County executive team outlines DEI goals and campus energy study to reach net‑zero operations by 2050

Deputy County Executive April Lynch introduced the county executive's micro‑budgets for DEI, sustainability and strategic initiatives and said these teams support internal operations and countywide partnerships.

Harry, the county's chief diversity officer, described DEI's five‑year goals including establishing deliverables and roles, adopting DEI principles across departments, and strengthening community engagement through public events and employee resource groups.

Julie Lyons Bricker, the county's sustainability officer, said the sustainability office has four core goals—cutting greenhouse gas emissions with a target of net‑zero county operations by 2050; improving natural and built environments; expanding community engagement across 62 municipalities; and incorporating sustainability into procurement and campus operations. Bricker previewed results of a recently completed campus energy study that performed Level‑2 energy assessments of county buildings, identified top energy users and opportunities for electrification and potential phases for decommissioning the steam plant. She said an executive summary slide deck will be presented to commissioners in the coming weeks.

Commissioners asked whether events and public programs will continue after some departments move to new downtown facilities; DEI and sustainability staff said they intend to continue public events and to coordinate with public safety and other partners.

No formal decisions were made; staff said they will return with the energy study executive summary and further fiscal details.