Lake County work session reviews final climate action plan draft; commissioners press on codes, contractor role and implementation

Consultants from the Brendle Group presented the final draft of Lake County’s Climate Action Plan at a Board of County Commissioners work session on Feb. 24, 2026, outlining an implementation‑focused roadmap that sets a countywide target to cut greenhouse‑gas emissions 45% from a 2023 baseline by 2050.

Jillian, a Brendle Group consultant, told commissioners the draft rests on a 2023 county inventory of roughly 97,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and sets interim milestones of about 5% by 2030 and 20% by 2040. “The overall goal is reducing Lake County greenhouse‑gas emissions by 45% from that 2023 baseline by 2050,” she said, while noting the plan is intentionally focused on near‑term, low‑ and no‑cost actions the county can lead or help enable.

Why it matters: the draft pairs emissions‑reduction strategies with adaptation measures and a proposed governance structure for implementation. The plan’s six focus areas — buildings and energy; transportation and mobility; food systems and waste; natural environment, forests and recreation; water; and administration — are intended to be actionable and tracked through a dashboard the consultants supplied. Staff and consultants said the work will be guided by available staffing and grant funding and could change as the contractor and county learn while implementing the plan.

Key details: the consultants reported community engagement that included 199 survey responses, a community open…