Climate Council meeting summary 092419

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Orange County Climate Council Draft Meeting Summary September 24, 2019 3:30pm - 5:00pm Southern Human Services Building, 2501 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill Attendees: Brennan Bouma, Jen Della Valle, Raymond DuBose, Tyrone Fisher, Hongbin Gu, Laura Janway, Mark Marcoplos, Melissa McCullough, Sarah Pitts, John Richardson, Donna Rubinoff, Dan Schnitzer, Sammy Slade, Dr. Stephen Halkiotis, Mary Tiger, Joshua Van Mater, Jenn Weaver I. Call to Order - Orange County Commissioner Marcoplos called the meeting to order at 3:35pm. Marcoplos asked members for permission to moderate the day’s discussions as leadership for the Council had not been determined. Council Members agreed. II. Welcome, Introductions, and Context - Council members introduced themselves, and Marcoplos provided a brief overview of the formation of the Climate Council. After the destructive 2018 hurricane season Marcoplos joined with Slade, Weaver, and Rachel Schaevitz to create an Ad Hoc inter-governmental committee on Climate Change. They collected an initial report on the key climate change initiatives and goals of the governments they represent, and at the January 2019 Assembly of Governments meeting they brought forward the idea of expanding and formalizing their effort through creating an Orange County Climate Council. With the approval of the Assembly of Governments, staff of the four local governments began work to create and approve a general member list and then began recruiting individuals within each slot. Marcoplos noted that not all slots had yet been filled and efforts were ongoing to identify representatives, including two of the four At-Large representatives from the 4 participating local governments. Marcoplos acknowledged that these positions attracted applications from many well-qualified County residents, several of whom were present in the room as observers of the meeting. He indicated that anyone who was interested in the discussions and decision of the Climate Council would be included on a distribution list and would receive regular communications. The general charge of the Climate Council as identified by the original Ad Hoc committee is to accelerate joint action on climate change within Orange County. III. Council Structure and Meeting Schedule - Council members then established a structure and meeting schedule to clarify the process for convening the Council and setting meeting agendas. As a first action, Marcoplos suggested that the Council appoint a Chair to facilitate meetings and help set meeting agendas. He indicated his interest in serving in this capacity, and Slade nominated Marcoplos to serve as Chair for the first year. Dr. Stephen Halkiotis seconded the nomination, and there being no other candidates nominated the Council members