Sustainable BC committee seeks commissioner, web presence and release of greenhouse-gas inventory

The Sustainable BC Committee on April 28 discussed steps to update Battle Creek’s sustainability plan, asked staff to seek a City Commissioner liaison and pushed for better online access to committee reports and meeting recordings.

The committee’s chair, Andy Helmholtz, opened the meeting and Patty Hochmel, an environmental department employee with the City of Battle Creek, gave updates on city energy-efficiency activities and said she would prioritize sending committee members suggested sustainability goals and ideas that she had not yet circulated. “I looked back at the minutes and realized I was supposed to send everybody an email with, some sustainability ideas and goals, and, I didn't do that. So I'll put that back on my list of things to do after this,” Hochmel said.

Committee members emphasized that the group is supposed to meet annually with the City Commission and urged staff to arrange that briefing. Helmholtz and others said the committee needs commission guidance to pursue projects and noted the committee has waited for staff or managerial changes in the past. “We're just—we need to—we can't just keep waiting around,” Helmholtz said.

Members also raised public-access and recordkeeping issues. Committee members noted that recordings of meetings are available on the city’s YouTube channel but that committee documents and reports are currently hosted on a separate multi-jurisdictional webpage. Chris Martin, urban planner at Battle Creek Unlimited, and others urged creating an accessible project page or searchable repository for reports and public input so residents and new committee members can find greenhouse-gas inventories, grant reports and other materials.

Patty Hochmel told the group the city is undergoing a website overhaul and asked members to forward suggestions; she volunteered to pass input to communications staff. The committee also discussed the greenhouse-gas inventory paid for with community-foundation funding and members urged that report be released and presented to the commission. A quorum was not present at this meeting, so the group deferred formal minutes approval.

The committee agreed to follow up on a commissioner appointment and to provide staff with input on the website redesign and public-facing document repository. Hochmel said she would circulate the materials and follow up on next steps.