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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.07.16 Minutes  Minutes    Monday,  November  7,  2016    6:15  PM   Robert  Gilliam  Municipal  Complex,  City  Hall   Second  Floor  South  Conference  Room   150  Dexter  Ct.,  Elgin,  IL  60120     A. Call  to  order  (chairperson)     B. Roll  Call  (staff  liaison)   Prior  to  this  meeting,  Commissioner  Frazier  resigned  and  Commissioner  Fitton  was  appointed  by   City  Council.  Chairperson  Knoerr  and  Commissioners  Aagesen,  Fitton,  Hajek,  Hernandez,  Keare,   and  Segel  present.       C. Approval  of  previous  meeting’s  minutes   October  2016  meeting  minutes  were  approved.     D. Discussion  Items   1. Elgin  Green  Groups  350  letter  of  support   Evaluate  need  for  a  carbon  fee  to  address  climate  change  and  suggested  support   Sandy  Kaptain  is  the  chair  of  the  Elgin  Green  Groups.  The  discussion  item  was  named   incorrectly  as  the  letter  of  support  is  a  request  from  the  Citizens  Climate  Lobby  (CCL)   organization,  which  Mrs.  Kaptain  is  also  a  member  of.  Deni  Mathews,  chair  for  Citizens   Climate  Lobby  was  also  present.  The  CCL  organization  has  been  around  for  7  years.  Every   June,  the  group  goes  to  Congress  to  lobby  for  passing  a  carbon  fee  and  dividend.  The   group  has  a  very  sharp  focus  on  working  to  get  legislative  action  toward  a  carbon  fee.  CCL   calls  it  a  carbon  “fee,”  because  the  money  collected  would  be  given  back  to  citizens.  Coal,   oil  and  gas  sources  would  pay  a  rate,  starting  at  $15  per  ton.  100%  of  the  money  collected   from  such  a  fee  would  be  returned  to  all  American  families,  but  it  has  not  been   determined  how  it  would  be  returned  (check,  income  tax  rebate,  etc).  Climate  change  is   escalating,  and  the  models  have  been  refined  as  it  is  happening  faster  than  expected.  Elgin   committed  to  sustainability  when  it  developed  the  Sustainability  Action  Plan,  adopted  in   2011.  Several  sections  in  the  summary  and  the  Alternative  Energy  section  (Goal  1:  to   encourage  energy  conservation  by  citizens  and  businesses)  are  addressed  with  this   legislative  support.  It  also  fits  the  Economic  Development  section’s  Goal  1.  Mrs.  Kaptain   suggested  a  carbon  fee  dividend  would  help  the  lower  and  middle  class  people  the  most.   The  only  ones  that  would  pay  out  of  pocket  are  a  wealthier  group  who  use  much  more   energy  than  others.  Citizens  Climate  Lobby  is  working  with  four  US  House  Representatives.   Some  studies  show  that  if  we  could  pass  a  carbon  fee  and  dividend  program,  it  could   resolve  a  50%  reduction  in  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  2030.  Support  from  citizens,   churches,  organizations  will  help  improve  the  chances  of  moving  this  legislation  forward.   CCL  is  asking  the  Sustainability  Commission  to  sign  a  letter  of  support.    Chairperson  Knoerr   suggested  she  was  concerned  about  how  it  could  impact  the  economy.  She  suggested  the   issue  is  when  gas  prices  go  up,  so  do  groceries  or  other  things,  and  that  can  impact  a  lot  of   people.  There  are  two  letters  -­‐  One  is  for  carbon  fee  and  dividend,  the  other  is  for  climate   action.  There  are  two  ways  the  letter  can  be  used  by  the  organization.  All  letters  will  be   used  with  the  member  of  congress  in  the  district.  The  second,  if  desired,  can  be  used  for   other  purposes,  which  might  be  on  a  list  of  supporters  that’s  public  to  a  broader  audience.   Kaptain  and  Mathews  explained  that  the  support  from  business  and  community  leaders   makes  a  bigger  impression  on  legislators.    The  letter  requested  would  come  directly  from   the  Sustainability  Commission.  The  commission  will  continue  the  discussion  and  have   something  ready,  if  decided,  in  January.  Kaptain  will  send  the  liaison  the  letters  digitally   and  she  will  disburse  them  to  the  commission.  Commissioner  Aagesen  motioned  to   include  the  discussion  item  on  the  December  agenda  and  continue  discussion  once   commissioners  have  time  do  to  some  personal  research.  The  motion  passed.     2. 2017  budget  and  meeting  date  approval   Review  2017  proposed  budget  and  meeting  dates   The  2017  proposed  budget  and  meeting  dates  were  approved.     E. Old  Business   1. Partners  for  Places  grant  proposal  &  Community  Gardens   Continued  discussion  on  community  gardens  projects  in  Elgin  &  meeting  grant   requirements.     Bob  Bedard  updated  the  commission  that  two  proposals  (AID  and  Food  for  Greater  Elgin)   are  still  in  the  works.  Partners  for  Places  website  just  released  their  funding  cycle  dates.   The  RFP  will  be  relaeased  on  December  5  with  application  due  January  30.  There’s  a  Q&A   round  coming  up  as  well.  Bob  Langlois,  who  also  serves  on  Food  for  Greater  Elgin  board,   was  present.  They  met  with  AID  executives,  and  found  out  they  were  proposing  to  sell  the   Route  31  site.  After  a  discussion,  AID  executives  were  very  excited  about  this  possibility   and  they  agreed  to  hold  off  on  any  action  to  the  property  until  they  hear  back  if  we  receive   the  grant.  One  stumbling  block  is  that  AID  does  not  want  to  take  on  increased  fiduciary   responsibility  or  increased  employee  work.  They  were  concerned  over  a  revenue  stream   and  that  it  could  jeopardize  them  as  a  non-­‐profit,  that  would  need  to  be  run  by  someone   else.  Bob  Langlois  has  been  an  Elgin  resident  for  36  years.  His  job  was  to  introduce   technology  to  Africa.  His  company  was  approached  18  months  ago  by  a  government  in   Kenya,  and  wanted  to  take  advantage  of  agricultural  technologies  in  one  of  their  counties.   They  researched  with  U  of  I  on  power  side  and  Iowa  State  on  agricultural  side.  With   technology  advances,  it  is  now  commercially  viable  to  create  rural  collectives  with   aquaponics.  In  such  systems,  fish  are  grown  in  large  tanks  and  their  waste  creates  nitrogen   that  is  fed  to  vegetables.  This  creates  a  closed  loop  system,  using  90%  less  water  than   conventional  agriculture.  An  80x80  foot  greenhouse  can  produce  66,000  heads  of  lettuce   per  year.  Aquaponic  and  solar  are  much  more  viable,  and  the  combination  gives  you  a   sustainable  year-­‐round  agriculture  with  a  harvest  that  is  predictable.  It  has  a  multiplier   effect  as  well  in  that  it  produces  employment  for  the  meat  and  vegetables.  There  is  a   system  in  Chicago  and  it  may  be  worthwhile  to  tour.  That  system’s  fish  are  processed  in   Oak  Park.  Commissioners  Aagesen,  Hajek  and  Segel  agreed  to  go  through  the  Sustainability   Action  Plan  and  pull  out  ways  that  this  project  supports  it.  Zoning  and  health  department   considerations  would  need  to  be  addressed  in  the  business  model.       F. Commissioner  comments/announcements   Liaison  will  provide  an  update  on  Pumpkin  Composting  Event     G. Adjourn      The  City  of  Elgin  is  subject  to  the  requirements  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act  (ADA)  of  1990.  Individuals  with  disabilities  who  plan  to  attend   this  meeting  and  who  require  certain  accommodations  in  order  to  allow  them  to  observe  and/or  participate  in  this  meeting,  or  who  have  questions   regarding  the  accessibility  of  the  meeting  or  the  facilities,  are  requested  to  contact  ADA  coordinator,  at  (847)  931-­‐6076,  or  TTY/TDD  (847)  931-­‐5616   promptly  to  allow  the  City  of  Elgin  to  make  reasonable  accommodations  for  those  persons.