Evansville Climate Collaborative approves May minutes; board to prioritize nominees and staffing request tabled for budget review

At the July 15 meeting the Evansville Climate Collaborative unanimously approved the May 20 meeting minutes by voice vote after a motion and second; the chair declared “Motion carries.”

The board discussed filling one advisory-seat vacancy and reviewed four potential nominees proposed by board member Stacy Melheiser: Bryce Taylor, Kevin (last name not specified in summary), Charlie Stockton, and Jason Dedman. Melheiser described nominees’ backgrounds (agriculture lending, corporate sustainability and manufacturing, clean fuels and off-grid systems, and sustainability/engineering and business development). She said Bryce Taylor is already serving on another city committee and that she had informally confirmed he is interested.

The board set an internal timeline for nomination and mayoral recommendation: nominations due by July 18, prioritized by July 25, and a decision to present to the mayor by Aug. 1 so the mayor's office could act before the next meeting. Melheiser said the final appointment is a mayoral appointment and that staff will forward the nomination list for prioritization.

On staffing, Norville told the board she requested approval from the city’s personnel/salary committee for a third full-time position—a climate impact analyst—but the request was tabled pending the final budget. Norville said the 2026 budget she proposed is about 25% lower on paper than 2025 because a one-time grant had been counted in 2025, and that the salary request will be revisited after budget figures are finalized. She said the salary-committee review will resume later in the year when the budget picture is clearer.