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City residents could be asked to start paying a little extra each month on their city utility bills to battle global warming.
The Mayor’s Task Force on Climate Protection decided Wednesday to make such a recommendation when it delivers its final report to Lawrence city commissioners sometime in March.
The new fee — the amount wasn’t specified — would be used to fund a new sustainability director position that would oversee city efforts to reduce electricity usage, fossil fuel consumption and other changes that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mayor Mike Dever, who leads the task force, said he was open to the idea of a new fee, as long as it wasn’t too large.
“I believe we shouldn’t be creating new duties or a new position for our administrative staff without providing funding for it,” Dever said. “This is one of the ways we could accomplish some of these goals.”
The report introduces a number of ideas on how the city could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Among some of the suggestions in the report:
• Equipping police cars with bike racks so that it would be easier for police officers to do bike patrols in the city.
• Convert the city’s transit fleet from diesel fuel usage to a more environmentally friendly alternative fuel.
• Installing new technology that would allow traffic signals to automatically change to green as transit buses approach, thus reducing the amount of time the buses are idling.
• Start a program to encourage homeowners to convert standard porch lights to more energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs.
• Strengthen building codes to require more energy-efficient and longer-lasting materials.
Other than the building code changes, most of the plan does not mandate the private sector to change practices. But group members said they hope that if city government starts changing its practices, residents and the private sector would follow suit.
“Hopefully everyone will understand that the city can’t be the only one that steps up and makes changes,” said Susan Rodgers, a task force member and the environmental administrator for Hallmark’s Lawrence operations.
The task force made the hiring of a new sustainability director its top recommendation but also said it did not want the city to delay making changes to its operations while it was trying to figure out how to fund the position.
Task force members said they hoped a new fee could be added to city water and sewer bills by 2010. The fee would not be added to electric or gas bills that city residents receive.
The task force previously had discussed recommending a new “carbon tax” that would charge residents an extra fee each month based on the amount of electricity that a household or business uses. Boulder, Colo., voters earlier this decade approved a similar tax.
But ultimately, the task force decided not to include that idea in its recommendations.
Comments
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VoiceOfReason (anonymous) says…
Oh my God, this town has gone completely off the deep end. Yeah...that's our priority with the economy tanking and revenues and incomes plummeting...lets make up rediculous fees for tree hugging. Nutcases!!! @@
KU_cynic (anonymous) says…
What is this sustainability director going to do? Go around screwing in new light bulbs? Tighten up the nuts and bolts on the proposed bike racks on police squad cars? More likely travel at taxpayer expense to sustainability conferences attended by similarly titled bureaucrats at the expenses of their respective taxpayers to come back with pie-in-the-sky ideas that we don't have money to implement? Sheesh!Face it, if we had a sustainability director on staff right now the position would be one of the first to be cut in this time of austerity. The city taxing me through my water & sewer fees for a city employee who has nothing to do with sewer and water would be a sham.And finally, if we're worrying about T buses idling at stop lights perhaps we should stop paying to run them around town mostly empty most of the time.
Centerville (anonymous) says…
No thanks. This sounds like something that a foundation should fund. I mean a real foundation that is supported not by tax money but by voluntary contributions. I don't need to pay taxes to have someone send me junk mail about recycling.
devobrun (anonymous) says…
Lets form a task force to hire an adviser that will run a commission that will build a consensus of opinion of the task members that will be used to investigate the feasibility of forming a city level task force to study the literature on reducing the carbon footprint of committees that form to investigate task forces.Next we will recommend a standing committee to meet prior to all city commission meetings to report to the commission on the progress of the task force. A budget will be the first order of business and will include travel money, stipends for KU scholarships that will be used to fund research into the forming of task forces to investigate alternate energy, alternate waste disposal, alternate alternatives in each of the task force meetings.Then we will publish a full color glossy pamphlet to extol the virtues of alternative sustainability task forces. We will ride our bikes to the meetings. We will raise awareness.We will solicit underwriters.We will produce alternative views that will produce a consensus that will be progressive.We will promote eating of Johnson Grass as a weed preventative and alternative low impact food source.We will form a committee to investigate the global dissemination of our important findings regarding Johnson Grass.We will form the Johnson Grass Society. We will request government funding and local patrons to fund our "work".Lets form a committee.
LadyJ (anonymous) says…
They just said they have to eliminate jobs because there is no money and now they are creating a new department. The director will need a staff. The tax may cover his salary but the staff and other expenses will come out of the budget. They'll take the money from the crossing guard salaries and other cut employees to pay for those. The water bills are high enough and there is no guarantee that other fees will not be needed to add to it. More and more extra charges will start to be added that have nothing to do with water. What a sneaky way to increase taxes without voter approval. This should not be allowed and no new positions should be created at this time. I bet he gets a new car too.
LadyJ (anonymous) says…
Can't this be done with volunteers?
workinghard (anonymous) says…
They knew they were planning this all the while they were sitting up there Tues night saying all these jobs had to be cut, what hypocrites. Of course, did I really expect less from them?
oohmgrover (anonymous) says…
I'm too appalled to add anything other than an "Amen" to what every other commenter has said.
Informed (anonymous) says…
Anyone want a Fluffernutter sandwich? There appears to be a huge jar of Fluff hangin' around City Hall.While the idea of sustainability *might* be valid, the idea of creating a new position to implement (read: delegate the actual work to others) suggestions that are already being thrown about is absolutely ludicrous.
monkeyhawk (anonymous) says…
Check out how the "smart grid" brought to you by GE (advertised on the Super Bowl) will invade your home and determine how much extra to charge you for your consumption. Anything with the word "smart" in front of it should be paid very close attention to. Who knows that better than Lawrence?Those who hired Dever are so far a bit disappointed and feel that he is on thin ice after his idea to neglect his duty and put the T up for vote. I'm sure that did not turn out the way he planned. It is a very big elephant in the room. The T is where this sustainability task force should concentrate. That is - after producing absolutely conclusive evidence that global warming, cooling, climate change is in fact real, and is in fact caused by humans.
Boeing (anonymous) says…
Of course it can be done with volunteers, but then where would the "friends in high places" go to get paychecks for doing little to no work? Other than KU, that is...
CLARKKENT (anonymous) says…
forget green, at least for now.this city has to many task forces!!!!!!!!!!it is now time to hire and elect people that will do their jobs. times are tough, and are going to get tougher. we have to get spending in this city under control.
SFBayhawk (anonymous) says…
The economic downturn will take care of over-consumption in and of itself. Anyone who hasn't figured out the same "pie" feeds everything should be an economic adviser in D.C.But maybe we could fund another gatekeeper if we cut out one high school football stadium.But football .... football is what counts.NAHHHH!
gr (anonymous) says…
"a new sustainability director position that would oversee city efforts to reduce electricity usage,"Can I charge someone else so I can figure out how to save money on my bills?"Installing new technology that would allow traffic signals to automatically change to green as transit buses approach, thus reducing the amount of time the buses are idling."Does this mean since the majority voted for a tax increase for the empT, they now get to pay additional non-voted for taxes to keep it going?Why not synchronize the lights so everyone can reduce time idling?"Task force members said they hoped a new fee could be added to city water and sewer bills by 2010. The fee would not be added to electric or gas bills that city residents receive."Ummmmm..... What does water and sewer use have to do with global warming that electric and gas use do not?Makes as much sense as being charged a global warming fee each time you shovel your sidewalk or plant a tree.Where do such ideas come from? Oh, like increasing the tollroad fees for KU buildings?
alm77 (anonymous) says…
I just don't see a need to start a new department to do these things. Each of the items listed would already fall into one of the current departments, no? The ideas listed here are fine, and we should do them, but I'm appalled that this creation of new post is coming up the day after they had me believe they *have* to cut the crossing guards. They determined that the crossing guard program costs $50,000 a year. That's a tax of about $.50 per person, per year. Add that to my water bill. I won't even notice. But the creation of a new position (with a paid staff) will cost far more. Save the jobs already in place!
alm77 (anonymous) says…
Let your voices be heard: http://www.ci.lawrence.ks.us/commissi...
free2bme (anonymous) says…
Thanks to the Mayor's Task Force! I needed a really good laugh this a.m.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
"Sure better than giving money to Deciphera or tax abatements." - logrithmicGovernment doesn't "give" money to anyone. Government only takes. When your mindset that government is in the business of giving money away, the underlying assumption is that government owns everything. Sadly, logrithmic actually believes that. He would actually thank our benevolent government for giving the job providers and wage earners some of their money back.
Godot (anonymous) says…
This is completely nuts. Out of line. Irresponsible. Totally expected from this fruitcake city.
Lawrencian3 (anonymous) says…
It's a good idea. It appeals to true fiscal consertaves who are sick of throwing away our tax dollars funding never ending wars, and giving billions of our tax dollars to fund bank CEO salaries, etc.Just make it part of the job description that the person must give priority to saving tax dollars by generally cutting energy costs through efficiency measures all over the city - bus diseal, lighting, etc.
ranger73 (anonymous) says…
maybe it should be part of the job description for any city commissioner/mayor/goof in charge that they"...give priority to saving tax dollars by generally cutting energy costs through efficiency measures all over city..."or isn't what they are supposedly saying when they are campaigning for us to elect them to these positions? Let's cut funding, cut jobs, cut services, but we need to create a new post for sustainability? Someone must have found an old boog stash somewhere.
sowhatnow (anonymous) says…
Once again, so many of you see this as an either/or proposition - as in "we can't afford to be green". And yet, as a culture we seem to value money over everything, including our kids, old people, the planet etc. Energy efficiency and environmental responsibility HAS to be part of everything we do from now on. And oftentimes, it will save money in the short run if not the long run. Grow up all you naysayers and look around at reality. Read the ingredients on your bottle of shampoo. Look at cancer rates etc...
cowboy (anonymous) says…
This nonsense is beyond belief. It is time for this form of city management to be officially dissolved. The ineptness of the commission and city manager displayed this week cries out for a change. Management by kommittee is a failure here. There is little accountabilty , no consistent direction, few if any measurable goals , and a totally reactive approach to governance. With all due respect to those who come forward and run for commission , the rotating membership and relative inexperience in financial management of most of the seat holders. and the reluctance to confront the city manager leaves Lawrence in a leadership vacuum.We need a strong mayor , full time , a small district based council , and get rid of about 75% of the kommittees. Let serious leaders come forward and present their agendas and vision for the citizens to elect . The city manager position is too powerful , difficult to check , and in it's current incarnation not doing the job of the people. We have the plc slate to thank for running out Wildgen , whose last budget was 25% less than this currently submitted one. While having some planning problems they at least ran a tighter ship. Things shall be different after the revolution ! I wish
redmoonrising (anonymous) says…
Oh, please, tack some more onto the water bill! As I've said before, a $42 water bill usually includes about $6 for the actual water used. Then there's the sewer fee, about $23, not to mention the runoff fee, trash pick up, and countless other fees already added. Has the water bill become the general tack on fee? Or a good way for them to stick it to us without mentioning another tax? And talk about creating a new position now when they are cutting back. Makes a lot of sense. There follows of course an office, staff, vehicles, etc. Wonder if this person would turn off the lights every time they left the office. But I forget, they will be using fluorescent, so leave them on by all means. Maybe the city just needs to learn to be accountable as we private citizens are. Establish some guidelines and every city office stick to them. Heck, print them and we all can. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that just don't care and you're not going to change their attitude by filling a feel-good position with Mr. Rogers. Why should they have to hire someone to keep them accountable in the first place?
webmocker (anonymous) says…
When a sustainability position is added where there was none, and the person hired has the chops, there are often plenty of opportunities for saving money through efficiency measures that city employees and administrators haven't yet identified. The position could be paid for by those savings. In fact, it could be designed in such a way that the person doing the job gets paid half of all the tax dollars saved. If they save a million, they get paid $500,000. If they save nothing, they get paid nothing. That would be an incentive to avoid wasting money on junk mail campaigns, yes?
jafs (anonymous) says…
If this is the task force that I spoke with, I am rather disappointed at their suggestions.I made a number of suggestions to them about how the city could cut down on resource usage/pollution, none of which involved creating new positions or extra taxes.This morning, while I sat behind a "T" bus which refused to turn right on a red light, it occurred to me that this is another easy thing to change - mandate buses turn right on red when it's feasible/safe to do so. When they sit there, they increase not only their consumption, but that of all of us waiting behind them.
Sigmund (anonymous) says…
"Equipping police cars with bike racks so that it would be easier for police officers to do bike patrols in the city." Yeah because the extra weight on the police cars will have NO impact on miles per gallon."Convert the city’s transit fleet from diesel fuel usage to a more environmentally friendly alternative fuel." Yeah like ethanol so we can turn all of our farm land into corn fields, pump all of the aquifer water using electricity, drive up food prices and starve the third world."Installing new technology that would allow traffic signals to automatically change to green as transit buses approach, thus reducing the amount of time the buses are idling." I am sure stopping thousands of cars a day to allow a bus not to stop at corners and pick up passengers will improve their miles per gallon as well and is absolute genius. "The task force made the hiring of a new sustainability director its top recommendation" How surprising the task force wants the city to pay one of them full time to ask us to convert to CFL's. Sweet gig, where do I apply?
alm77 (anonymous) says…
Okay, okay. I got a response from a commissioner. He said that just because it's recommended doesn't mean it will happen. He also said that there were over $3 million in recommendations that didn't get approved last year. So, just speak up. Write them and let them know what you do and don't want!!
cheeseburger (anonymous) says…
Good one, Sig! I'm sure a room full of 4th graders could have come up with a list that made more sense than the one submitted by this task force!
foodboy (anonymous) says…
From the article: "Start a program to encourage homeowners to convert standard porch lights to more energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs."I replaced my porch light with EE bulb and it didn't work very well so I went to Ernst Hardware to get a brighter one, and was told that the fluorescent bulbs don't work well in cold weather. However, there are many other ways that we as individuals, and the city, could make changes that will not only help the environment, but save money in the long run. I think a position, possibly half-time, could work to do more with recycling, energy/cost saving ideas and planning for energy efficiency in new construction would pay for itself in no time.
tir (anonymous) says…
Lawrence already has a Sustainability Advisory Board. It says so, right on the City website. Why not use this board that is already in place? We can't afford to hire someone new. And we don't need to.http://www.lawrencerecycles.org/envadvisoryboard.shtml
rightthinkertwo (anonymous) says…
I have got a migraine all of sudden!
avoice (anonymous) says…
The people on this task force are akin to the CEOs of all the bailout banks. They just don't get it.
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
Taxpayers should not be the bankers for your experiments. After conserving our electricity and cutting our bills down to size then perhaps we should all change over to lamp oil.........now where does that leave you. As for the new energy CFL lights, they do good; inside and out for us. We changed all to make up for increases in utilities and taxes two years ago. Now they want to add more taxes and eat that up too. A nice wind turbine and a few electric buses should be forced upon that albatross first. Let's see how you like it.
KsTwister (anonymous) says…
Come to think of it, as the city is saving some money by using the sewer inserts to the lines do we get a reimbursement????? After all we are paying the "REAL" job aren't we?
webmocker (anonymous) says…
Fund the position out of the money the new sustainability director saves the city. Give that person a financial incentive to save the most possible by giving them a percentage of any savings that are above what it costs to fund the position. In the early stages, at least, smart sustainability is about efficiency, and efficiency saves money. Other sustainability initiatives cost a bit more upfront to save a lot more down the road, like insulating your house when you build it. Others are about externalized costs of pollution and carbon emissions that are much harder to quantify and justify on a community level.
townie42 (anonymous) says…
"Lawrence already has a Sustainability Advisory Board. It says so, right on the City website. Why not use this board that is already in place? We can't afford to hire someone new. And we don't need to."http://www.lawrencerecycles.org/envad…Great point, Tir. Somebody should bring this up at the next city council meeting.
Sigmund (anonymous) says…
I recommend the City of Lawrence purchase the 2012 Pelosi GTxi SS/RT Sport Edition, by Congressional Motors! It's the Hybrid, Ethno, Biodiesel, Electric, Clean Coal, Wind, Solar, Pedal car of the future with a Al gore inspired V3 engine!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY
ghostofrealityspeaks (anonymous) says…
Geez, another stupid idea. When is enough, enough? All of the ideas identified are rather easy to implement without a director. Time to get a reality check. Losing more faith everyday!
Newell_Post (anonymous) says…
We need a director of >>financial<< sustainability.
BigPrune (anonymous) says…
This is the MOST ridiculous thing I have ever seen.Mayor Dever is a joke and an idiot.I need to move from this town of kooks. Lawrence is full of loons! PLEASE put something in our water so our town can be normal (or filter out the acid). This town is more embarrasing than ever.Why must I always apologize to people in other parts of the state when I say I am from Lawrence?I hope Lawrence goes bankrupt.
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
hahahahahahaha... wait let me catch my breath... hahahaha.I can only guess that the city is trying to parody itself and Chad is in on the joke. Why else write such an entirely one-sided story? Why not interview people who are tired of paying fees and taxes to maintain Lawrence's insane agenda?
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
Oh and an FYI: Guess who is on the sustainability board? The same folks who bring you expensive things like roundabouts, the T and a potential garbage tax. Top of the list? Merrill.http://www.ci.lawrence.ks.us/advisorybds/board_rosters/sustainability_advisory_board.html
Guardian (anonymous) says…
This is what happens when environmentalist wackos are in charge. I suppose we could make it part of the upcoming stimulus pork package. That way we could all pay for it through federal taxes rather than local taxes.
Did_I_say_that (DIST) says…
Commenters say,“Let your voices be heard:”“So, just speak up.""Write them and let them know what you do and don't want!”“I'm sure a room full of 4th graders could have come up with a list that made more sense than the one submitted by this task force!”Quick – Where is that hedgehog boy??
pace (anonymous) says…
This is a great recommendation. Times are changing, old ways are costing us way too much in way too many ways. It will make us ready for the opportunities that will come our way. Hanging on to the old fractured old methods , where we keep doing the things the way we always have will cost a lot more. We need to have some one on board to help guide us as a community and a city to quit being such wasters. I hope we get someone with practical approaches and the guts to battle in the entrenched system. I hope that led lights take hold and the electric bills go down. We are responsible for how we choose to do business, It is not good enough to explain that our people have been wasters and that good enough. It isn't good enough. We should be ready for the challenge to be better people and to take responsibility for how we do it. Whiners , take the time to figure out how this town can be cleaner and more efficient. One person in one position won't do it. It will take more than a position in a local government. I am so tired that people think a government can act in a vacuum, get off your butts and make the government a shadow of what you are able to do in your own life.
oohmgrover (anonymous) says…
pace, does the term "economic collapse" mean anything to you? We need to worry about our immediate problems, not this hippy crap that can be dealt with when we are all prospering again in 50 years or so.
jafs (anonymous) says…
According to most scientists, we really don't have 50 years to continue our current habits - we need to change now.And, I agree we don't need to hire anyone new - simply implement obvious and commonsense day-to-day policies.
gr (anonymous) says…
So the city is going to tax to change the weather.Interesting.In the past, weather events were blamed on an act of God, act of the Devil, or just happened and no one took the blame and weaseled out of insurance payments and what not.Now, the city is going to take responsibility for changing the weather.I'm so glad someone is going to be held responsible. Since the city is going to tax us to change the weather, one would expect they are going to tax us to the amount to be effective. If they plan on NOT being effective, then why bother. Since they expect to be effective, then when weather happens, someone needs to sue the city for having failed to manage the weather properly (or even intentionally causing bad things to happen).If it's too hot - sue the city.If it's too cold - sue the city.If it rains. Too dry. Anything to blame on the weather, the city will take, and suffer, the responsibility.Cash in on it.
pace (anonymous) says…
A position that will help us look at practical ways to change is needed more than ever.I remember the cries that environmental changes would hurt the booming economy, now they say since the economic collapse it is not time to change. That is not only defeatist thinking it is silly. We are going into the future and saying we have to keep doing everything the same way that that is safest, is just not going to work. There is opportunity and change coming, We shouldn't be cowards at facing it. With courage and intelligence we have a chance.