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1 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary November 9, 2015 Orange County Solid Waste Administration Building, Chapel Hill ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PRESENT: Jan Sassaman (Chair), Sheila Thomas-Ambat, May Becker, Peter Cada, Tom Eisenhart, Loren Hintz, David Neal, Bill Newby, Jeanette O’Connor, Rebecca Ray, Gary Saunders, Lydia Wegman ABSENT: Lynne Gronback, David Welch STAFF: Rich Shaw, Tom Davis, Brennan Bouma _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ I. Call to Order – Sassaman called the meeting to order at 7:31 pm. II. Ad ditions or Changes to Agenda – Shaw asked to present the draft memo on the County’s use of herbicides and pesticides at the beginning of the Updates and Information part of the agenda. Sassaman agreed. There were no other changes. III. Minutes – Sassaman asked if there were any comments about the meeting summary for October 12 meeting. Wegman noted O’Connor’s name was misspelled on page 2. Eisenhart motioned approval as amended; seconded by Cada. Approved unanimously. IV. Green Building Incentives – The CFE continued its discussion of potential incentives for energy-efficient construction. Neal introduced a draft CFE resolution asking the BOCC to develop a green building incentives program that would rebate permitting fees for new commercial and residential construction, modeled after the program adopted by the Town of Chapel Hill for the Ephesus-Fordham planning district. Neal said he would like to add a “Whereas statement” that recognizes Orange County’s efforts to reduce energy usage at its County buildings and facilities. He offered to work on draft language with help from Bouma. Wegman suggested minor edits to the 5th Whereas statement and the final “Resolved statement.” Hintz asked if the CFE would include with the resolution the Ephesus-Fordham district FAQs that was included in the CFE materials. Neal said he would like to include only a summary paragraph that describes the Town of Chapel Hill’s pilot project. Bouma and Neal presented two alternatives for an additional “Whereas statement.” CFE members chose the first alternative: “WHEREAS, Orange County is committed to reducing the energy usage of its own buildings and has invested in several successful energy efficiency projects to lower long-term costs and reduce environmental impacts;” Hintz motioned to approve the resolution as amended and send to the BOCC for consideration and further action; seconded by Eisenhart. Approved unanimously. Sassaman thanked Neal for drafting the resolution and moving this issue forward.