Title
Resolution to Order Election and to Determine Ballot Question for Charter Amendment for Creation of a Sustainable Energy Utility (7 Votes Required)
Staff
Reviewed by: Atleen Kaur City Attorney
Body
Whereas, In November of 2019 Ann Arbor City Council unanimously passed a Climate Emergency Declaration and established the goal of a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030;
Whereas, Ann Arbor City Council unanimously adopted the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan in June of 2020 as a means to achieve that carbon neutrality goal;
Whereas, In furtherance of its carbon neutrality goal, the City of Ann Arbor retained the team of 5 Lakes Energy, SunStore Energy, Potomac Law Group and NewGen to explore potential energy option pathways to achieve the A2ZERO vision;
Whereas, On September 26, 2023 a work session of City Council was held during which the City's consultant team presented their "100% Renewable Energy Options Analysis Technical Report;"
Whereas, A key recommendation in the 5 Lakes Energy Technical Report was to pursue a Sustainable Energy Utility ("SEU") to accelerate renewable energy in the City and provide resilience within the City of Ann Arbor;
Whereas, Following the work session City Staff received the consultants' models late in 2023 and undertook significant work to validate and re-calibrate the models, as needed, to ensure their applicability to the Michigan context, especially considering the new clean energy laws that were enacted;
Whereas, Based on all these combined efforts and Council's direction, City Staff provided a report to Council in February of 2024 summarizing recommendations related to electricity-related energy options to achieve the City's A2ZERO goal;
Whereas, In the February 2024 report, City Staff recommended that the City invest in three core actions to advance progress toward A2ZERO's 100% renewable electricity goal, the first of which was to "put the formation of a Sustainable Energy Utility to a vot...
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