Adams County seeks direction to update Sustainability 2030 plan to add climate action and greenhouse gas targets

Amir Fakir (Fleets & Facilities), Ariel Gerstein (sustainability) and Amanda Perkins (climate policy implementation) briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Adams County's Sustainability 2030 plan, progress to date and recommended next steps to add a climate-action component tied to greenhouse-gas (GHG) targets. Staff presented a countywide community greenhouse-gas inventory (2023 data) and a separate county-operations inventory that showed buildings are the largest source within county operations and that industry is the dominant source in the community inventory.

Staff asked the board for feedback and direction on updating the sustainability plan to include emissions modeling, scenario analysis and measurable targets. Amanda Perkins said the proposed update is intended to be a collaborative project with Community & Economic Development and municipal partners; staff estimated consultant costs between $150,000 and $350,000 depending on scope and outreach. "This is not a budget request," a staff presenter clarified; later in the discussion Amir Fakir said, "Initial budget was for, a million dollars," referring to the county's existing sustainability line in the facilities budget that staff described as base budgeted funds available for sustainability projects.

Commissioners pressed staff to balance planning and action. Several commissioners supported updating the plan but asked that the scope be "right-sized" so the county does not divert most sustainability funding away from implementation projects such as LED retrofits or fleet electrification. Staff said many actions identified in the existing sustainability plan already reduce emissions but that the county lacks a consolidated emissions baseline and a model that quantifies how proposed actions would move the needle toward specified targets. Staff described compliance duties and regulations affecting government operations, including Colorado building- and energy-code alignment and recently enacted rules requiring benchmarking for large buildings (Regulation 28) and large-entity reporting under the Colorado low-emission automobile regulation (Regulation 20, Part G). Staff also noted a state rule restricting the use of small gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment in the ozone nonattainment season and said contracted landscapers have had to comply.

Board members asked staff to return with a tighter scope and cost estimate and requested more detail during upcoming budget discussions about how the existing sustainability budget would be programmed between plan updates and implementation. Staff proposed limiting the consultant scope to the minimum needed to provide a robust emissions model and clear targets so the majority of existing sustainability funds can remain available for implementation. Staff also described planned outreach (municipal partners, public charging surveys, an energy-action plan for municipalities) and said a draft updated plan would include modeled business-as-usual and emissions-reduction scenarios and a menu of actions linking to possible funding sources and implementation timelines.

No formal vote was taken. Staff will refine scope, produce a specific cost and schedule and present budget/programming options to the board as part of the county budget discussions.