| WASHTENAW COUNTY
220 NORTH MAIN STREET, P.O. BOX 8645
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN48107-8645 |
Monday, October 3, 2022
Washtenaw County Community Members -
The County has completed our first draft of Resilient Washtenaw: A Climate Action Plan for Washtenaw County, and today marks the start of three week public comment period where were we are looking to hear and talk with you about this plan, what it calls for, and what it will do to address climate change and its consequences for the County and its residents.
A copy of our draft plan can be found here:
Link: Resilient Washtenaw Climate Action Plan – Draft for Public Comment
As you are aware, Washtenaw County has been working to develop a climate action plan for more than a year. Our goal has been to develop a plan which for provides a path to a carbon-neutral county government by 2030, a carbon-neutral county-wide community by 2035, and that makes us resilient to the already present impacts of a changing climate.
Our planning work has focused on engaging the whole of the county to understand climate related concerns and to hear suggestions on what the County can do. During this project we have developed assessments which show us what parts of the County are most susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change, we have investigated the sources of emissions which exist in the County, and we have developed a framework which outlines the strategies our plan will utilize to address climate change and which incorporates the community principles which our plan must support. These efforts have led to the document that we share with you today.
Our goal for this comment period is to give the Washtenaw County community an opportunity to review our plan and to provide comment as to what changes or additions should be made. We believe that this process and the forthcoming feedback will ultimately lead to a better plan, both in terms of the actions proposed and community support. This comment period will run for almost three weeks, through October 21, 2022.
We have set up a brief form for feedback: This form can be found here. Please share widely. We welcome
and look forward to your feedback.
Link: Resilient Washtenaw Community Survey
We are also aware that this document is dense and lengthy and may take much time and effort to fully read and digest. As such we have looked to provide the following resources for those who may be interested in learning more about the purposes of this project, or who may wish to provide comment in a more interactive format.
Project Overview:
On September 19 the Working Session of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners received a brief presentation on the draft plan. This video is a link to that presentation. It covers the purpose of the plan, engagement and outreach, the plan framework, and a summary of the draft actions
Link: September 19 Working Session Presentation: Resilient Washtenaw
Draft Plan Review and Feedback Sessions:
The County has scheduled a series of review sessions to walk through the plan and its contents and to take questions and comments on the plan from those in attendance. Each session will briefly provide some background information about the purpose of the plan, and will then move to review the proposed actions called for in the plan. Each evening will focus on a different group of actions, and are organized by strategy area. Half the time will be used to review the plan, and half for questions and comments. These sessions will be held through zoom. Those interested in attending are asked to register using the links below:
Energy Transition:
Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 66:00 PM to 7:30 PM
https://washtenawcounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN sfS5srX3QyWmQZ2Vjl6SDw
Mobility & Housing:
Monday, October 17, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
https://washtenawcounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN u90yd3tKSlSbp556fQ3IWg
Health:
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
https://washtenawcounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN AD6cBeruSi-JwTdqGNFv1g
Infrastructure, Working Lands and Natural Areas:
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
https://washtenawcounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN VL0Cd2YEQK27mX7-zK7xcg
Circular Economy:
Thursday, October 20, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
https://washtenawcounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN 0ff5iMc2Q7Ci6L8oysMWHA
Following the closure of the comment period, the project team will be compiling and summarizing the comments we receive. We will then be looking to make updates to the plan based upon this feedback. We anticipate significant amounts of feedback during this process, and do not expect to be able to respond individually to each comment.
From there, our next task will be to bring this plan to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners for their consideration and approval. We are planning to do this at their November 16, 2022 meeting. That document will include final version of this plan, inclusive of the modifications that come from this comment period. We will also be bringing recommendations to the Board related to how the county should support the implementation of this plan through funding, staffing, reporting, and the ongoing maintenance and updating of the document.
Thank you for your interest and support of this work. We look forward to receiving your feedback, and to working with all of on this important work.
Andrew DeLeeuw
Director of Strategic Planning, Office of the County Administrator (734) 222-6824; [email protected],