From: Woody Hastings
To: Mary Gourley; info
Subject: Comments re City Council agenda Item 10. Public Hearing – City Budget Hearing Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:41:53 AM
Good Morning Mary,
Please share the following brief comment with the City Council and include it as a part of the record for today's City Council meeting.
June 21, 2022
Re: Agenda item # 10, sub-item #6
Dear Councilmembers:
Thank you for your efforts in crafting an optimal budget for the City of Sebastopol. I am writing to urge you to approve the $60,000 for a grant writer in the budget under consideration.
Part of the reason that the Climate Action Committee finds that the time is right to hire a grantwriter and strongly urges the Council to do so, is that grant-based funding opportunities via both the federal and California governments will become available in the coming year and over the next few years. This is the result of things like funds made available via the 2021 federal infrastructure act and other federal funding opportunities coming forward as the result of a climate action-friendly administration. At the state level, an unprecedented budget surplus that includes a total of about $37 billion for climate action will undoubtedly result in multiple funding opportunities, many of them competitive grant programs. The kinds of projects and programs that can be applied for will be things that help meet basic human needs in climate-smart ways in categories such as housing, transportation, energy, water, food security, and more. If Sebastopol does not have staff dedicated to tracking, assessing city eligibility, and applying for projects and programs, the likelihood is that the city will miss out on these opportunities to address the rapidly worsening climate crisis.
Again, I urge you to approve the allocation for a grant writer.
Sincerely,
Woody Hastings,
Member, Sebastopol Climate Action Committee