Deputy Director Molly Dagger presented a 2025 snapshot of Lancaster’s Municipal Climate Action Plan and recommended updating targets, improving performance tracking, and creating a Climate Action Commission to strengthen community engagement and oversight.

Dagger said the city adopted the municipal climate action plan in 2019 with a goal of carbon net neutrality by 2050. She reported municipal accomplishments including transitioning municipal electricity to 100% renewable sources since 2020, an LED streetlight conversion that is projected to reach roughly one‑third of city‑owned lights by year’s end, and fleet sharing software that reduced the municipal fleet from 26 to 20 vehicles and saved taxpayers about $48,000 per year. Dagger said 81 green infrastructure projects are completed or under construction and that those projects manage more than 80 acres of impervious area and capture an estimated 70,000,000 gallons of stormwater annually. She said the trees for people plan is supported by $1,500,000 in federal funding, the city added 400 street trees this year and plans to add another 500–600 trees through at least 2028 focused on underserved areas.

Dagger flagged areas for reconsideration given regulatory and market changes, including PFAS limits that may restrict biosolids land application and uncertainty about the value of carbon offsets. She recommended revisiting goals, embedding climate priorities into the five‑year capital improvements plan and creating an advisory Climate Action Commission. Councilors asked for clarification on the LED timeline and whether 100% replacement is the goal; Dagger confirmed the overarching goal is 100% replacement but the 2025 completion date for that goal was uncertain. Dagger also described funding support and technical assistance sources, including a Pennsylvania DEP shared energy manager program that provides technical assistance to municipalities with climate plans.