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conduct another emissions inventory. He referred the Council to www.pleasantonareenscene.orq, stating the website is a great way to get additional education on the climate plan and living green. In summary, they must go forward with the certified CEQA equivalent, and if Council approves the plan tonight staff will move forward with the environmental documentation. The Council actually qualifies the plan and not the Air District who will provide a comment letter, and he believes the City has met all elements of a qualified plan. Staff will be issuing an RFP for performance contracting so that more LED streetlights, solar installations and electric vehicle charging stations can be done by companies who install the systems, qualify and guarantee the savings, and use the savings to make the payments so the City can build the infrastructure. They will develop and leverage partnerships discussed and will be a role model for the community and other municipalities. He noted that dedicated resources and funding is needed to create the sustainable framework, as well as on-going monitoring and verification to make course corrections through annual reports. If the CAP is approved, staff expects to return by the end of the year with the final environmental documentation to qualify the plan. Councilmember Thorne asked whether the City achieving the status of the greenest city in Califomia a motivator or a real objective. Mr. Smith said this is a real goal; the City is not there yet. Councilmember Sullivan noted this is subjective because he worked in the industry. Many cities do a lot of great things, and Pleasanton is right there along with them. Mayor Hosterman recognized that the Council directed formation of the Committee on Energy and the Environment and significant work has been done in this endeavor. Councilmember Thorne asked if staff intends on expanding the sustainability office. Mr. Smith said they currently have 1.5 positions; the Manager position is grant-funded and the part-time water conservation position is also grant-funded. He said there is potential for them to do more in the future if they can produce more results. Councilmember McGovern asked if the City will budget yearly for implementation of the CAP or will the City depend mostly on funding from grants and partnerships. Mr. Smith said it is a combination of both. Currently, they are funded up through July 2012 for the positions and work. They are constantly working on various grants. In the next budget round, they will make recommendations on what they think they need going forward. While difficult in tough City budget times, they have made more money than they spent at this point. Councilmember McGovern asked why there are not recycled bins and more bike racks downtown. Mr. Smith said these are exactly the types of things they want to do through the CAP. Councilmember McGovern noted there was talk about charging for parking which the City has never done, especially in downtown areas. Mr. Smith said this was in the plan as a strategy, and they talked about shared parking at businesses, parking permits around the mall that keep spillover from going into neighborhoods, but there is no plan to charge for parking spaces at this time. Councilmember McGovern referred to urban heat, and she asked why more semi-permeable or permeable materials are not proposed for parking lots so water would drain and lots would be less heat inductive. Mr. Smith said there is a recommendation to use permeable and light colored paving. The upfront cost is more because of the rise in the cost of oil, and the Committee will also receive a presentation on permeable concrete surfaces, with recommendations coming forward. Councilmember McGovern suggested increasing participation in LAVTA and she questioned if input was received from them to encourage public transit. She hoped sometime before the plan is approved, staff could meet with LAVTA staff to discuss this. Mr. Smith noted they have begun the process by meeting with ACE and are establishing a partnership. Councilmember McGovern asked staff to also contact Hacienda Business Park about the transit program they have with homeowner associations that live in the Park, as well as EBRPD regarding more connectivity between Zone 7 trails, cities, and pathways. She asked if there were ways to include solar and EV charging installations in the building codes and have them part of the approval process. Councilmember Sullivan noted one strategy in the plan is to update the City's green building ordinance. City Council Minutes Page 6 of 18 August 16,2011