Staff proposes $1.5M Climate Action Fund portfolio including e‑bike vouchers and existing‑building pilot

County staff presented the Climate Action Fund (CAF) evaluation process and a shortlist of programs designed to spend a remaining $1.5 million over a two‑year window. Staff said they evaluated roughly 88 strategies, filtered them by implementability and funding need, and applied six evaluation criteria to land on an eight‑project shortlist.

Key shortlisted programs included an e‑bike voucher program (prioritizing low‑and‑moderate‑income households and offering two years of maintenance funded by partner organizations), an existing‑building pilot (technical assistance, benchmarking, energy audits and targeted incentives for affordable housing), residential energy assessments, electrification incentives (heat pumps, smart thermostats), a plug‑in solar pilot aimed at renters, and a corporate climate leaders outreach and resource program. Staff said the CAF design will include means testing and evaluation metrics for participation and energy savings, and that the $1.5M is a one‑shot allocation available immediately for program launch planning.

Commissioners pressed staff on targeting and measures of effectiveness. David Friedman called for tighter prioritization for e‑bike vouchers to reach the lowest‑income households: "I would strongly encourage e‑bikes as well to only be for LMI," he said, arguing funding should deliver maximal equity benefits. Staff replied that program design will include participation goals and evaluation plans, and noted previous e‑bike rounds showed strong demand (~10 times budgeted applications). Staff expects to bring a final proposal to the county board in September for approval and kickoff.