Former Olympia council member Karen Messmer expressed support for the plans to put city staff members for climate work but said additional staff in the Climate Program is not the only effort the community needs to reduce gas emissions.
"Since motorized transportation is a large part of our community emissions, we need even more focus on reducing driving and supporting active transportation,” Messmer said. “This means aiming existing staff priorities at reducing emissions in addition to having climate staff.”
“My thoughts here is that we're doing something about climate because we have several staff people is not the effort that needs to be made," Messmer added.
Messmer is the only community member who spoke at the city council when it opened the first public hearing for the 2023 preliminary budget on Tuesday, October 18.
The former council member also criticized the city's inclusion of the Wayfinding master plan in the budget, saying there was already a wayfinding plan in the mid-2000s, resulting in downtown utility boxes with maps.
She encouraged the city to defer the proposed wayfinding and instead refer to the old plan to avoid unnecessary expenditures. "Focus the money on clearly more important items to the public."
2023 budget
During the public hearing, Olympia Finance Director Aaron BeMiller gave a short presentation of the 2023 operating budget.
In the 2023 budget, BeMiller said the city is maintaining all current programs, and there would be no reductions in the budget of what they did in 2022.
The city proposed a 5% wage increase for all employees. "This is about $2.3 million in general fund and $3 million citywide impact total."
Beginning in January 2023, BeMiller said the city would fund two new full-time housing and climate programs positions. The city also proposed at least 11 full-time positions in other items.
"For the general fund piece of these, they are backed either in whole or largely by new revenues," he said.
In 2023, the proposed budget includes an allocation for non-labor items; Thurston Conservation Urban Agriculture program, Police Auditor program, Youth Council funding, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training.
BeMiller said the first public hearing intends to provide a forum for residents and community members to share their thoughts on the budget. The second public hearing is scheduled for November 15.
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BardsEyeNews
Electric cars are not a environmentally or cost effective (or even broadly attainable)... Hydrogen Fuel Cells are FAR FAR superior... Can be retrofitted... Can use much of the existing infrastructure... and can actually be powered by other clean energy sources while truly leaving a small footprint during their entire lifecycle, Electric cars do neither and are just geared towards the wealthy.
Thursday, October 20, 2022 Report this
KarenM
I just did a quick search. I could buy a used Leaf EV for about $10-18,000 now. Certainly with all of the car makers coming out with new EV models it can look like they are only for the wealthy. They can be less expensive to drive overall with lower 'fuel' costs and lower maintenance costs.
I saw something today comparing fueling transportation (cars) with hydrogen vs electricity. Using hydrogen is like trimming your garden trees with a Swiss Army knife. It is possible, but so much more difficult. There are many steps to make hydrogen for car use. Each of those steps takes energy and therefore costs more. And the vehicle is more complicated. We can move to a green electric supply and power our cars directly with electricity. Hydrogen still has a role, it should be used for purposes that we cannot use electricity for.
I also need to add that we should be aiming to reduce our dependence on cars overall and using more active transportation. That is healthier for us and the planet.
Thursday, October 20, 2022 Report this