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Committee flags transit, EV charging and outreach as top priorities to cut emissions
Summary
Committee members recommended boosting transit options, piloting incentives for carpooling and partnering on events and workshops to encourage building retrofits and low-carbon transport, while staff noted the county's new public EV chargers and collaboration with regional transit planning.
Members of the Resilience & Sustainability Advisory Committee highlighted transportation and workforce outreach as top priorities to reduce emissions and support the county's Climate Action Plan.
Committee member (Chamber-affiliated) suggested advocacy for programs that help businesses retrofit commercial buildings and for state-level adoption of PACE financing. "PACE program... would permit... you as a business owner can take out a loan, and your loan is paid back through your property taxes," the member said, describing the mechanism and urging county advocacy for state support.
Several speakers pressed for more transit options and pilot programs to increase ridership on bus rapid transit (LCRT), encourage carpooling and expand bike share. One committee member asked whether reversible HOV lanes on US-17A/26 could incent carpooling during peak directions. "If one of those lanes was an HOV lane... would that convince people to do more carpooling?" the member asked.
Staff and partners discussed current pieces in progress: county facilities have installed EV chargers in county parking lots and are adding chargers for county fleet vehicles; the county and region are coordinating with COG and SCORE on clean-air strategy teams. Members suggested outreach experiments such as offering free transit day passes at public events and organizing retrofit workshops that bring contractors, bankers and pay-for programs together in one forum.
Why it matters: Transportation is a major local source of greenhouse gases. Committee members argued combining awareness campaigns, transit-oriented development and financing tools to lower car dependence and encourage electrification.
Supporting details: Staff noted the county has already installed 12 EV chargers at a park parking lot and placed additional chargers at libraries and other sites. Members also identified workforce training and partnerships with technical colleges (Trident Tech) as a critical piece to ensure local labor can deliver retrofits and solar installations.
Next steps: Committee members asked staff to consider transit outreach pilots, workforce training connections and a public workshop or summit to connect businesses, contractors, utilities and financiers to demonstrate retrofit financing and on-the-ground installation options.
Ending: Members said combining transit pilots, EV infrastructure expansion, workforce training and targeted outreach would help make the county's climate strategies tangible for residents and businesses.
