CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION expanding the requirements for the Summary and Fiscal Note that accompanies new legislation so that it also considers impacts of climate change.
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WHEREAS, the Seattle City Charter highlights not only fiscal responsibility but also the importance of the environment with its preamble stating, “the People of the City of Seattle enact this Charter as the Law of the City for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the health, safety, environment, and general welfare of the people;…to provide for transparency, accountability, and ethics in governance and civil service; to foster fiscal responsibility; to promote prosperity and to meet the broad needs for a healthy, growing City;” and
WHEREAS, climate change is a defining crisis of our times, calling for urgent and decisive action by governments, businesses, and individuals; and
WHEREAS, in June 2013, the City Council (“Council”) adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31447 adopting the Seattle Climate Action Plan, establishing the goal that Seattle reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the 2016 Seattle Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, published in February 2019, found that total greenhouse gas emissions in Seattle rose by one percent between 2014 and 2016, and that in order to achieve the goals of the Climate Action Plan, Seattle’s emissions reductions rate needs to increase by a factor of seven; and
WHEREAS, in August 2019, the Council recognized the need for more immediate action to decrease greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of Resolution 31895, calling for a Green New Deal for Seattle and establishing a goal for Seattle to be free of climate pollutants by 2030; and
WHEREAS, in response to Executive Order 2018-01, the Office of Sustainability and Environment (“OSE”), in collaboration with select departments, is developing policy and implementation guidance for assessing the greenhouse gas emissions (which should include consideration of embodied carbon) and climate resilience of major capital projects and purchasing decisions; and
WHEREAS, the Council and general public would benefit from assessments of the impact of proposed legislation on Seattle’s carbon emissions and potential changes in adaptive capacity (resiliency) to climate change; and
WHEREAS, the Council’s General Rules and Procedures adopted December 2019 as Resolution 31920 state, “All Council Bills and Resolutions shall include a Summary and Fiscal Note,” and the parameters of the Summary and Fiscal Note are detailed in various documents, including Resolution 31203 adopted in 2010 for larger projects in the City’s Capital Improvement Program as well as internal guidance from the Legislative Department and the City Budget Office (CBO); NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT:
Section 1. Each Summary and Fiscal Note shall, as appropriate, address carbon emissions and climate change resiliency in a form and with content substantially similar to Attachment A to this resolution.
Section 2. No later than January 1, 2021, all City departments and offices shall use the Summary and Fiscal Note template in a form and with content substantially similar to Attachment A to this resolution.
Section 3. The CBO, with input from OSE, shall report to Council no later than March 31, 2021 on implementation of the Summary and Fiscal Note, including any new tools that could ensure consistent and effective identification of climate change implications of proposed legislation, at which time the Council may also consider recommended updates to the Summary and Fiscal Note template.
Section 4. This resolution does not supersede Resolution 31203 adopted in 2010, which continues to require a robust financial analysis for certain projects included in the City of Seattle’s Capital Improvement Program.
Section 5. Nothing in this resolution shall give rise to a cause of action to enforce its terms. Information in or attached to a Summary and Fiscal Note is not subject to appeal and may not be used in determining whether The City of Seattle or any of its departments or other organizational units has complied with legal requirements including, but not limited to, chapter 43.21C RCW, chapter 197-11 WAC, or Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 25.05.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2020, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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President ____________ of the City Council
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Summary and Fiscal Note Template
Attachment B - Redline Version of Summary and Fiscal Note Template