Getting Ready: York's election was a big day for town's future
Last Saturday York voters achieved a stunning win for our Climate Action Plan (CAP) and for the health and well-being of our town and region. The tally was 1,771 to adopt the CAP and 786 against – the 985-vote spread was the broadest difference of the day and bodes well for community involvement in the future. (The CAP is available at YorkCAP.net)
On Monday, Gerry Runte, co-chair with Wayne Boardman of the 100-plus town-wide CAP Committee, sat for a conversation about the significance of the vote. His biggest takeaway: “York as a community now has well-researched documentation to help us mitigate the vulnerabilities we already know about and deal with greenhouse gases within our control. Aside from Portland and South Portland, we are the only other Maine town with an approved plan, which demonstrates genuine commitment by our community.”
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He went on to say that the CAP provides a map of goals and recommended actions, but it doesn’t tell us exactly how to achieve our goals around reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the greatest contributor to climate change. “That requires town government and a dedicated group.”
Thus, he suggests that the Board of Selectmen should convene a small group to decide the makeup of a larger group, which should be named before the end of this calendar year. It could be a public/private partnership, or an ad hoc committee that is able to raise money, reassess GHG levels periodically, and evaluate the CAP as we move through its recommendations.
The CAP identifies 60 different entities that could be involved in such a group, including York Ready for Climate Action (YRCA), the Planning Board, and the Energy Steering Committee. Runte stressed “the critical importance of convening a core committee and appointing a coordinator of that committee right away.” One task of this environmental coordinator and team will be to assure that the language in the CAP is consistent with that of the town’s Comprehensive Plan.
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As always, funding is a concern, but advice, and perhaps help, might come from the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) and from other sources that are listed in the CAP. Now that the CAP has voters’ approval, other funding opportunities will be available.
The conversation returned to the leadership role of town government and possible organizational structures. The new leadership committee could identify elements of the CAP that should be undertaken immediately and others that can be adopted in phases.
The leadership committee could include representatives of other concerned community organizations such as the Town Planning Department, the CAP Steering Committee, York Ready for Climate Action, York Land Trust, SMPDC and York Community Service Association. It could be part of town government but able to raise money on its own – a sort of hybrid or quasi-municipal organization based on a nonprofit model – perhaps like the Sewer and Water Department - and able to raise funding. All of this is still to be determined.
We also discussed the potential role of YRCA in implementing the CAP, the need to assure equity in all the actions undertaken by the CAP, that we help identify community groups at risk, provide information and expertise (on free energy audits, for example), identify grant-making resources and apply for support. “YRCA has to be a key stakeholder in implementing the CAP.”
When asked his opinion about the most important next step to propel the CAP forward, Runte said again that “There is a comprehensive list of actions. Putting together ways to implement them is absolutely vital. We need a separate organization to run the CAP, and the Select Board needs to identify members of this group.”
More details to sort out: According to the CAP (p. 165), its goals should be managed by an “entity with authority, accountability and a budget.” Currently, there are no resources or space in Town Hall to house or manage the CAP, or staff to write grant applications, and no other organization that can do it. Funding is available for staffing, and we will benefit from discussions with SMPDC.
We have an aggressive plan that sets an example for other Maine towns. Our actions can affect the health and well-being of our families, our town, the Earth and its creatures. We have a lot to do. It’s not a surprise, so let’s get underway.
Susan Glick is a member of York Ready for Climate Action (YRCA). YRCA is a grassroots citizens’ organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the causes and effects of climate change and advancing environmentally friendly and inclusive policies and behaviors. Please see yorkreadyforclimateaction.org or info@yorkreadyfor climateaction.org. Information about York EcoHOMES is on the same site.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Getting Ready: Town election was a big day for York Maine's future
