HCOG staff recommends continuing to explore hosting regional climate manager; RCEA also under consideration

Humboldt County Association of Governments staff on Thursday updated the Policy Advisory Committee on ongoing work to decide which regional agency should host the Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) manager and the Regional Climate Committee.

The executive director said legal counsel concluded HCOG’s existing joint powers agreement is sufficiently broad to allow HCOG to host the position without amending the JPA, provided the role remains advisory and planning-focused. “Our existing JPA cooperative agreement is sufficiently broad where we could take that role without actually updating the cooperative agreement,” staff said during the presentation.

Staff presented draft documents including a regional funding memorandum of understanding (MOU), a proposed position description and a preliminary wage scale of $105,000 to $128,000 for the climate program manager. The draft MOU would ask local agencies to pay a proportional share—proposed to be based on population—and would propose a five-year funding term intended to match initial RCAP compliance years and provide stability for a new position.

The presentation also described recommended committee structures: a board-level Climate Advisory Committee akin to HCOG’s PAC, and a broader technical advisory committee that could include tribal governments, utilities and other experts. Proposed committee members mentioned by staff included the Humboldt Transit Authority, RCEA and the Humboldt Waste Management Authority, and potentially Caltrans.

Staff said the regional working group recommended exploring both HCOG and RCEA as possible hosts. RCEA, staff noted, may have greater implementation capacity and more administrative resources, which could make day-to-day support for an implementation-focused manager easier. The regional group intends to ask RCEA’s board next week whether RCEA wants to pursue hosting; staff said much of the preparatory work (draft MOU, job description and funding scenarios) would be transferable between either agency.

Public commenters and stakeholders at the meeting largely supported continuing to explore both options while maintaining transparency in hiring and oversight. Colin Fisk of CRTP and Matthew Simmons of EPIC thanked HCOG staff for the work and said they looked forward to the RCEA board discussion.

Next steps: staff said regional planning directors will meet in early February, after which HCOG expects to return to its board in March or April with a recommendation and any necessary action items. The PAC gave staff direction to continue exploring both options and to proceed with refining the draft MOU and position materials.

Funding and oversight details remain draft and subject to local agency review and formal action by member governments.