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Carrboro staff detail racial equity milestones and climate-action progress; officials outline next steps
Summary
At its March 17 meeting Carrboro received information updates: the chief race and equity officer summarized progress and plans to update the Race & Equity Action Plan, and the chief sustainability officer highlighted climate-action wins including a 2025 greenhouse gas inventory (municipal emissions rose 5% due largely to storm impacts) and a Drakeford solar array producing roughly 14 MWh.
Carrboro staff used the March 17 meeting to report progress on racial equity and climate action and to outline next steps for both initiatives.
Chief Race and Equity Officer Jones McNair reviewed milestones spanning 2018'2025, including the town's adoption of a regional One Orange racial equity framework, a 2023 Race and Equity Action Plan, departmental racial equity assessments (REAs), and plans to update the action plan in 2026 with expanded community engagement and potential outside partners to assist with drafting.
'All of our residents should have access to resources and be able to participate in decisions that affect their lives,' Jones McNair said as she summarized departmental work to integrate equity into onboarding, staff training, and program design.
Chief Sustainability Officer Amy Armster provided a climate-action update, reporting that the 2025 municipal greenhouse gas inventory showed a 5% increase in municipal emissions, driven in part by operational impacts from Tropical Storm Shantel and higher natural-gas use at the Century Center. Armster said the new solar array on the Drakeford Library Complex produced about 14 megawatt-hours of renewable energy.
Armster also highlighted the town's Green Neighborhood Grant cycle: of 11 applications in the 2026 cycle, 50% were from low-income communities of color; neighborhoods were allowed to apply for the full $25,000 award, and requests exceeded available funding (more than $100,000 in requests). She described completed projects such as a Forest Court rain garden (combined with federal 319 funds) and tree-planting on Pleasant Drive to reduce urban-heat-island effects.
Both staff members emphasized that the reported items were informational: the council received the reports, asked clarifying questions about timing and next steps, and did not take formal votes on these information items at the meeting.
