Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewable Energy Goal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cross Plains committee pauses 80%-by-2035 renewable resolution, assigns building-level energy data collection
Summary
The Village of Cross Plains Sustainability Committee agreed to delay advancing a formal 80%-by-2035 electricity-from-renewables resolution until members gather baseline building electricity data and confirm what the village board wants to see.
The Village of Cross Plains Sustainability Committee voted to delay forwarding a draft resolution that would set an 80% renewable-electricity goal for village electricity by 2035 and instead directed committee members to gather baseline building electricity data and seek guidance from village-board members.
At the meeting the committee’s chair summarized the problem: “Right now, the answer is the baseline is 0 renewable energy, and our goal is 80%,” and said the board has repeatedly asked for a pathway and cost analysis before committing to a target. Committee members agreed that a short, phased report showing current electricity use and simple offset options would be more likely to produce useful feedback than a large single study.
Jenny Deeteray (committee member) and others proposed dividing responsibility for an inventory of village facilities. The committee identified priority sites including the library, public facility/village hall, the sewer/water treatment plant, three village wells, park shelters and ballfield lighting, and any new infrastructure (for example, a planned pool or booster stations). Matt (committee member, voice S2) was assigned to ask Bobby to provide MG and E billing data for calendar year 2025 or the last 12 months to establish usage baselines.
Members discussed obstacles to measuring and achieving the goal, including the village’s electricity mix from its utility provider, the loss of some financial incentives that previously helped renewable projects, and political reluctance at the village-board level. Several committee members said the most practical next step is to produce concise, monthly deliverables: baseline usage for a handful of buildings, costing estimates to offset those loads with solar or other measures, and recommendations for “low-hanging fruit” (for example LED retrofits and targeted solar on park shelters).
The committee asked a member to speak with village-board members to determine how much detail the board expects before it would consider setting a formal goal. The group set homework assignments and agreed to revisit progress at the next meeting.
The committee also recorded a routine motion approving the June minutes and adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
