Label
Council Members Gadus, Komives and Melden
Title
Amending the Toledo Municipal Code by enacting a new Chapter 182, Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission and creating the One Percent for the Environment Program; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The City hereby declares its commitment to addressing factors of climate change/environmental inequalities in the City of Toledo by establishing a commission to serve in an advisory role and develop a plan to dedicate funding for these purposes. This commission will advise the Mayor and City Council on energy, climate mitigation, and sustainability initiatives; and develop a process by which 1% for the Environment Fund is invested in initiatives, programs or organizations focused on addressing local air and water quality, renewable energy development, residential energy and home efficiency, greenspace, workforce development, neighborhood safety, construction controls, waste alternatives and recycling, and watershed protections, especially in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation within the City of Toledo.
Summary
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That a new Chapter 182 of the Toledo Municipal Code is enacted as follows:
182.01 Commission Created
182.02 Membership
182.03 Duties of Commission
182.04 Organization and Meetings
182.05 One Percent for the Environment Program
182.01 Commission Created
There is hereby created the Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission, which shall consist of ten members who shall serve without compensation.
182.02 Membership
(a) The membership of this Commission shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to the confirmation of Council:
i. One member representing a metropark or land conservation;
ii. Two members representing statewide environmental organization;
iii. One member representing academic institutions;
iv. One member representing Toledo residents 55 and older with knowledge in climate/environmental energy and sustainability;
v. One member representing youth 12-18 years of age with an interest in climate and the environment;
vi. Three members representing area environmental organizations;
vii. One member representing business/economic development
viii. Two members representing labor
ix. Six members representing the residents of the City of Toledo. One representative from each district. The Commission shall represent the racial, ethnic and economic diversity of the City of Toledo.
(b) Terms. All members shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, except for the youth representative, which will serve a one-year term. The first appointments shall be for staggered terms.
182.03 Duties of the Commission.
The Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission is formed to act as an advisory board to the Mayor and City Council in efforts to develop and implement policies and projects for the protection and integrity of the natural environment. Additionally, the Commission shall develop a process by which 1% for the Environment Fund is invested in area initiatives, programs, or organizations focused on addressing the following issues within the City of Toledo, including but not limited to:
a. Sustainable growth management and land-use planning practices;
b. The development and deployment of planning, planting, maintenance, and replacement of trees within the city with emphasis on tree canopies around the city;
c. Water quality;
d. Construction controls for erosion and sedimentation;
e. Solid waste disposal alternatives and recycling;
f. Watershed protections on Lake Erie that take place under the jurisdiction of the City of Toledo;
g. Investing in neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted by pollution;
h. Neighborhood safety around brownfields and urban manufacturing areas;
i. energy efficiency and home weatherization programs;
j. Expanding renewable energy development, with an emphasis on those that benefit low income individuals and that broaden access to energy efficiency and clean renewable energy infrastructure to low income communities and communities of color;
k. Workforce development for jobs in sustainability, water quality, and/or the renewable energy sector, prioritizing development opportunities for traditionally underemployed and economically disadvantaged workers;
l. Supporting the just transition of local communities through programming with social and economic benefits;
m. Budget costs associated with future impacts of climate change, including costs to city government, local businesses, and individual residents; and
n. Supporting community organizations helping to mitigate impacts of climate change for residents of the City of Toledo.
183.04 Organization, meetings and staffing.
(a) The Commission shall elect its own chairman and such officers as it deems necessary. The Commission may create such committees and sub-committees as it shall deem necessary to carry out the function of the Commission. It shall prescribe its own rules of procedure and shall keep a record of its transactions and report quarterly to the Mayor and Council in the committee of Water and Sustainability. It shall meet not less than once each month.
(b) The Commission shall be assisted by at least one city staff member who shall be assigned to the Commission full-time and shall assist with the planning and implementation of the policies and projects.
182.05 One Percent for the Environment; method of calculation.
(a) The annual General Fund Budget submitted to Council for approval shall include a line from the General Fund in an amount equivalent to the allocation made pursuant Toledo Municipal Code Section 167.06(c)(1). These funds shall be transferred to and maintained in the One Percent for the Environment Fund.
(b) After passage of the annual General Fund Budget by Council, the Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Commission shall review and approve an Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Plan, which identifies specific projects, funding allocations, and recommended approaches for all environmental protection and climate resilience projects to proceed during the year.
(c) The Commission shall prepare and submit to council a proposed annual ordinance, and such other ordinances as are necessary from time to time, authorizing the expenditure of the one percent (1%) moneys described in subsection (a) hereof in accordance with the approved Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience Plan.
(d) Environmental protection and climate resilience projects approved pursuant to subsection (c) hereof shall be included in authorizing legislation initiated by the responsible City department to transfer funds for approved projects into departmental accounts and to let contracts and agreements.
SECTION 2. It is found and determined that all formal actions of this Council concerning and relating to the passage of this Ordinance were passed in an open meeting of this Council, and that all deliberations of this Council and any of its committees that resulted in such formal action, were in meetings open to the public, in compliance with all legal requirements including Section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code.
SECTION 3. That this Ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that the same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and property and so that the environmental protection initiatives can be implemented quickly and efficiently.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Passed: _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ __________________________________
Mayor
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an Ordinance passed by Council ________________________.
Attest: ________________________
Clerk of Council