Spokane considers climate resilience board for policy, funding decisions

(The Center Square) – Climate change is becoming an increasingly hot topic, and soon, Spokane could have a board specifically devoted to informing the mayor and city council’s policy decisions.

Spokane’s elected officials are scheduled to vote on the legislation Monday night. If approved, the decision would replace the city’s Sustainability Action Committee with a new Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board, or CRSB, after the SAS was left unutilized by the last two administrations.

Mayor Lisa Brown’s transition team recommended creating the CRSB earlier this year as part of “Building a Resilient Future.” As designed, the board would recommend funding opportunities and policy changes that will help make up a new “Climate Element” in the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

“It’ll be made up of 15 members with a very broad representation from the community with a focus on disproportioned environmental disparities,” said Kelly Thomas, manager of operations for the Office of the Mayor, when briefing a council committee last month.

The members would be nominated by the mayor and appointed by the council; however, according to the ordinance, they could be as young as 16 years old, including college students, business leaders and those with relevant expertise in public safety, emergency management and climate planning.

Councilmember Michael Cathcart raised several concerns last month over access to meetings and representation, given the financial consequences of the CRSB’s recommendations. He questioned whether Brown has any predetermined expectations for the board’s decisions.

“It feels like the [CRSB] itself is pretty, kind of one-direction group, right,” Cathcart asked rhetorically. “You don’t have a lot of alternative perspectives. You don’t have other ideas. You don’t have other things being kind of brought to the forefront with this group.”

Thomas disagreed, stating that the diverse membership will help shape and advance regional goals while allowing stakeholders to participate. Still, Cathcart pointed again to the narrow constraints around membership, which he says will lead to a narrowed outcome.

However, the mayor could nominate an economist or other financial expert, as Cathcart hoped to see, though Brown isn’t required to. According to the ordinance, she could ultimately nominate whoever she wants as long as the council supports the decision.

Two areas of the legislation include language that further emphasizes the importance of representing marginalized groups and its impact on those individuals and the respective regions.

“The [CRSB] shall consider the effect of its policy and recommendations on … historically underrepresented geographic areas or marginalized communities,” according to the ordinance, “including low income and communities of color and areas of the city of Spokane that have been subject to disproportionate environmental and health disparities.”