Minutes 06-11-19 Budget Work Session

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15 SECTION 1. Orange County, the State of North Carolina, and the United States shall transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a 100% clean renewable energy for all energy sectors-based economy, by January 1, 2050 or sooner to avoid climate catastrophe, to promote job creation and economic growth, and to protect the Earth for current and future generations from climate catastrophe. Commissioner Marcoplos said his proposed amendment is a '/4-cent tax to fund climate change investment projects and reduce energy, etc. Commissioner Marcoplos said projects have been identified in the past, and he has been working with the Sustainability Coordinator, which could allow the County to move as quickly as a matter of weeks to initiate a weatherization project. Commissioner Marcoplos said there is a social justice component to this proposal, such as the weatherization project, as those most affected by climate change are those of low income and means. He said the weatherization project and a Solar Array would be a good place to start in the first 6 months, while researching other ideas for the next round of investment projects. He said both of these projects are familiar to residents, and would have an impact on energy usage. Commissioner Marcoplos said another part of this issue is that Orange County can be a leader, and other governments in the area are watching to see if a modest tax increase can move progress forward. He said Orange County could inspire other local governments, as well as the private sector, and share information from its own projects to help jump-start other efforts. Commissioner Marcoplos said there is a lot of despair around climate change, especially with the younger generation, who wants to be involved in moving this forward. He said the County should brand itself as an alternative energy provider and leader, and it will attract businesses with this topic at their core. Commissioner Marcoplos said he feels deeply that the County must move on this now, and he said quoted Bill McKibben: "If there's one thing I could get across to people about global warming, it would be winning slowly is just another way of losing." He said the County has a responsibility to the future, and this is a small and progressive tax. Commissioner McKee said he does not dispute the climate change crisis, and has been farming all of this life, living and dying by the weather. He said what is critical to him in this proposal is that the County is already doing many of these things: solar, weatherization, geothermal, etc. He said the County is taking action through the CIP, and the Board brings projects forward one at a time. He said the Board is not going to backtrack on this. Commissioner McKee said his main objection to this was that this proposal was not on the website, and he thought all of the proposed amendments were posted. He said, as a result, not enough people have had a chance to weigh in on this proposal. He said the BOCC has received many emails on this, and the public should have been able to weigh in, as this topic has been one of the more vocal issues in recent years. He said he fully supports green energy, weatherization, and many other projects, but this amendment dedicates a revenue source that eliminates the revenue source being used for other projects that the County may need to fund. He said he is fundamentally and philosophically opposed to dedicated taxes, but his main objection is that this type of proposal should be put through a public process. Commissioner Price agreed, but this is not a new topic, and many people have been well aware of climate change for many years. She said the County is working on weatherization through the Department of Housing, and formerly JOCCA was doing the same. She said there are several solar arrays in Orange County already.