Council to dissolve Environmental Sustainability Advisory Board and transition functions to staff committee

City staff recommended dissolving the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Board, citing persistent attendance problems that prevented the board from meeting quorum and from advancing its work. Miss Finley presented the staff recommendation to transition sustainability work to an internal, cross-departmental staff committee that would include community development, outreach, engineering, building and safety, utilities and water.

Miss Finley said staff envisions the internal committee focusing on data tracking, departmental coordination, pursuit of sustainability certifications, and integrating sustainability initiatives directly into municipal operations and capital projects. She also said staff plans to preserve public input channels — for example, through surveys and outreach coordinated with communications staff — and that council would retain final approval for major expenditures.

Council members expressed appreciation for the board’s accomplishments, including the sustainability master plan and a native-plant palette, while acknowledging operational challenges with citizen-appointed boards. Several councilmembers supported the transition to a staff committee as a way to ensure continuity and progress, while asking staff to maintain resident engagement and to provide financial/benefit metrics for future sustainability initiatives.