Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on a Resolution of the City Council of the City of McKinney, Texas Authorizing the Interim City Manager to Execute an Amendment to the Contract with Gresham, Smith and Partners to Develop a Sustainability Plan for the City of McKinney
Summary
MEETING DATE: January 18, 2011
DEPARTMENT: Office of Environmental Stewardship
CONTACT: Julie Smith, Manager
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Approve Resolution amending Sustainability Contract
ITEM SUMMARY:
• On September 21, 2010, the City Council approved a Department of Energy grant-funded contract for Gresham Smith and Partners to develop a Sustainability Plan (Plan) for the City. The total contract amount is $120,000.
• Another grant activity involved hiring a position to assist with the implementation of the grant projects for $120,000 over three years. However, because this position was hired October 28, 2010, and the grant ends September 2012, funding for only two years will be needed. As a result, this activity will have a “savings” of $40,000.
• The Department of Energy permits shifting funding from one activity to another without amending the grant. (Any funding not used will revert back to DOE.)
• Given the importance of the Sustainability Plan to the success of not only the other DOE grant activities but to all the City’s current and future sustainability initiatives, staff recommends shifting the remaining $40,000 to the Sustainability Plan grant activity.
• By increasing the contract amount from $120,000 to $160,000 several critical elements may be added not only to the process of developing the Sustainability Plan but also to developing successful implementation strategies. Specifically, the increase will fund in-depth stakeholder participation and an enhanced benchmarking analysis for comparing existing sustainability programs, ordinances, best management practices, and metrics in terms of successful implementation. Funding would also permit collecting and analyzing additional information focusing on the following elements: database systems, management involvement and associated management systems, and incorporation of sustainability planning into master planning.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The City has been obligated monies as part of the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program for nine activities including developing the Sustainability Plan. The total grant is $1,071,500.
• The City Council-approved contract for Gresham Smith and Partners totals $120,000. Staff is requesting to amend this amount to $160,000.
• On October 28, 2010, the Environmental Grants Coordinator, funded by the DOE grant, was hired. However, the grant amount funded for this position had assumed the position would be hired a year earlier in 2009. As a result, this activity will only use $80,000 over the life of the grant instead of the DOE-approved $120,000 for a “savings” of $40,000. In order not to have the unused funds revert back to DOE, they must be rolled into another grant activity.
• The basic goals of the Community Sustainability Plan activity are to:
o Build upon and ensure the coordination of stakeholder engagement and leveraging strategies within the City of McKinney, including existing organizational efforts currently underway to identify and support sustainability objectives.
o Identify and prioritize activities for leveraging fiscal and non-fiscal resources in support of the City of McKinney’s objectives.
o Identify and implement strategies to build the capacity of organizations, individuals, and champions to participate in sustaining community-wide investment and participation.
o Build and nurture a shared, community-wide ownership of and participation in the City of McKinney sustainability vision through developing partnerships between individuals, governments, corporations, and foundations working to identify physical, natural, and fiscal resources and achieve similar results.
o Develop clear and measurable sustainability goals with associated, potential implementation tools.
o Coordinate with and incorporate into the Sustainability Plan the other seven DOE-funded grant activities: development of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy, building monitor system, LED streetlights, urban canopy study, commuter bike master plan, water conservation program, and a renewable energy demonstration project.
• Additional funding will permit the following enhancements and additions:
o Provide additional interactive, community-wide workshops, modified per the public input received in the initial workshop scheduled for February 12, 2011. The goals of the additional workshops will be two-fold: 1) to receive input on the initial draft and final sustainability plan and capture the suggestions of the community members on how sustainability will be incorporated into the City, and 2) to take advantage of the input generated from the initial community meeting to proactively continue a sustainability dialogue between the City and the community on sustainability-related topics.
o Collect additional information on implementation approaches utilized by other cities that have proven to be successful. This includes consideration of the following elements: database systems, management and involvement and associated management systems, and incorporation of sustainability planning into master planning.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
• This contract amendment, if approved, would move un-used grant funding from one activity to another and does not require any matching funding.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
• N/A