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Record of Proceedings

Evansville Climate Collaborative Board Monthly Meeting - May 19, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyEvansville, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 53:32

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0:00

Probably should have looked at things before.

0:02

Oh, did this right?

0:04

Yeah.

0:05

So, all right.

0:07

Call to order.

0:09

The May 19th.

0:11

Evansville Climate Collaborative Board Monthly Meeting.

0:15

Let's go ahead and go through our um intro.

0:19

Yeah, roll call.

0:20

Stacey Melheiser.

0:22

Present.

0:22

Robert Flores.

0:23

Here.

0:24

Shannon Begaman.

0:25

Present.

0:26

We have uh two board members are absent.

0:29

Andrew Clark and Bryce Taylor, staff present, myself, Lauren Lynch, Director, Sarah Pritchett, Climate Action Coordinator.

0:37

And we have a new intern today, Hannah Jones, and she's out in the audience.

0:44

Oh, is that you?

0:45

Well, welcome.

0:47

Welcome.

0:48

Wonderful.

0:49

And I'll talk more about it.

0:50

It's customary to start with a speech.

0:53

Customary.

0:55

Start with a speech.

0:57

No, I'll um I'll have her introduce yourself when we get into the agenda.

1:00

When we get to the staff, okay.

1:02

Do we have an approval for last month's meeting minutes?

1:06

Any one motion?

1:07

I'll motion to approve.

1:11

I'll go ahead and second.

1:12

I feel like I wasn't that last month.

1:14

So I think I could second.

1:16

I guess I could second.

1:18

I'll second.

1:19

I'll second.

1:20

All right.

1:22

Meeting minutes approved.

1:29

Okay.

1:30

Sorry about that.

1:33

Let's move on.

1:34

We can skip appeals.

1:35

Moving on to our staff report.

1:39

Lauren.

1:40

I don't know if you guys have been watching the news.

1:42

We've gotten a whole lot of press about solar lately.

1:46

The city has partnered with Solar United Neighbors to conduct a solar co-op in Evansville in the Southwest Indiana region.

1:55

It's gonna include the surrounding counties, not just Vanderburg, but around Vanderburgh as well.

2:00

And basically, we're the first city in the state of Indiana to partner with Solar United Neighbors on with a resolution on conducting a solar co-op.

2:09

So we're pretty stoked about it.

2:22

So that everybody knows that it's available.

2:24

And uh we are also looking for funding to help fund some solar for low-income households as well.

2:31

We have not found that source of funding yet, but we're keeping our eyes open and we can still go ahead and do the co-op.

2:40

The co-op is for residents, nonprofits, and small businesses that can participate.

2:47

And it's kind of like going to Costco and buying your food at bulk.

2:50

It's a bulk discount rate.

2:52

So the co-op members, once they get 30 members, they'll solicit bids for a solar contractor, and that contractor will be chosen by the members, and then in you know, because that contractor will get the business for all, you know, members that want to do solar, it should be a lot cheaper to do because they're getting let's say 30 households to do.

3:13

So they should be able to give us a really good deal.

3:16

So that'll help everyone come together and make it more affordable and accessible, and then solar united neighbors will provide the technical assistance and guidance to navigate um the solar installation process and bid process.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement████████████████████████████████████████40%
Energy Efficiency██████████████████████████████30%
Environmental Protection█████████████████17%
Youth Programs█████████9%
Procedural███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Evansville Climate Collaborative Board Monthly Meeting - May 19, 2026

Introductory Paragraph

The Evansville Climate Collaborative Board convened on May 19, 2026, with three of five board members present (Stacey Melheiser, Robert Flores, Shannon Begaman) and two absent (Andrew Clark and Bryce Taylor). Staff present included Director Lauren Lynch, Climate Action Coordinator Sarah Pritchett, and new intern Hannah Jones. The meeting focused on major solar initiatives, progress on EV charging stations, cooling kits, a composting grant opportunity, and board engagement strategies.

Consent Calendar

  • The board approved the previous month's meeting minutes via unanimous voice vote, with a motion made and seconded.

Discussion Items

  • Solar Co-op Partnership: Director Lauren Lynch reported that Evansville is the first city in Indiana to partner with Solar United Neighbors to launch a solar co-op for residents, nonprofits, and small businesses. Membership is free, and the co-op will solicit bids once 30 members are reached, aiming for bulk discount rates. Funding for low-income households is still being sought.
  • Solarize the City: The city council adopted a resolution to pursue solar on city facilities. Of 34 facilities analyzed, 17 were selected for a request for proposals to be released on May 22, 2026. The project will be funded by an upfront loan of $3–4 million from the water utility's debt reserve, repaid over six years from energy savings. Federal tax credits of 50–60% will reduce the total $6.4 million cost to approximately $2.6 million. Battery storage will be included at CK Newsome, three fire stations, dispatch towers, and the zoo for resilience. A signed contract deadline of July 3, 2026, is required to secure extended project completion timelines.
  • Net Metering Update: Staff explained that Indiana's legislature eliminated net metering. Now, exported solar power is credited at only 4 cents per kilowatt-hour versus the 22 cents charged for imported electricity. Systems will be sized to maximize on-site usage and avoid overproduction.
  • EV Charging Stations: Charging stations at the zoo and Swanders/Deaconess Aquatic Center are near completion (operational and shown in maps for zoos and Sonders). Slight delays due to weather and contractor leave. Fees will cover maintenance and future expansion.
  • New Intern: Hannah Jones, an IU environmental management graduate and McKinney Climate Fellow, joined for the summer (through August). She will assist with outreach and climate action plan implementation.
  • Resilience Hub Study: A half-day community engagement session with 20 residents has been postponed to August 2026 due to scheduling conflicts. The board discussed funding $3,000–5,000 to compensate volunteers, with ideas sought for sources.
  • Cooling Kits: Two hundred cooling kits will be assembled and distributed to vulnerable populations through partners: Evansville Rescue Mission, Aurora, and United Caring Shelters.
  • Composting Grant: An Indiana Department of Environmental Management grant opportunity was discussed. A spring grant offers up to $100,000 with a 25% match; a fall grant offers up to $500,000 with a 50% match. The city owns a former landfill site suitable for a municipal compost yard. Board member Robert Flores suggested the land's value could serve as the match, which staff will investigate.
  • Upcoming Events: Solar 101 classes (one already held May 18, another May 20 at McCullough Library), a sustainability roundtable at EVPL West on May 20, and a Climate Happy Hour on May 28, 5–7 PM at a rooftop venue on MLK Drive.
  • Board Engagement: Board member Stacey Melheiser proposed increasing board visibility through tabling at community events, creating lapel pins, and establishing a recognition award for high school students (one per school, nominated by environmental science teachers) to highlight sustainability efforts. She volunteered to sponsor funding for pins. A survey will be circulated to board members to gather ideas for further engagement without adding mandatory obligations.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes approved from the previous meeting.
  • Solar RFP to be released May 22, with bids due in two weeks.
  • Solar project deadline July 3, 2026, for signed contracts.
  • Composting grant match idea (land value) to be explored by staff.
  • Lapel pins for board members will be privately funded by Stacey Melheiser.
  • Recognition award for high school students will be further discussed based on survey responses.
  • Next meeting scheduled for June 16, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Probably should have looked at things before. Oh, did this right? Yeah. So, all right. Call to order. The May 19th. Evansville Climate Collaborative Board Monthly Meeting. Let's go ahead and go through our um intro. Yeah, roll call. Stacey Melheiser. Present. Robert Flores. Here. Shannon Begaman. Present. We have uh two board members are absent. Andrew Clark and Bryce Taylor, staff present, myself, Lauren Lynch, Director, Sarah Pritchett, Climate Action Coordinator. And we have a new intern today, Hannah Jones, and she's out in the audience. Oh, is that you? Well, welcome. Welcome. Wonderful. And I'll talk more about it. It's customary to start with a speech. Customary. Start with a speech. No, I'll um I'll have her introduce yourself when we get into the agenda. When we get to the staff, okay. Do we have an approval for last month's meeting minutes? Any one motion? I'll motion to approve. I'll go ahead and second. I feel like I wasn't that last month. So I think I could second. I guess I could second. I'll second. I'll second. All right. Meeting minutes approved. Okay. Sorry about that. Let's move on. We can skip appeals. Moving on to our staff report. Lauren. I don't know if you guys have been watching the news. We've gotten a whole lot of press about solar lately. The city has partnered with Solar United Neighbors to conduct a solar co-op in Evansville in the Southwest Indiana region. It's gonna include the surrounding counties, not just Vanderburg, but around Vanderburgh as well. And basically, we're the first city in the state of Indiana to partner with Solar United Neighbors on with a resolution on conducting a solar co-op.

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