary part of that discussion about
environmental restoration. Understanding the relationship between agriculture practices and
environmental health are at the heart of this conversation, and require an understanding of how
nature lifecycles work. This information will be as, if not more, important to the coming
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generation, as the traditional three(3)Rs. Bertrand Farm moved to the City last year in partnership
with Good Shepard Montessori School as a way of providing greater accessibility to food, farming
and sustainability education. Not just for our students, but the greater community. The urban farm
site on the school landscape allows for students,junior high especially, to get their hands dirty in
nature's lifecycle studies including science,economics,permaculture,environmental conservation
practices and nutrition. Giving students a deep understanding of our relationship with all living
things. Relationship fuels responsibility. The urban farm at Good Shepard is a proof concept
project that provides community education as well. The project will be shared with other schools
and small farmers to create interest in like partnerships. I would like to see a farm on every school
landscape. We provide summer farm camps for area youth, beginning farmer internships, adult
permaculture and gardening classes, and a community-sponsored agriculture program. Changing
food culture is a bottom-up movement, and we don't have the luxury of time. Our mission is to
connect people to local food production in order to promote personal and environmental health.
This begins with education. If ignorance is bliss,knowledge is responsibility. Come grow with us
this summer. Thank you very much.
Co-Committee Chair Teshka stated, We're running past our 7:30 p.m. deadline. We will hear out
the remaining speakers that are standing. I myself have to depart to go get my children, but thank
you all and I will make sure that I come back and read the record so I can hear what the remainder
of you guys have to say, but you are in good hands.
At 7:30 p.m., Co-Committee Chair Teshka left the meeting.
Christopher Cobb, 215 East Pokagon Street, stated, I want to start by thanking the Common
Council for holding these events and for the Climate Action Young Person's Alliance.This is very
very highly commendable work. It's very good that we're all in the room together talking about
this tonight. A few observations about where we are, I've heard two(2)different kinds of timelines
tonight, an ordinance by April, and maybe an ordinance by December. My experience with
governance process suggests that December may be the more realistic goal, given the way that
consensus for major policy changes has to be built across a community. That said, I would urge
the Council to recognize that while good governance process doesn't change in light of the climate
crisis, the kind of standard incrementalism that usually suffices for addressing problems is
probably not sufficient. Almost certainly not sufficient in this case. If we take more time to plan,
we still need to plan for very aggressive action moving forward if we're going to do our part in
mitigating the effects of climate change. This is directed more to the people in the room that we as
citizens of South Bend should also be aware that we are citizens of St. Joseph County, and that
what is going on in this room now is different from what may be going on in this room on other
nights of the week, when other branches of our government are at work here, and I urge those
present to be aware that there is what I would call counter-environmental planning going on in
certain branches of county government that can lead to very large scale industrial development in
northwest St. Joseph County. That could bring in a lot of very carbon intensive industry that is
already committed to expanding a massive fossil fuel energy plant and other retrograde industries
may also be being recruited into that industrial development. So, I would encourage you to be
aware of that and to recognize that the good work that we could be doing here may be offset by
bad work that is happening in the same community at the same time, just in a different area of
government. So, think about bringing the same message to the County Council as well as the
Common Council. We haven't heard any speakers speak about transit. Transpo has not been a
shining light in South Bend in recent years, so I think there is a real opportunity there that could
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be missed because there isn't a strong constituency speaking out about public transit in South
Bend. Equity and getting people out of their cars are both served by that, so don't forget about
transit. That's a curve that's really worth bending for the City. Thank you very much.
Becca Love, 915 Corby Blvd., stated, I'm here to talk about active transportation. In the context
of both MACOG and South Bend we heard about cycling infrastructure, the most common
pushback to that solution for our area of the country is that it is simply too cold and too snowy for
four(4) season cycling. My helmet and I are here to comment on that. As I rode here tonight I saw
at least three (3) other cyclists. The biggest barrier to four (4) season cycling in our area is not
temperature, it is infrastructure choices, and that means that the City's choices can make a
difference. Cycling not only reduces carbon emissions, it also reduces other pollutants that lead to
us having some of the worst air in the country, and it also helps fight the obesity related health
crisis. So, cycling can provide three (3) public health solutions for the price of one (1) which I
think is really great. South Bend is flat and compact, which means we could be really great for
cycling, and as we move toward looking at these various solutions to echo the gentleman earlier,
we need to consider what we can do not only to get people out recreationally cycling, but to get
them to replace car trips with bike trips for work and errands and so forth. Thank you.
Ellen Marks, 2205 Topsfield Road, stated, I want to also thank you for holding this meeting and
the meeting last week. I'm to thank all of the kids who are here really making a difference in the
community that they not only live in but that they will have responsibility for going forward. We
have been kicking the can down the road on climate change for a long time and we have run out
of road. It's so important that cities like South Bend are really stepping up and taking the lead and
setting an example for the rest of the country. I was so impressed by what I heard here today. I
think that, increasingly, people are recognizing that climate change is a real and imminent threat
to everything that we value, not just to our planet but to our health, our community wellbeing, our
safety, our agriculture, every aspect of who we are and how we live is affected by this. I think that
the City is making great strides. So, I just wanted to come and say thank you for pushing this
forward. We do need legislation to encourage and guide people in terms of making better choices
and to help them fund making better choices. Especially in communities that may be struggling
more in terms of being able to make the kind of difference they would like to make. Thank you
all.
Aleah Appling, 113 Cavanaugh Hall, stated,This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity of
being an intern at Bowman Creek Educational Ecosystem,and I spent most of my summer on High
Street on the Southeast side of South Bend. I came today because I have many friends that are in
the room. I've had the wonderful opportunity to work with a lot of the people who are here to share
with you the passion behind this project. One(1)of the great things about being a part of Bowman
Creek was seeing how many people are invested locally to find solutions to mitigate problems
when it comes to climate change. I've had the opportunity to work with Good Shepard and their
raingardens. I've also actively worked on affordable housing, and that also goes along with
sustainable housing. That's how you make those things affordable. We've also worked with
stormwater management. These are all really pivotal projects that have not only involved students
from many of the different universities here in South Bend,but people who are really dedicated to
their home and making it a better place. I think one (1) of the best things to see here is that you
have a room full of people with many different ages and many different backgrounds,that are here
with the same goal. I know that all the projects that Bowman Creek has worked on have been in
collaboration with the City. So, we know that you are here to support us and to help facilitate
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change,but legislation is needed in order to allow communities to survive and we must protect our
vulnerable. Those people are the younger generation and the older generations and people who
may not have the education or the power to speak up about how they feel about where they live.
I'm not originally from here, I am from Seattle, but I am really happy that I've spent my last four
(4) years here and I had an opportunity to see all the good energy that surrounds the City. I think
this is a wonderful opportunity to let the Office of Sustainability lead the way and to get everybody
under the same topic, under the same motive and moving toward the right direction.
Meredith Seward, 808 Corby Blvd., stated, Last week I was babysitting for a family that lives near
Notre Dame's campus, and they said that their basement had flooded. And the kids said and it's
fine because it's our favorite maintenance guy. And that really stuck with me that their house has
been flooded that many times in the last couple of years that the kids had a favorite flooding
maintenance guy and they knew them well enough to ask him a lot of questions, and as beautiful
as that relationship was to see, the cause for it, I found to be really concerning. It also made me
feel a little bit helpless, because I as an individual can do all that I can to take the bus everywhere
I go,bring my own reusable bags to the store,turn down the temperature in my house in the winter,
but that's not going to be where the big change needs to happen. As Aleah just mentioned, South
Bend has been a leader before with environmental issues particularly with the Bowman Creek
Ecosystem and that's been a way in which South Bend has paved the path for other Cities around
the country to have similar projects. I would love to see South Bend take those leadership qualities
and pass a climate ordinance here and be a leader throughout the country,saying that climate action
is a priority here and we want to protect the citizens that live here. Thank you.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, Even though we said last speakers on the line, if anyone else
wants to jump in, we'll allow it. Thank you all very much. With regard to next meeting, probably
the best place is, I'm going to encourage you to look to the City's website, go to the Common
Council's section of the website, you'll see that listed under the Departments, we're one(1) of the
Departments, and then from there you could follow this issue under meetings and agendas. Then
from there at the Health and Public Safety and Utilities Committee, it will be tracked there.
Additionally,a point person, and I would recommend following her on Twitter and Facebook, and
I'll let Therese make her own plug on that.
Ms. Dorau stated,Yes,Twitter and Facebook. I'll keep everyone updated on any meetings that get
scheduled on this topic, and our handle is @SustainSB on both Facebook and Twitter.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, Champions, Facebook,maybe you could tip everybody to the
Climate Champions website.
Ms. Brebeck stated, We have a Facebook Page, Climate Champions of South Bend. Do not use
Youth Task Force of South Bend, no one has any way to log into that account.
Co-Committee Chair Broden asked if there were any closing comments.
Committee Member Voorde stated, I would like to echo Professor Keen's remarks. I am part of
that generation that messed things up and its incumbent on me to begin to take responsibility for
turning things around. It wasn't too long ago that I needed to be convinced that climate change
was a problem, as opposed to an actual cycle of weather. So, from a what can we do right now
standpoint,I think its apparent that as we begin to look at the 2020 budget.Though Councilmember
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*CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK
would guess, and I don't want to discourage anyone who is advocating an ordinance, but I think
that would be a tough sell to get done by April or March, so it would be my suggestion as a body
here that we first (1st)pass a resolution to heighten the awareness of the importance of this and to
put in mind for the rest of the Council what we have to do through the budget process this summer
and then I don't know if it has to be as late as December, but sometime this fall, maybe early this
fall, get that ordinance. I'm all for being the second (2nd) city in the nation to pass an ordinance
before I exit stage left here. So, anyway, I'll be working toward that.
Co-Committee Chair Broden stated, Thank you very much. An important point is that the
Administration is currently working on a budget, right? We typically see that around the first(1st)
of July, correct? At least get an early peak sneak. And then we have to finalize that by November
1st, correct? It has to be signed by us and by the Administration. So, that's an important schedule
to keep in mind, and I would like to recognize before our departure tonight, we have a couple of
individuals in the chambers from the Administration, and if I could direct attention to Suzanna
Fritzberg from the Office of the Mayor and if you'll stand up please, as well as Jaimie Morgan
from the Mayor's Office. Thank you all, I think that should conclude the evening. Special thanks
to Graham Sparks and to our attorney,Bob Palmer, and to my Common Council peers Mr. Voorde
and Mr. Teshka.
With no further business, Co-Committee Chair Broden adjourned the Joint Health and Public
Safety and Utilities Committee Meeting at 7:47 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jo . Broden, Co-Committee Chair
J e Teshka, Co-Committee Chair
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