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Uploaded: Saturday, June 16, 2007, 8:22 AM
PA plans $181,000 green-coordination effort
Council earmarked funds in next year's city budget, and staff plans to fill new position in July with a current city employee
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by Becky Trout
Palo Alto Weekly Staff
| With little discussion and less public input, the Palo Alto City Council has earmarked $181,000 to create an environmental-coordinator position and hire consultants to focus the city more tightly on combating global warming locally.
The money is a placeholder and the position needs approval of the council before it is filled, Councilman Jack Morton, a supporter of the concept, said. Morton is chair of the Finance Committee this year.
Most of the money will come from the city's general fund, although the Utilities Department is expected to contribute about $56,000 for $151,000 in salary and benefits, according to the budget draft, where the position is listed as a "senior administrator."
The issue was discussed at the Finance Committee budget "wrap-up" night May 22 and then added to the $139 million budget with little or no discussion approved by the council June 11.
Although neither the Finance Committee nor the council have given final approval to the position, city administrators have a short-list of existing staff members who would fill the new post during the first year, as a "special assignment." There is money to replace the person shifted, Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison said in an e-mail response to questions.
The coordinator will network with the city's existing internal environmental committee to develop sustainability priorities and funding sources, as well as ensure that city efforts are coordinated, Harrison said.
"The creating and fostering of partnerships with community and business organization and other non-profits will be key," she said.
The coordinator will help create an environmentally friendly purchasing policy and help implement a "Climate Action Plan" for the city's Utilities Department, she said.
The position "will be filled in July <0x2014> we've started the process internally," she said.
Morton said he wasn't aware of the salary or precise duties of the coordinator.
The position was proposed by council members Dena Mossar and Judy Kleinberg on April 23 in response to a proposal by Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto to create an environmental commission. Council members had mixed feelings about the commission relating to the supporting bureaucracy it would require, but unanimously approved exploring the environmental staff position. It then went to the Finance Committee on May 22, the committee's budget "wrap-up" night, City Manager Frank Benest said.
Mossar defended the position as one that other agencies have found to be of key importance in making real strides in the effort to reduce energy use and production of greenhouse gases.
She cited similar positions in Minneapolis, Minn., from which she recently returned from a trip, and at Harvard University.
"I feel it's critically important to the city," she said of the position and program. "It's really hard to take government in a meaningful direction" that requires significant changes in practices and direction, she said.
She said both Minneapolis and Harvard have experienced "enormous gains" in reducing global-warming gases as well as monetary savings from reductions in energy use. Minneapolis, for instance, the city enacted an anti-idling policy for all city vehicles that, in itself, produced significant savings in fuel use and air pollution.
The overall program there is "inspirational," she said.
(Staff Writer Becky Trout can be e-mailed at btrout@paweekly.com.)
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Posted by Green Gal, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jun 17, 2007 at 11:05 pm Regarding the the environmental coordinator position, will this person be working the the school district as well?
There is a real need and a real opportunity...
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Posted by Fred, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 8:06 am
It is a strange irony, as pointed out elsewhere - we earmark big $ for green programs, while our decrepit Mitchell Park library sits closed for lack of air conditioning. The council clearly has interest in "big picture" issues (FTTH?), while some of the basic work of maintaining a high-quality city is neglected.
Suggesting we invest in a leadership position (along with Harvard and Minneapolis) seems just out of step given the relative weakness of some of basic infrastructure.
My two cents,
Fred
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Posted by Parent, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 8:36 am I hope that the green co-ordinator will do something to keep rte 88 and get more people to use public transport. That would be a real help.
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Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 9:30 am Obviously much more important than protecting public safety with a manned fire station in the foothills.
You can't parody this.
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Posted by R Wray, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 11:09 am What a travesty--adding another position to the bloated city staff. The taxpayers will have to pay his/her pension and medical care for for life--all for nothing.
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Posted by Marvin, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 11:41 am To hell with the city's infrastructure---full speed ahead with Mayor Yoriko's climate change agenda.
So what if the libraries are in shambles, if our streets our falling apart and the fire stations are not manned--the important thing is to use the right light bulbs, bicycle everywhere and not eat meat.
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Posted by Tim, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Jun 18, 2007 at 1:19 pm I will remember who voted for this next election!
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Posted by Dave, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2007 at 6:11 am What a joke. The city hires an environmental coordinator - and yet has not done one thing to get us out the Iraq war - besides pass some inane resolutions. They have not done anything at all about the looming Social Security crisis. Nor have they made any progress on health care for all. I have not seen them even start to address the immigration issue. Have they done anything about Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy? Have they done anything about the tragedy in Darfur? Have they made any progress in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
All of these things left undone and unaddressed! And yet they hire somebody to fight global warming! Where are their priorities?!
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Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2007 at 11:35 am You forgot the Jefferson Memorial sinking into the mud. Oh! The humanity!
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Posted by pat, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 19, 2007 at 10:51 pm There's a wonderful Dilbert strip that started today about Dogbert, the environmental consultant.
Web Link
Click on 6/19 and 6/20.
Don't tell the city council or they'll hire Dogbert!
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Posted by Get real, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2007 at 11:34 am It is Public Works that is responsible for the roads and for library maintenance. And the city manager who is in charge of that department. Not the mayor!
You need to look in the right place for where the big bucks are being spent without adequate outcomes. Get real!
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Posted by Marvin, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2007 at 11:54 am Doesn't the mayor and the city council vote on funding for library maintenance and infrastructure repairs? Does;t the city council decide what is the priority for funding the various things in PA that need taking care of?
Isn;t the public works department and the city manager answerable to the city council?
Seems like Get Real is just providing a Kishimoto-like excuse for why she and the city council can ignore all of PA problems and focus on pipe dream fantasies of solving global warming in the world
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Posted by Get real, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2007 at 12:59 pm The mayor has one vote and my impression is she is outvoted most of the time.
and she serves for one year. Why don't you check on how Morton Beecham Drekmeier Mossar Barton and Kleinberg vote. They are the majority. For some reason you have decided to rag on the mayor and I find it a little suspicious, that's all.
Better yet, look at where the big money is spent, and on what, in Public Works. Get real.
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Posted by Fred, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2007 at 4:02 pm Get Real - I hear echoes of "Deep Throat" from Watergate days - "follow the money." But not sure what you mean exactly.
This thread started with complaints about the budgeting for a Green Coordinator, which will not cost huge dollars in the scheme of our budget, but seems to symbolize the council's desire to spend time/money on "sexy" issues rather than on making sure basic services and infrastructure are delivered cost effectively. And I believe that global warming is a pet issue of our current Mayor.
You of course are right - Public Works spends a lot of money and the city manager administers the budget. But the Council does sign off on the budget and drives the priorities. We elect THEM to oversee the city budget and the Manager, so we don't have to individually dig into how Public Works (and each department) does its job. If we're unhappy, they seem to right people to complain to and about. If I'm unhappy (or happy) about the war, I write my congressman, not the defense department.
Do you see it differently?
Fred
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Posted by Marvin, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2007 at 6:42 pm Get real--what do you find suspicious--that I expect the mayor to provide leadership and deal with issue sfacing the city? Or that I am upset that she is focused on her pet project/pipe dream only.
Trust me, if the mayor wants she gets thing taken care of--note the first sentence of the story about this new waste of money:
"With little discussion and less public input, the Palo Alto City Council has earmarked $181,000 to create an environmental-coordinator position"
Considering yoriko's plan to address climate change, don;t you think she was behind this new post and don't you think that it was done in a sneaky, underhanded, late-at-night manner so that the public could not comment/object???
So when she wants something--she can get it done--too bad nothing else in the city matters to her.
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