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Kenmore staff review climate action progress; council presses on EV chargers and tree equity
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Summary
City staff summarized 2025 climate-action progress — EV charger installs for fleet, urban forestry plan completion, a heat-pump incentive program and a planned city-hall solar expansion — and council questioned charger security, tree-cover tracking and greenhouse-gas inventory findings.
City staff presented an update on Kenmore's climate action plan implementation, highlighting completed strategic plans and projects slated for 2026.
Nina, presenting for the environmental services team, listed 2025 achievements: completion of an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan (EVIP) and an Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP); installation of three fleet EV chargers (six ports) in the City Hall garage using a state grant; continuation of Solarize Kenmore and a state-funded city-hall solar expansion; and the start of a greenhouse-gas inventory update and a four-to-five-year climate action plan update. Staff also described a renamed heat-pump direct-discount incentive, "Energize Kenmore," intended to help residents switch from oil or gas to electric heat pumps.
Council members pressed staff on several operational points. Councilwoman Lutzes asked whether public chargers would include lighting or cameras to deter vandalism; staff said site-selection and consultant work would consider security, and that some pole-mounted chargers store cords out of reach. Another councilor asked how the city measures net tree canopy; staff described aerial canopy assessments, a public tree inventory and use of the UFMP to guide targeted plantings, with UW Bothell interns engaged to verify inventory data.
Councillors also queried the drivers of apparent greenhouse-gas reductions from 2019 to 2023. Staff cited multiple contributing factors: utility decarbonization under the Clean Energy Transformation Act, increased EV adoption, appliance efficiency and more rooftop solar; they said more detailed sectoral breakdowns would be available in the updated inventory.
Other items noted: the adopt-a-drain volunteer program (monthly neighborhood drain checks), a Green Jobs Fair organized by an intern with roughly 15 vendors and 80–100 attendees, and plans to pilot utility-pole chargers with PSE and a consultant. Staff said urban forestry outreach and targeted planting efforts will focus on areas with lower canopy and higher vulnerability to extreme heat.
Ending: Council thanked staff for the update and asked for follow-up materials, including data sources for greenhouse-gas estimates and clearer tracking procedures for tree canopy and charger siting/security.
