FY25 Proposed Budget

Climate Action and Outreach

The Climate Action & Outreach Division is responsible for the design and implementation of climate action initiatives as well as tracking and publicly reporting carbon emission reduction and energy usage data.

General Fund Activities:

• The Climate Action & Outreach staff provides technical support to City departments and engages the public with participation in a wide variety of climate action programs. They serve as liaisons to the Climate Action Commission. Boards and Commissions: The Climate Action Commission is charged with assisting the City in the implementation of the goals and objectives of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and the Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Actions Report . Guided by principles of equity, the Commission considers the impacts of proposed climate initiatives and works with the Climate Action and Outreach staff to enable and enhance further community efforts in pursuit of the City’s ambitious climate goals, which include decreasing emissions and increasing community resilience. • Funded the insulation, electrical panel upgrades, and air source heat pump projects for 100 income-qualified households through the residential energy efficiency grant program. • Sponsored a 2- day “Green Designations” certification training for 33 Iowa City realtors in collaboration with the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors (ICAAR), which led to updates to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to include energy efficiency fields and further collaboration with the Homebuilders Association (HBA) to launch a HERS rating award program next year. • Installed level 1 charging infrastructure for electric vehicles for our first participating property through the EV charging grant program from multi-family residences. • Grew Climate Fest to include a week of activities and a community-wide mailer that resulted in increased applications to several Climate Action programs. • Launched the fourth year of Root for Trees residential tree planting program and received the largest number of applications to date. • Held third annual Neighborhood Energy Blitz event and piloted a “mini - blitz” program that combined reached more than 1,000 households. • Secured a SolSmart Gold designation for Iowa City in recognition of the city’s efforts to reduce barriers to solar energy adoption. • Collaborated with Johnson County to expand the reach of the AmeriCorps home energy audit service to neighboring communities. Recent Accomplishments:

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