231821
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
221233
Sponsor
ALD. DIMITRIJEVIC AND SPIKER
Title
Substitute resolution relative to acceptance and funding of a Cooperative Agreement through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Compost and Food Waste Recovery program in support of the Environmental Collaboration Office’s FEED MKE Pilot Project.
Analysis
This resolution authorizes the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) to accept a $500,000 Cooperative Agreement through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Compost and Food Waste Recovery program in support of the Environmental Collaboration Office’s FEED MKE Pilot Project. $400,000 of the project cost is federally funded, and the $100,000 local share is provided by staff time from existing city staff ($55,000), $25,000 from DPW Operations for community drop-off sites, and $20,000 from ECO’s Climate Planning and Program fund to support an educational campaign. The project will coordinate and expand several initiatives among public, private, and governmental entities to address the interconnected issues of food insecurity, waste reduction, landfill diversion, and climate change. The Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan features “10 Big Ideas” to strategically reduce the city’s carbon footprint, one of which is Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption. This idea focuses on feeding hungry people by redistributing edible, gleaned leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away. The key outcomes of this strategy are that residents are fed by gleaning edible food, inedible food waste is composted and less methane-causing food waste ends up in landfills. The funding supports a new a new grant-funded position in ECO to coordinate the project for two years and $190,000 that will be sub-granted to local organizations including food pantries to boost compost collection infrastructure.
Body
Whereas, the City of Milwaukee adopted a Climate and Equity Plan in June 2023 with goals of reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while creating good-paying green jobs that pay at least $40,000 per year with a focus on recruiting workers of color into these green jobs; and
Whereas, “Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption” is one of the Ten Big Ideas in the Climate and Equity Plan; and
Whereas, the major focus of the Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption chapter is the creation of the Food Excess Equitable Distribution (FEED) MKE pilot project with the mission to reduce food waste sent to landfills; and
Whereas, FEED MKE prioritizes source reduction and feeding hungry people, the preferred strategy listed in EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy; and
Whereas, FEED MKE emphasizes the collaboration's aim of promoting equity by improving access to healthy foods, prioritizing vulnerable communities, and eliminating barriers while reducing food insecurity and improving public health; and
Whereas, FEED MKE is a collaborative effort that includes the City’s Environmental Collaboration Office, Health Department, Department of Public Works, UW-Extension, food pantries, and other partners
Whereas, the stated goal of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) program is to assist local and municipal governments with projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. Implementation activities will increase access to compost for agricultural producers, improve soil quality and encourages innovative, scalable waste management plans that reduce and divert food waste from landfills; and
Whereas, the project seeks to address the problem of food waste and increase composting capacity with the following approaches: 1) Conduct outreach and education initiatives to inform the public about how food waste impacts climate change, 2) Provide funding through mini-grants to support capacity-building for community-based organizations and community composting sites, 3) Foster relationship-building between gleaners and food pantries, food kitchens, emergency food banks, restaurants, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and neighborhood associations, and 4) Issue a Food Saver Challenge through the Mayor’s Office or Environmental Collaboration Office to incentivize private sector food waste reduction practices; and
Whereas, The City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office has been notified of selection for a $500,000 two-year Cooperative Agreement thorough the CAFR program, of which $400,000 is federally funded and $100,000 is locally funded; and
Whereas, the estimated period performance for this cooperative agreement is from June 1, 2024 - May 30, 2026; now therefore be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the Environmental Collaboration Office shall accept this Cooperative Agreement without further approval, unless the terms change as indicated in Section 304-81 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances; and, be it
Further Resolved that the City Comptroller is authorized to:
1. Commit funds within the Project/Grant Parent of the 2024 Special Revenue-Grant and Aid Projects the following amount for the project titled: FEED MKE Project:
Project/Grant GR0002400000
Fund 0150
Org 9990
Program 0001
Budget Year 0000
Sub Class R999
Account 000600
Project Grantor Share
Amount $400,000
2. Create the necessary Grant and Aid Project/Grant and Project/Grant levels; budget against these Project/Grant values the amount required under the grant agreement;
3. Establish the necessary City Share Project Values; and, be it
Further Resolved, that these funds are budgeted for the Department of Administration- Environmental Collaboration Office which is authorized to expend from the amount budgeted for specified purposes as indicated in the grant budget and incur costs consistent with the award date; and be it
Further Resolved, That the 2024 Positions Ordinance shall be amended as follows:
Under:
The Department of Administration
Environmental Collaboration Office
Add one FTE position of ‘Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator, and
Add footnote E as follows:
(E) United States Department of Agriculture Compost and Food Waste Recovery (CFWR) Position Authority for the Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator to expire if grant funding is discontinued on August 30th, 2026, unless the CFWR agreement is extended; and
Under:
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
POLICY, INNOVATION & ENGAGEMENT
PLANNING & RESEARCH
Public Health Strategist (X)(Y)(SNP)(CDD)
Add footnote (CFWR) as follows:
(CFWR) position will provide .10 FTE for each of two years as match for the Compost and Food Waste Reduction cooperative agreement through May 30, 2026 unless the agreement is extended by USDA.
Requestor
Department of Administration - Environmental Collaboration Office
03/12/2024