Environmental commission delivers updated action plan; council places it on file 5-1

Kelly Kasmir, chair of the Jackson Environmental Commission, presented the commission’s updated 2024 Environmental Action Plan to the City Council on Sept. 16, outlining weaknesses identified in a peer-review evaluation and recommending steps for data collection, prioritized actions and a path to external certification.

Kasmir said the commission asked Michigan State University graduate Graham Dietrich to evaluate the city’s plan alongside eight peer communities and found Jackson scored lowest among those that had plans. “We were not great,” Kasmir told council, noting the commission’s limited, volunteer capacity and emphasizing the need for more data and staff support. She described the plan’s structure — information base, vision and goals, options and priorities, actions, implementation and monitoring — and recommended starting with a local greenhouse-gas inventory and a city-fleet emissions study to set measurable targets.

The presentation identified example actions in air quality, energy and natural systems. Kasmir said the commission is considering the Lead for Cities program with the U.S. Green Building Council as a way to organize information and set measurable goals; she told council the commission estimated Jackson could be "about half the way there towards the minimum certified status" with additional data and targeted efforts. The commission unanimously approved the updated plan in April 2024 and submitted it to the city manager for council review.

Councilmembers asked staff and the commission how costs and staffing would be handled if the city pursued fleet electrification and other measures. Kasmir said the commission did not have the detailed cost estimates and recommended the council request studies from city staff to develop specific budgets and timelines. After discussion, a councilmember moved to accept and place the environmental action plan on file. The clerk recorded the vote as 5–1 in favor.

The council action places the plan in the official record and makes it available for staff reference; it does not itself authorize funding or implementation. Kasmir urged council to review the document and consider next steps such as baseline studies and potential participation in external certification programs. The council took no immediate funding action; staff would need to return with cost estimates and any required ordinance or budget amendments if the council wishes to move from planning to implementation.