FY27 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 . The Commission 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. • Robust growth in the HERS grant program with the number of homes receiving a qualifying HERS rating tripling from 2024 to 2025. • Collaborated with the police department on the purchase of an EV Blazer, believed to be the first patrol-rated EV in Iowa. • Began hosting cooling stations at community events, including the Pride festival, Summer of the Arts concerts, and Party in the Parks events, to distribute more than 1,000 cooling towels and raise awareness about high heat health impacts. • Launched Project Cleanup to enable and support residents interested in assisting with litter removal in Iowa City. • Supported the installation of solar panels at the Bike Library and collaborated on a high heat training at NCJC as part of the ongoing Resilience Hub program. • Collaborated with Parks and Rec on the design of the new City Park pool house to include heat pump water heaters. • Engaged City staff with programs to replace the use of space heaters with an alternative that is 90% more energy efficient in collaboration with Facilities Management. • Surpassed 1,200 homes to receive a free home energy audit to date through the City’s Green Iowa AmeriCorps team. • Held fifth annual Neighborhood Energy Blitz, reaching 815 homes in the Eastside Neighborhood. • Surpassed 1,500 trees planted to date through the Root for Trees program. Recent Accomplishments:

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