Title
Resolution to Approve a Cooperative Agreement with the County of Washtenaw and Grant $200,000.00 to the County to Expand Weatherization Assistance Programs in the City
Memorandum
One of the key actions under the energy efficiency strategy in A2ZERO is working with the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to expand weatherization services in the City. In the last several weeks, OCED and the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) have identified funding opportunities which would allow us to potentially provide expanded weatherization services while also expanding those services to include even greater decarbonization techniques. To do this, however, necessitates stabilizing staffing within OCED and piloting a weatherization expansion program in Ann Arbor to gauge efficacy and impact. This resolution would support this work by allowing the City to engage in a Cooperative Agreement with the County around weatherization expansion and grant the County’s OCED $200,000.00 to support this work.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: Funding for this initiative is available in the Fiscal Year 2024 Office of Sustainability and Innovations Budget.
Staff
Prepared by: Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director
Reviewed by: Jennifer Richards, Assistant City Attorney
Reviewed by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, Through the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan, the City has set an aggressive goal of achieving community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030;
Whereas, One of the key strategies of the A2ZERO Plan is undertaking deep energy efficiency work in all homes, businesses, houses of worship, and recreational sites throughout the City of Ann Arbor;
Whereas, The County’s Office of Community and Economic Development operates a Weatherization Assistance Program which is federally funded and provides free weatherization services to income-qualified Washtenaw County residents;
Whereas, The County’s Office of Community and Economic Development has received increased federal and state funding for its Weatherization Assistance Program and needs assistance to increase its production level and maintain staff to match the increased funding;
Whereas, The County’s Office of Community and Economic Development is also seeking a funding source for pilot projects for energy saving retrofits and electrification of heating systems in collaboration with the City of Ann Arbor’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations;
Whereas, Working with the County to expand weatherization services is one of eleven core actions the City identified in the A2ZERO Plan to further its energy efficiency work and benefit City residents;
Whereas, The City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations and County’s Office of Community and Economic Development desire to work collaboratively to leverage available federal and state funding, City funds, and County staffing to expand and expedite weatherization services and programming, through the County’s Weatherization Assistance Program, in the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County;
Whereas, The City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations and County’s Office of Community and Economic Development are prepared to pilot deep energy efficiency and decarbonization strategies immediately in the Bryant neighborhood and grow that pilot throughout the City; and
Whereas, The City and County have identified additional grant funding opportunities to help expand weatherization and decarbonization services for income-qualified homes in Ann Arbor and beyond;
RESOLVED, City Council approve a Cooperative Agreement with the County of Washtenaw to Expand Weatherization Services in the City;
RESOLVED, City Council authorizes a grant, pursuant to the Cooperative Agreement, to Washtenaw County in the amount of $200,000.00 to fund capacity building and staff retention for its Weatherization Assistance Program, to support fundraising for a decarbonization program, and to fund fieldwork for a deep weatherization pilot project in the City of Ann Arbor;
RESOLVED, Ann Arbor City Council supports the City and County working together to secure additional grant funding to expand weatherization and decarbonization services in the community;
RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized to sign the Cooperative Agreement after approval as to substance by the City Administrator and approval as to form by the City Attorney; and
Resolved, That the City Administrator is authorized to take all appropriate actions to implement this resolution, including signing all necessary documents and cooperative agreements.