Sandpoint committee reviews Leading Cities opportunity and Sandpoint Forward resilience plan; coordination tabled

The Sandpoint Sustainability Committee discussed two resilience-related opportunities on Jan. 27: an invitation from Leading Cities to participate in resilience programs (including an AccelGov subprogram described in the meeting materials) and a draft Sandpoint Forward resilience plan produced through a grant and a regional Climate Smart Communities initiative.

Staff reported the mayor submitted an application or letter of interest on behalf of the city in December; the packet also referenced a program component described as a "Sustain Account" tied to the AccelGov offering. Committee members agreed staff should contact the mayor's office for any updates and retrieve links and additional materials from the program so the committee can assess next steps before the program’s March deadlines.

Mikaela Sundquist described the Sandpoint Forward resilience plan as focused on wildfire, floods, extreme winter storms, smoke and lake-related risks and said the implementing organization is pursuing a grant to move to implementation. Several members said they were eager to review the draft plan and, if appropriate, recommend the city reference or use parts of the plan rather than duplicate work.

Committee discussion on how to coordinate the two resilience efforts concluded with a motion to table the item until the next meeting so members and staff can gather more information; the motion passed by voice vote.

The committee asked staff to obtain the Sandpoint Forward draft for committee review and to report back with any program deadlines or matching requirements.