Sammamish sustainability commission reviews 2024 accomplishments, outlines 2025 work plan as budgeted programs move forward

The Sammamish City Sustainable Commission on Jan. 9 reviewed its first-year accomplishments and discussed priorities for 2025, noting that the city budget has funded several sustainability programs the commission will support.

The commission’s review highlighted a Sustainable Sammamish guide mailed to every household, a completed fleet electrification assessment and partnerships formed through the Eastside Climate Partnership. Rose (city staff) told commissioners the city budget included money for EnergySmart Eastside, for the Sustainable Sammamish guide and “we budgeted in 25 and 26 over $1,000,000 to prepare for fleet electrification” to support charger installation and planning.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said the newly established commission is intended to channel resident input into the city’s climate and sustainability work and to help the city implement items in the Climate Action Plan. Members said outreach and education—rather than new regulations—are immediate levers the commission can use to affect household energy and transportation choices.

Commissioners and staff outlined a 2025 work plan that pairs specific outreach with ongoing city programs. Rachel (city staff) said staff will use additional budgeted funds to “take a sustainable lens” to building and development code updates and to support an ambassador program aimed at schools. The commission discussed coordinating with public works on transportation and the city’s bike-and-pedestrian master plan to advance the vehicle-miles-traveled goals in the Climate Action Plan.

Commissioners emphasized outreach and behavioral change as high-priority items. Staff plans to update the Sustainable Sammamish guide for fall distribution, to support a March 26 EnergySmart Eastside workshop at city hall focused on heat-pump technology and to continue monthly farmer’s-market outreach, recycling events and school-based work through the new Sustainability Ambassadors program.

Staff noted several near-term deliverables the commission will review, including a King County greenhouse gas inventory expected in Q1 and a right-of-way tree study wrapping up in February or March. Rachel said staff will bring the greenhouse-gas inventory to the commission when the consultant’s city-level numbers are available.

Commissioners also discussed how to sequence work: focusing first on outreach, energy efficiency and electrification programs (which staff said are feasible within current funding), and keeping lower-priority or more resource-intensive Climate Action Plan measures as secondary items.

Ending: Staff asked commissioners to sign up for outreach events and to prepare for a February discussion of comprehensive-plan implications for sustainability. The commission set an expectation to revisit the Sustainable Sammamish guide and to help staff finalize the ambassador scope of work in coming months.