This new Bellingham office will address climate change
Mayor Seth Fleetwood plans to create a new city office to address climate change and he will seek money in the 2023-2024 budget to fund and staff it.
Fleetwood outlined his plan during a City Council committee discussion on Monday, June 6, about a possible voter initiative for a tax to fund programs aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
“That’s something I can do administratively and I intend to do so,” Fleetwood told the Committee of the Whole.
He said it would be a dedicated office with staff whose responsibilities would include implementing the city’s Climate Action Plan.
It wasn’t immediately known how many employees the new department will have, what it would be called, who would head the office and where it would be located.
“Those details and others are still being determined,” city of Bellingham spokeswoman Janice Keller told The Bellingham Herald.
“Mayor Fleetwood previously directed staff to provide recommendations to him on how to organize, staff and fund a dedicated office of climate action,” Keller said.
Several cities around the nation have departments dedicated to climate change solutions, including a Climate Action Office in Aspen, Colo.; an Office of Climate Action and Outreach in Iowa City, Iowa; an Office of Climate Action and Sustainability in Sacramento, Calif.; and the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency in New York City.
In January 2020, Bellingham hired Seth Vidaña as its first climate and energy manager.
Vidaña is part of the Public Works Department’s Natural Resources Division with an office in the Federal Building.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 11:36 AM.
