City staff told the sustainability commission that recruitment for a sustainability planner has moved quickly after a job reclassification and that interviews are underway, but any new hire likely will not start until after the new year.

"We went back and revised the sustainability planner position ... and sent it to the civil service commission, which we miraculously were able to turn around in 24 hours," Rebecca (sustainability director) said. She said one interview has occurred and offers are expected soon, with a start date likely after the new year.

Rebecca also briefed the commission on energy and program changes affecting low-income households and municipal planning. She warned that in the current NYSEG rate case, testimony proposes socializing the cost of grid upgrades only within the municipal jurisdiction where the upgrade occurs instead of across the entire utility territory. "So we're now talking multiple millions of dollars across 30,000 people," Rebecca said, and called the proposal "very bad" because it would penalize municipalities pursuing electrification or other grid investments.

Staff also flagged changes to Empower Plus and LIHEAP that eliminated a "repair and replace" program for low-income households; Rebecca said the city and its partners are exploring local funding to plug gaps for families whose furnaces fail during the heating season.

Commissioners asked how the rate-case issues relate to the citys planned community choice aggregation (CCA). Rebecca said delivery charges raised in the rate case are for grid infrastructure and would persist regardless of supplier; by contrast, deploying local generation and microgrids remain among the most direct ways to reduce household energy bills.

No formal action was taken; commissioners asked staff to continue monitoring the rate case and to provide updates to council and partners as needed.