Benicia City Council will decide Tuesday whether to accept a recommendation to use Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Committee Settlement Agreement money to fund most of the cost to keep Alex Porteshawver as the city’s Climate Action Plan coordinator.
Since she became the city’s primary contact with Sonoma State University, with which the city had contracted in 2012 for climate plan coordinating services, Porteshawver has joined PMC, a firm that has an office in Oakland.
PMC, Sonoma State and the city agreed to transfer the remainder of the contract to Porteshawver’s new employer. But that contract ends June 30.
PMC has proposed a two-year contract that would reduce Porteshawver’s time in Benicia, but would give the city access to the company’s additional technical expertise that would streamline some of her tasks and make other assignments possible.
In a report to City Manager Brad Kilger, Community Development Director Christina Ratcliffe wrote that at its May 21 meeting the Community Sustainability Commission recommended funding the first year of the continued work program with $150,000 in Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Committee Settlement Agreement funds. The CSC also recommended that $75,078 of the second year’s cost come from that source, and urged the Council to earmark the balance, $25,000, from General Fund reserves.
Ratcliffe wrote that the settlement agreement fund has $449,000 available.
The CSC has received seven grant requests totaling $399,264 that would come from the Valero-Good Neighbor fund: a $100,000 turf rebate request from the city and its Public Works department; $99,400 for the WattzOn Benicia home efficiency program; $69,889 requested by the city, Public Works and Water Smart for water conservation; $50,000 requested by the city and the Community Development Department for solar rebates; $48,300 requested by Arts Benicia for a project it calls “Doing Our pART”; $26,675 requested by the Benicia Tree Foundation for its Thousand Trees project; and $5,000 requested by the CSC itself to celebrate National Drive Electric Week.
As Ratcliffe noted, “The implementation and monitoring of the CAP is identified as a Council priority, implementing both General Plan goals and Strategic Plan policies,” adding that Porteshawver is an experienced CAP coordinator with “a proven track record” who now would have contract support staff with technical expertise.
But she cautioned the Council, “Funding the PMC contract, and thereby reducing the General Fund reserves, for Fiscal Year 2016-17 would not be in keeping with the status quo budget as the General Fund has not previously funded this program. However, the amount requested would not reduce the reserves below the General Fund Reserve policy of 20 percent.”
Accompanying the contract is a list of Climate Action Plan-related work items PMC would perform, based on what the firm, the CSC and city employees have viewed as the highest-priority projects, to be completed in the next year.
PMC brings “a great deal of technical experience and expertise to the city,” Ratcliffe wrote.
For instance, it is proposing a comprehensive monitoring tool that would contain all CAP measures, strategies, performance and greenhouse gas emission tracking, and be able to produce easily understood reports about the data.
“In addition, the CAP coordinator has been an extraordinarily good value over the past years,” Ratcliffe wrote. Porteshawver has generated more than $489,000 in grants, savings and financial assistance to Benicia.
Should the Council concur with the recommendation, it would vote June 16 on a revision to the city’s current agreement with PMC.
The Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a closed session to discuss real estate matters related to the Benicia Industrial Park Broadband Project.
The regular meeting will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 250 East L St.
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It appears to be a good investment for the city. The only issue is the Time at City Hall by the CAP co-ordinator. That person should be spending all her time at city hall traning someone ,when the time comes for the city to take ful;l control. Not in Benicia, you cannot train from Oakland. Do that and then support the 25 thou. Also cut the grants to tree and Arts Benicia and the CSC 5 thou grants plus some others. Bye bye CSC.
The climate of the earth has been changing since the beginning of time and will continue long after we are extinct from this planet. I say do away with any and all plans for spending money on this stupid notion. It is a problem looking for a solution. The left and the main stream media spin doctors will tell you that the debate is settled but not so much. They want the debate to be over based upon their blatantly falsified data modeling but the truth is steadily coming out. Here is but one item from NASA regarding such data.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2015/05/19/updated-nasa-data-polar-ice-not-receding-after-all/
I saw this graph earlier, and it is revealing:
If it does not post correctly, here is a link:
http://townhall.com/columnists/patrickmichaels/2015/05/29/when-will-climate-scientists-say-they-were-wrong-n2005122?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=
Who Is John Christy? Another sky god/ climate change denier, who would have thunk it?
More on Mr. Christy for the readers, our citizenry and our appointed and elected officials to consider…
“Christy released a study that claimed snowfall in the Sierra Nevada has remained consistent for 130 years, with no noticeable effect from climate change.”
“James Taylor of the Heartland Institute penned a Forbes article where he claimed that Christy’s findings “refute frequent assertions by global warming alarmists that global warming is adversely affecting Sierra Nevada snowfall and snowpack.” The climate change skeptic blog Watts Up With That also publicized the story. ”
“”When asked about the reaction to his paper, Christy said “In general, it depends on what religion you have. If you believe Man is doing horrible things to the planet, then you can’t believe this report. If you believe the other way, then this is a chapter in your bible.”
More interesting facts below:
http://www.desmogblog.com/john-christy
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/05/26/climate_change_denying_reality_is_a_threat_to_our_nation.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/05/27/climate-skeptics-think-you-shouldnt-worry-about-melting-polar-ice-heres-why-theyre-wrong/
Well I guess the confirmed Solialists running for President will be able to solve that with Soros money.
OK, sure.
From the above commenter:
More on “James Taylor” (hint not the singer of Steam-Roller Blues) another climate change denier, exposed.
More information for our readers, our citizenry and our past and present appointed and elected officials
Mr. Taylor’s,….Stance on Climate Change
“The evidence is powerful, straightforward, and damning. NASA satellite instruments precisely measuring global temperatures show absolutely no warming during the past the past 10 years.”
More information/documented-sourced facts in the post below on Mr. Taylor’s scientific background.
http://www.desmogblog.com/james-taylor
Stop it Will. Your comments will change nothing. It is over and the compromise will be accepted by the city council. Will go to r subject.. This one is over and so are you.
Why you folks do not get it is beyond me. CSC caved and the City Council will accept and pay the twenty-five thou with possibly some strings. It will be minor put to the benefit of the city. Thats is. Over and out. No need for anymore silly comments. It is over. Everyone will be happy.
Wasn’t it just a month ago that the city manager warned of lack of funds and this blog was debating tax increases?
So why are we even discussing more expenditures?
If Valero is willing to pay, I say the money should go to a general fund account.
Matter your commemnt is correct. The CSC did roll over and is now asking for only $25 thou. The good part about all of this is that the CSC is about to run out of Valero Good Neighbor money. The CSC then lose a lot of their clout. The important thing I do hope happens is that the CAP Co-ordinator must spend at least three days in Benicia to help train an employee to take over tiose responsibilities after this contract.