Two reports to the City Council have suggested there’s more work to be done if the city is to meet its sustainability and financial goals.

Chairperson Constance Beutel and Vice Chairperson Kathy Kerridge, in presenting the annual Community Sustainability Commission report to the Council, said Dec. 2 they were disappointed Benicia hasn’t done a better job of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Councilmember Tom Campbell, in another report, said the city’s investments report indicates the city’s return is low.

“I wish it were better,” Beutel said as she told the Council Benicia missed its 2010 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal by 174,391 equivalent metric tons (MTCO2E).

“We need to reduce annual GHG emissions my 35,059.34 metric tons annually to reach our GHG emissions reduction goal of 250,364 metric tons,” she said.

Climate Action Plan Coordinator Alex Porteshawver has said the annual reduction estimates might need to be increased to 100,000 MTCO2E.

Either way, Benicia has missed the goal. “The total annual reduction achieved by Benicia is only 4,828.62 MTCO2E,” she said.

Kerridge praised the Council for voting to switch from Pacific Gas and Electric to Marin Clean Energy as its electricity provider to residential and commercial customers. She said that’s expected to reduce emissions by 5,803.8 MTCO2E every year.

She called on the Council to provide incentives or encouragement for solar panels, which would reduce emissions by 1,290 metric tons. Doing the same for alternative-fuel vehicle purchases would reduce emissions by 475 metric tons for every 100 electric vehicles.

Providing commercial and industrial businesses with an alternative to natural gas could save 440.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, she said.

Benicia should invest in water capture and purification, become energy self-sufficient and enact and enforce greener building ordinances, she said, as well as recruit what she called “new economy” businesses – among them, clean technology and food production companies.

Because climate change is expected to raise the sea level, she said, the city also should be addressing moving those who built on waterfront property.

Of the various programs underwritten by the Commission using money from the Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Committee Settlement Agreement fund, the best return on investment has been the 34 residential solar installations, which prevented release of 570 metric tons of carbon dioxide, at 175.44 per ton, the report said.

Kerridge said the $3,000 rebate “was a tipping point” that encouraged the homeowners to add panels to their properties. She said the Commission was considering offering smaller rebates to determine if the lower amount still would encourage construction.

Next on the list is the solar array at Pump Station 3, which avoided release of 811 MTCO2E at $316 a ton.

WattzOn’s program of analyzing residential power and water use and making conservation recommendations to homeowners cost $1,614 for each of the 182 MTCO2E that haven’t been released.

A similar program at the Benicia Industrial Park, the Business Resource Incentive Program (BRIP) has cost $2,163.15 for each metric ton of carbon dioxide it prevents from being released, and the highest cost program is the Benicia Tree Foundation, at $6,250 for every greenhouse gas metric ton release it prevents.

Currently, Benicia isn’t operating in a sustainable way, nor is it keeping the environmental, economic and social elements of sustainability in balance, Beutel said. Environmentally, it has minimal “green” building codes, the city depends on fossil fuel production; and residents’ use of public transportation is minimal, she said.

Socially, the city has an active arts community, a strong faith community and excellent schools, she said. However, she pointed out that 165 cases of cancer are diagnosed annually and each year, residents make 123 trips to emergency rooms for asthsma-related complaints.

Under economics Beutel again said the city’s budget depends heavily on a single source, Valero Benicia Refinery, although it has a vibrant downtown shopping area.

Beutel and Kerridge said the Commission is seeking better communication with the Council, but Vice Mayor Mark Hughes took exception to Beutel’s description of meeting with the Council as encountering “flaming hoops of fire.”

He said the Council has granted “the vast majority” of the Commission’s requests, explaining that when he was a member of a different advisory panel, it didn’t get all it wanted, either.

“I want the community to get the right idea,” he said. “In five years, this Council has been supportive.”

Councilmember Christina Strawbridge said she had hoped to see more on the relationship of sustainability and economic development, especially since the city’s industrial component “is the big culprit” in greenhouse gas emissions. To that end, she urged support for the BRIP program.

But that was one of the areas in which the Council and the Commission disagreed, Beutel said. The advisory had recommended $200,000 in a recent grant request for BRIP; instead, the Council awarded $500,000, she said, adding that the Commission was frustrated that investments in BRIP had done little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Councilmember Alan Schwartzman said it’s “important to bring back the rebate” for solar installation. He praised the Commission, saying it was hard-working. “I applaud what you are doing,” he said, adding that most of the time, the rest of the Council is just as supportive.

But the panel might need to look at how it’s perceived by some members of the public, he said. The Commission’s “passion comes across as entitlement – mistakenly,” he said. “Bottom line, you’re an advisory commission.”

If the Commission wanted interaction with the Council, “you got it,” Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said. She suggested the panel look at the Safe Routes to School program, which encourages pupils and their families find alternatives to driving the children to school.”

She approved of including health data in the report, calling it “intriguing.”

“You should feel proud of what you have done,” she said.

Regarding the city’s investments report, which is delivered after examination by the Finance Committee, Campbell had no concern about the contents of the report, but said, “At some point, we need to look at our policy.”

He noted that the city’s investments range from 1/2 of a percent to 1 percent in returns. “If you factor in the inflation rate, we’re going negative. We need to look at other options,” he said.

Since the Council had no question about the actual investments report, the panel unanimously accepted the document.

Campbell is an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee, as is Strawbridge. Currently, Treasurer Kenneth Paulk is a non-voting member, too. However, Campbell won the Council’s approval to consider changing the treasurer’s status at a future Council meeting.

“The pattern is consistent,” Campbell said of the city’s investments. “It’s consistently not doing well. At best, it’s holding even.”

Schwartzman agreed the Council should discuss the matter, but warned that there were few safe investments. “We need to be very careful.” He said rates are improving, and expressed hope that as they rise, the city’s portfolio would be more productive.

City Manager Brad Kilger said the rules for city investing are strict. “There is very limited flexibility, and very stringent requirements.”

Patterson said the city’s own policy is patterned after Fairfield’s award-winning program, although its rules are tighter. She suggested revisiting Fairfield’s rules and deciding whether Benicia might modify its policy.

After Kilger said city employees already are in the midst of preparing for the next budget and revising its 10-year forecast and fee schedule, she suggested the Finance Committee look at the matter.