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| | | | Meeting Convened at 2:00 pm | | | |
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| | 2. | | Approval of minutes from July 16th 2025 meeting
Minutes note: Member Linda Frank moved approval of the minutes. There where no objections. | | | |
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| | 3. | | 2026 preliminary policy and project priorities report from the City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office and Milwaukee County Office of Sustainability
Minutes note: City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Highlights (presented by member Erick Shambarger)
ECO newsletter shared updates on all 10 sustainability initiatives, despite some funding cuts.
Priority to update greenhouse gas inventories using 2025 data and to refresh data dashboards.
EV charging plan advancing with a $15 million federal grant to build a public EV charging network. The first 13 locations approved by City Council, moving through NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) review for construction funding, and public engagement for second phase ongoing.
Wisconsin joined other states in litigation to secure timely release of EV construction funds, ensuring continued progress.
Public engagement session planned for April for additional public feedback on charging sites; ongoing input available online.
Expanding large-scale renewalble energy projects and rooftop solar projects, with 60 municipal buildings now on 100% renewable electricity.
Rooftop solar projects near completion at DPW headquarters, Police District Three Station, and MLK Branch Library, aiming for direct pay tax credits.
Ongoing energy efficiency and healthy homes work for residents, federal HOMES and HEAR rebates geared toward low-income customers. A webinar is scheduled for February 12, 2026 to promote programs.
Continued success with Green Schools Initiative (annual renovation of five schoolyards) and exploration of adding green space to traffic calming measures.
Enforcement of local hiring on solar projects and efforts to connect MPS trades education programs to city employment opportunities.
Feed MKE expands food donations, emphasis on local hiring and trades education links.
Exploring new sustainability requirements for developers seeking city funding and adding multifamily buildings to energy benchmarking policies.
Considering requirement for ENERGY STAR equipment in city-supported home improvement programs.
Milwaukee County Office of Sustainability Updates (presented by Director Grant Helle)
County’s work guided by Climate Action 2050 Plan, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, and recent county policy resolutions.
Collaboration with city and regional partners on funding and implementation, including participation in city EV initiatives.
Focus on waste diversion in county facilities, building on single-use plastic/polystyrene bans.
Advocacy for data center accountability at the state level and monitoring of related legislation.
County joined litigation concerning PFAS and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation.
Developing tools and dashboards to track KPIs for emissions, with a third party consultant onboard; seeking enhanced methods to communicate progress in 2026.
Implementation of sustainable design standards for new capital projects; eleven 2026 projects fall within these requirements.
Energy efficiency projects ongoing, e.g., steam trap upgrades at the courthouse resulting in energy and cost savings.
Recent installation of solar panels at the Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services building; interest in further renewable energy projects.
Ongoing community engagement, with participation in climate and transportation budget listening sessions.
Closely monitoring changes in funding opportunities to expedite implementation.
Suggested Action Items
Promote the February 12th webinar on federal HOMES and HEAR rebates to city residents.
County slides to be shared with attendees.
Interest in city adopting data center accountability.
Ensure sustainability requirements and energy efficiency standards are integrated into city-supported development and home improvement programs.
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| | 4. | | 2026 plan for greenhouse gas inventories and public dashboards
Minutes note: Discussion focused on updates to greenhouse gas inventories and improvements to public dashboards for both city and county operations.
Member Erick Shambarger explain that the city previously used the ClearPath platform from ICLEI USA for its greenhouse gas inventory, with the most recent data point previously being from 2018.
Regional Climate Plan efforts led to updated inventories including 2022 data for Milwaukee and surrounding communities, supported by EPA grants.
The city is contracting to add 2025 data, targeting three key data points (2018, 2022, 2025) for review at the April meeting.
There is an emphasis on standardizing inventory methodology across years to ensure comparable data, given changes in ClearPath's software and processes over time.
Inclusion of advisory committee members Linda Frank and Jennifer Evans in discussions with the contractor (Caramida) to maintain transparency and gather input on dashboards.
Explanation that any changes to past numbers are due to improved methodologies, not any other motives.
Dashboard Development and Community Engagement:
Transition away from additional paid features on the ClimateView platform; focus will be on clearer, custom dashboards built in-house (e.g., Microsoft Power BI).
Demonstration of a new Power BI dashboard for municipal operations, featuring drill-down capabilities by building, department, and type of energy use (including renewable energy and electric vehicle metrics).
Feedback gathered indicates the new dashboard is more user-friendly and clear; further input is encouraged from the advisory committee and public.
Plans to add a clear 2030 emissions reduction target (45% reduction) and break down targets for the plan’s "ten big ideas" in future dashboard updates.
Open invitation for more in-depth feedback or working group sessions outside main meetings to improve data presentation.
County-Level Progress and Coordination presented by Director Grant Helle.
Milwaukee County is initiating an updated operational emissions inventory for 2024, supplementing their annual tracking since 2016 (baseline 2005).
The county uses ICLEI's ClearPath 2.0 (mainly for community inventories) but is adapting it for operational use in collaboration with ICLEI staff.
Current progress reflects a 47% emissions reduction as of 2023, keeping pace with climate targets (50% reduction by 2030, carbon neutral by 2050).
The County maintains a public energy dashboard updated quarterly; 2025 data will be uploaded within two months.
The County is also planning to develop a new, more robust dashboard for climate plan implementation, drawing inspiration from the city's Power BI approach.
Both city and county are open to feedback and intend for future dashboards to reflect community and advisory board input.
Ongoing collaboration with other major stakeholders (e.g., WE Energies) to improve data sharing and streamline processes for mass data uploads.
Discussion about potentially using the 2022 regional inventory as a
baseline for future county-wide community planning.
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| | 5. | | Discuss topics and scheduling for April 2026 meeting
Minutes note: Complete execution of contract for updated greenhouse gas inventories to secure 2025 data before the April meeting.
Continue development and refinement of new Power BI dashboards for both the city and county, incorporating feedback from advisory committee members and the public.
Establish and internalize clearly defined 2030 emissions reduction targets and break down objectives for the plan’s ten big ideas within dashboards.
Coordinate with WE Energies to advocate for improved data transfer processes.
Next meeting tentatively scheduled for April, after Earth Day, with the exact date to be determined via email coordination due to member availability.
The group is committed to maintaining a collaborative, transparent, and open process for both meetings and dashboard development. | | | |
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| | 6. | | Equity-related efforts.
Minutes note: Milwaukee County presentation can be found in the communication file below. | | | |
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| 0 | | Communication | Communication relating to the activities of the City-County Advisory Board on Climate and Economic Equity. | | | |
Action details
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| | | | Meeting Adjourned at 3:01 PM
Carmen O. Roman
Staff Assistant | | | |
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