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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: February 4, 2020 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 6-a <br /> SUBJECT: Climate Action Tax Recommendations for FY 2019-20 <br /> DEPARTMENT: Asset Management Services, <br /> Financial and Administrative <br /> Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Climate Action Tax Projects and Scoring Brennan Bouma, (919) 245-2626 <br /> Report FY 2019-20 Paul Laughton, (919) 245-2152 <br /> PowerPoint Presentation <br /> PURPOSE: To: <br /> • Receive a report on climate change mitigation projects that could be funded through the <br /> FY 2019-20 Orange County Climate Action Tax, and the initial ranking of projects by the <br /> Commission for the Environment; and <br /> • Approve funding for the recommended Climate Action Tax projects for FY 2019-20 as <br /> outlined in the attached report. <br /> BACKGROUND: As part of the FY 2019-20 budget, the Board of Orange County <br /> Commissioners authorized an additional 1/4 cent property tax to provide an estimated $469,272 <br /> dedicated to accelerating climate change mitigation through the new Climate Change Mitigation <br /> Project in the Capital Investment Plan. <br /> When the tax was authorized, the BOCC stated that it would decide the final prioritization of <br /> projects to be funded, and the Board requested that the Commission for the Environment (CFE) <br /> provide feedback on prospective projects in advance of BOCC review. The BOCC has <br /> emphasized the need to consider racial equity first, so that those who benefit most directly from <br /> the proposed action are the people who most need assistance. With that in mind, the Board <br /> directed staff to develop a project scoring formula for the CFE to use while completing its initial <br /> project ranking. <br /> Staff developed an initial list of climate change mitigation projects and then created the <br /> requested scoring formula based on six (6) key criteria: <br /> • racial equity <br /> • emissions reduced <br /> • efficient use of funds <br /> • time to complete <br /> • ease of understanding/messaging/visibility <br /> • likelihood of success <br />