The Urbandale City Council discussed steps to implement the Sustainable Urbandale Action Plan on a regular‑agenda item introduced by Mayor and presented by Curtis Brown, interim city manager. Staff outlined a phased approach and recommended beginning with two short‑term actions: enhancing the city website to host sustainability resources and drafting zoning or property‑maintenance code language to incent and clarify native plantings on private property.

The plan matters because it translates a multi‑year, university‑supported sustainability study into specific actions city staff can pursue without immediate new legislation. John Mayer, the plan presenter, told the council the plan contains 53 primary action items (with more than 80 subcomponents) grouped into short‑, medium‑ and long‑term timeframes and a scoring system to prioritize work.

Mayer said the plan “was an outgrowth of actually the work done prior with the University of Northern Iowa” and that students and local partners helped shape the recommendations. He summarized four overarching goals in the plan — people, renewable energy, net‑zero buildings and infill development — and said the students included funding options, case studies and community engagement notes for each action.

Curtis Brown said the city manager’s office and incoming city manager David Jones, who is scheduled to begin on the 27th (date as stated in the meeting), will review staffing and portfolios to support implementation. Brown noted the current fiscal year and the proposed FY26 budget include capacity for an additional management analyst in the city manager’s office to help integrate sustainability work across departments.

Councilmembers and staff discussed a recommended sequencing approach. Staff proposed starting with two short‑term, higher‑priority actions from the plan: A2 (enhance the city website with sustainability resources and two‑way engagement tools) and G2 (amend zoning/property‑maintenance codes to classify native plant growth as permitted or by‑right). Mayer said the communications director could begin the website work in March and aim to implement it by mid‑to‑late May; staff in community development expect to bring draft ordinance language to council by July 2025.

Council comment covered related topics staff said would be coordinated with the action items: the city’s stormwater grant and rain‑barrel programs, a solar feasibility study the city has contracted, and fleet diversification. Patrick Halsey, fleet supervisor (referenced by staff), provided an inventory summary staff circulated: 21 hybrid vehicles and three electric vehicles in the fleet as of the presentation.

Councilmembers also raised specific community opportunities. “The food pantry is, seriously contemplating and maybe already really committed to doing a community garden in the space behind their new facility,” Councilmember Bridget said, urging staff to support and track that work. Pat (Councilmember Pat) offered a federal contact for technical assistance: “I have a contact for you from the private lands biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There may even be some funding.”

Council did not vote to adopt or amend any ordinance at the meeting; instead staff received direction to proceed with the proposed rollout and return to council with progress and additional recommended items. Mayer said staff would pick two additional actions to bring forward in August 2025 and that other short‑term priorities and medium‑ and long‑term work would follow based on capacity, related studies (including the solar feasibility and a natural resources management study), and council direction.

The presentation also noted a past council action linked to the plan: G1, a change to parking regulations, was adopted previously by ordinance 2416 on Nov. 19, 2024, and staff flagged it as an enacted example of integrating sustainability into city code. Staff emphasized that many plan items will be implemented by embedding them in existing programs (CIP, parks, public works) rather than creating standalone initiatives.

The council approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session by voice/roll‑call vote and adjourned after the presentation; no additional formal votes on plan items occurred.