[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Troy 4-3-2014 by Ord. No. 14. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The City of Troy formally adopted a "Climate Smart Communities"
Pledge on November 9th, 2012, recognizing the threat of climate change
to our City operations, citizens, and the planet and outlining initial
steps that should be taken to mitigate this threat, increase energy
efficiency, and build resilience and sustainability in our City. The
Joint Task Force on Sustainability and Climate Smart Practices in
Community Planning is empowered to audit and advise the City on energy,
waste, efficiency, and climate related issues.
The City Council of the City of Troy hereby creates a task force
which shall be known as the "Joint Task Force on Sustainability and
Climate Smart Practices in Community Planning," hereinafter called
the "Sustainability Task Force."
A.
The task force shall consist of nine voting members:
(1)
A Chair to be appointed by the Mayor in consultation with the City
Council.
(2)
A representative of the Mayor, who shall be responsible for maintaining
a collaborative relationship between the Sustainability Task Force
and the City departments and agencies.
(3)
A representative of the City Council, who shall be responsible for
maintaining a collaborative relationship between the Sustainability
Task Force and the City Council.
(4)
Up to three City employees, appointed by the Mayor based on their interest and expertise in sustainability and Climate Smart practices, the impact of their official position on these initiatives, and their availability to participate in the Sustainability Task Force. The three City employees must agree to the Mayor's appointment and further agree to serve at no compensation (§ 53-7) for hours exceeding those hours as outlined in binding union contracts. In the event that three City employee appointments cannot be made, the Mayor reserves the right to appoint individuals whose expertise and background that, in his/her opinion, best benefit the task force's goals and objectives.
(5)
Up to three citizen appointees, who live in the City of Troy, appointed
by the City Council based on their experience in the field and availability
to participate in the Sustainability Task Force.
B.
The Sustainability Task Force may also include up to five nonvoting
members with expertise in the field from other agencies and organizations
in the region, with three to be appointed by the Mayor and two to
be appointed by the City Council on an as-needed basis.
C.
The term of office of Sustainability Task Force members shall be
three years and shall run from April 22 through April 21, except that,
of the members first appointed, three members shall serve for one
year, three shall serve for two years, and three shall serve a full
three-year term; with one of the Mayor's initial appointments
to serve one year, two to serve two years and one to serve three years;
with two of the Council's initial appointments to serve one year,
one to serve two years, and one to serve three years; with the Chair
serving three years.
D.
When a member's term ends, they may remain on the Sustainability
Task Force until such time as a replacement is appointed, and may
be reappointed for another three-year term at the discretion of his/her
appointing authority.
E.
Vacancies on the Sustainability Task Force shall be filled in the
same manner as the original appointment, except that a vacancy occurring
other than by the expiration of term of office shall be filled only
for the remainder of the unexpired term.
F.
The Chair of the City Council's Planning Committee, the Director
of Parks and Recreation, the Supervisor of the Department of Public
Works, the Commissioner of Planning and Economic Development, and
the City Solid Waste Management Coordinator shall be available to
the Sustainability Task Force, in an advisory capacity only.
A.
The Chair shall preside over all official meetings of the Sustainability
Task Force.
B.
Records of all meetings shall be kept and filed with the City Clerk.
C.
A meeting schedule shall be established by the Chair and shall be
approved by a majority vote of the membership. All meetings shall
be open to the public.
The powers and duties of the Sustainability Task Force shall
be to:
A.
Advise the Mayor and the City Council on matters relating to energy
use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, impacts of climate change and
municipal solid waste, including recycling and composting.
B.
Conduct studies, surveys, and inventories of energy use, greenhouse
gas emissions, and such other studies and surveys as may be necessary
to carry out the general purposes of this chapter.
C.
Advise the Mayor and City Council on ongoing and sustainable funding
mechanisms to enable the implementation of Climate Smart initiatives
and measure the financial, environmental, and climate impacts of said
initiatives.
D.
Work in cooperation with the Planning Commission and recommend as
appropriate to the Mayor plans and programs relating to energy and
climate change mitigation for inclusion in the Master Plan of the
City of Troy and, similarly, recommend to the City Council appropriate
and desirable changes in existing local laws and ordinances relating
to Climate Smart Goals or new local laws and ordinances.
E.
Work collaboratively with similar task forces in neighboring communities
to ensure that efforts complement and reinforce one another.
F.
Seek to coordinate, assist, and unify the efforts of private groups,
institutions, and individuals within the City of Troy in accordance
with the purposes of this chapter.
G.
Gather data, inventory GHG emissions, and establish baselines for
local government operations and community sectors. Develop quantifiable
interim GHG emission targets consistent with emission reduction goals
and propose a schedule and financing strategy to meet them. Encourage
stakeholder and public input and develop an action plan. Report emissions
to The Climate Registry (TCR), which has developed a standardized
method for reporting emissions inventories; use International Council
for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and TCR's tools to
track and evaluate progress.
H.
Work directly with the Mayor and City departments to set ongoing
goals for decreasing electricity and fossil fuel energy demand consistent
with the Climate Smart Communities pledge.
I.
Develop plans to supply as much of the City's power, heat and
hot water needs as possible from solar, wind, and small hydro primarily
through direct generation and secondarily through purchase.
J.
Carry out such other duties as may be assigned from time to time
by the Mayor or by resolution of the City Council.
K.
Identify opportunities to incorporate climate protection, sustainability
and environmental goods and service industries into economic development
plans. Encourage workforce development training and school curricula
that support the emerging green collar job sector, including renewable
energy and energy efficiency, as well as Climate Smart solid waste
management practices.
L.
Evaluate risks from unavoidable climate change, set adaptation goals
and plan for adaptation. Identify climate change impacts (such as
flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures) that could affect the
community. Identify areas such as water supply and sewer infrastructure
that may be at risk due to sea-level rise and future changes in climate.
The Sustainability Task Force shall maintain ongoing communication
with the Mayor, City Council and any relevant City departments through
the chair. Annually, no later than the first day of April, the Sustainability
Task Force shall submit a written report outlining their activities
over the past year and goals for the next year. In addition to the
annual report, the Chair, in consultation with the members of the
Task Force, may authorize and require additional project specific
reports to be drafted and submitted to the Mayor, City Council and
any relevant City department for review and comment. The individual
or subcommittee of the Task Force responsible for drafting said additional
reports shall be determined by the Chair in consultation with Task
Force members.
The members of the Sustainability Task Force shall receive no
compensation for their service as members.
This chapter shall be deemed an exercise of the powers of the
City of Troy to increase efficiency, build resilience and sustainability,
and reduce climate impact. This chapter is not intended and shall
not be deemed to impair the powers of any other public corporation.
