Title
Approval of LARES Working Group Recommendations for the purpose of Accelerating Los Alamos County Carbon Reduction Initiatives
Recommended Action
I move that Council direct the County Manager to return by the first Council Meeting in 2024 with action plans to address LARES recommendations listed in ATTACHMENT A.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The LARES Council Working Group identified 14 recommendations that are presented herein ATTACHMENT A and requests County Council approval.
Body
On February 22, 2022, County Council accepted the LARES Final Report and immediately funded two of the LARES Budget Request Items during the FY23 budget process. The two items funded were the Comprehensive, Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Study (GR-2) and for the Climate Action Plan (CAP) (GR-3).
County departments and boards have incorporated many of the LARES recommendations into their FY24 workplans, while others are contingent on the outcome of the Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Study and Climate Action Plan.
The Environmental Sustainability Board has identified 11 recommendations that are focused mainly on education and outreach, while the Board of Public Utilities is working on 12 of the LARES recommendations. Two of 47 recommendations have been completed including:
GR-4: Create and fund a senior staff position (e.g., “sustainability coordinator”) to lead and coordinate the work of all County departments, including the Department of Public Utilities, to meet the County’s net-zero and other resiliency and sustainability goals.
GR-6: Create an on-going body of (largely citizen) collaborative stakeholders to advise Council, Department and Board of Public Utilities, and other relevant County bodies on implementing the goals and strategies recommended in the climate action plan and monitor progress. On March 14, 2023, County Council appointed the Environmental Sustainability Board to fill this capacity.
The Sustainability Manager was in support of implementing the recommendations of LARES. The charter language for ESB remained unchanged; however, the Sustainability Manager and ESB will reside under the County Manager’s Office for support.
Subsequently a LARES Council Working Group was established to review LARES recommendations and extract items to be worked on in advance of the Climate Action Plan. The LARES Working Group consists of three Los Alamos County Council members Theresa Cull, Suzie Havemann and Randall Ryti, one Board of Public Utilities Member, Robert Gibson and Los Alamos County Sustainability Manager, Angelica Gurule. LARES Working Group serves as an advisory group to the County Council for the purpose of identifying LARES recommendations to bring forward for approval. The recommendations selected by the LARES Working Group are policy driven and focus on initiatives that will accelerate carbon emission reduction in County operations and mitigate climate change. The LARES Working Group selected 14 recommendations that are presented herein ATTACHMENT A and requests County Council approval. If approved, the LARES Working Group proposes County Manager and staff return to County Council by the first County Council meeting in 2024 with an action plan to implement each of the selected recommendations.
Alternatives
County Council could choose not to approve these recommendations and wait for the completion of the Greenhouse Gas Study and Climate Action Plan scheduled for October 2024.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
The LARES Working Group understands that some of the recommendations may require strategic investments. These fiscal impacts should be analyzed and presented in a timely manner, either through a mid-year request or during the FY25 budget cycle.
Attachments
A - LARES Working Group Recommendations
B - LARES Working Group Recommendations Presentation