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City Council <br />Meeting Minutes <br />March 9, 2021 <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the single greatest impact on the environment in <br />town; lowering those emissions would be the best way to meet our goals. The current <br />sustainability program budget is insufficient to address climate action goals or pursue <br />impactful GHG reduction strategies. <br />Staff has identified strategies and projects to reduce energy consumption within the <br />community and/or expand renewable integration, as well as various funding sources <br />including a Climate Action Tax. Such a tax could be proposed to establish a fund to <br />address the impacts of climate change and achieve the City's action goals, including <br />having 75% of residential and commercial/industrial electric needs come from carbon -free <br />sources by 2030. It could also include language for other sustainability-related initiatives <br />and programs. <br />She reviewed various scenarios on funding and various options for collecting the tax; <br />Staff recommends using either a new property tax, sales tax, or excise tax. <br />Hogan reviewed the various programs such a tax could fund including renewable energy <br />rebates, incentives, and resources; energy efficiency programs and rebates; or creating <br />additional electrification options. She also reviewed potential funding allocations at <br />different levels. <br />Staff is asking for Council feedback on whether there is an interest in pursuing a 2021 <br />ballot issue for a climate tax, what goal this tax is looking to achieve, what type of revenue <br />collection to use, when to start collecting the tax, and if the tax language would include <br />sunset language. <br />Public Comments <br />Laura Levesque, Sustainability Board Member, 642 West Street, stated her support for a <br />sustainability tax to be put on the ballot this year. She felt there would be a lot of support <br />for such a tax in the community and recommended using the excise tax model as a way <br />of reducing energy use. She sees this as a good way to reach the commercial and <br />industrial businesses in town. <br />Josh Cooperman, Sustainability Board Member, 2165 Wagon Way, also stated his <br />support for a ballot issue this year. He would like to see funding from this going towards <br />the sustainability action plan. <br />Mark Persichetti, Sustainability Board Member, 1402 Taft Place, also stated he supports <br />the tax on the ballot his year to have funding to help local businesses reduce their energy <br />consumption and use of fossil fuels. He also supports the excise tax option. <br />Mayor Stolzmann stated there is no doubt the Council supports sustainability and <br />reducing emissions. It is just a matter of understanding what we want to do and how best <br />to get there. However, if we want to get something on the ballot this year it has to be <br />