Decatur City Commission to consider adopting clean energy plan
Commissioners, pictured left to right, are: Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers, Lesa Mayer, Kelly Walsh, Mayor Patti Garrett, and George Dusenbury. Photo obtained via the city of Decatur
Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, Sept. 26, for a work session beginning at 4:45 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The regular meeting will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, as well as Zoom.
The work session will be a tour of the Oakhurst Recreation Center, located at 450 E. Lake Drive, and include an update on the parks and recreation master plan. The work session will not be livestreamed.
The city commission will also meet for an executive session to discuss real estate matters at 6:30 p.m.
To access the meeting, follow these instructions:
To view the agenda, click here.
This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways:
1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St.
2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/92791934115. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)
NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to City Manager Andrea Arnold at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 26th.
Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video
The city commission will consider adopting the clean energy plan during the regular meeting.
The plan will help the city and the community transition away from fossil fuels and toward a resilient, renewable future, the city said in a previous Facebook post.
“This document, Decatur’s Clean Energy Plan, is intended to guide Decatur’s energy transition and address the city’s contributions to the climate crisis, while also improving living conditions and addressing equity issues,” the executive summary of the plan states. “This plan describes a path to a Clean Energy Future while facing an aggressive goal and conditions outside of Decatur’s control.”
When the city was working on the 2030 Strategic Plan, one of the themes that emerged was “the necessity for climate action and setting clean energy targets to have the city accountable and move the community to a clean energy future,” Energy and Sustainability Manager David Nifong said at the Aug. 15 work session.
The clean energy goals set in the plan are:
– Municipal buildings will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030.
– The municipal fleet will be fully electrified and community buildings will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable electricity by 2035.
– All community uses, including transportation, will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable energy by 2050.
“We do recognize that these goals are ambitious. It will take a lot to achieve them,” Nifong said. “We also have to recognize that these goals are a lot more achievable today than a few weeks ago before the Inflation Reduction Act passed and those other levers that we can use to accomplish these goals came into fruition.”
To read the draft clean energy plan, click here.
The board will also consider establishing a project budget of $260,000 and award a contract to the Savannah College of Art and Design for $160,000, as well as award a $100,000 contract to StoryCorps Studios for the bicentennial 200 stories project.
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