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Record of Proceedings

Kansas City Council Business Session: Climate Plan and Detention Center - August 18, 2022

City Council Business Session — Thursday, August 18, 2022
BodyKansas City, Missouri
SessionCity Council Business Session
DateThursday, August 18, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

For business session.

0:06

So move.

0:07

Second.

0:08

All in favor, indicate by saying aye.

0:10

Aye.

0:10

Aye.

0:11

All opposed.

0:12

Motion passes.

0:14

First presentation is the climate protection plan presentation.

0:17

I want to thank our climate protection plan steering committee.

0:20

I know some of whom are here today, and we'll look forward to hearing from Mr.

0:23

Savestino and others.

0:51

Okay.

0:52

Uh thank you, Mr.

0:53

Mayor, members of City Council, Andy Sevistino, Chief Environmental Officer.

0:57

Before we get started, I'd like to introduce our project team to my right.

1:04

Good afternoon, Laura Ish, Sustainability Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri.

1:09

Good afternoon.

1:10

I'm Robin Gunall, fourth district resident and chair of the Climate Protection Steering Committee.

1:15

And online, we should have our consultants online.

1:22

Don't have them yet.

1:29

What are their names?

1:30

Rebecca Stock.

1:32

Shelby has been promoted.

1:42

Shelby.

1:43

Yeah, hi there.

1:44

I'm sorry for a bit of a delay as I switched over to a panelist.

1:47

I'm Shelby Summer with Brendell Group.

1:49

I manage our planning division.

1:54

Okay.

1:55

So thank you for having us come speak to the Climate Protection Resilience Plan today.

1:59

We are very excited to bring this plan to council.

2:02

One of the things that we will have as a central theme today is the time for climate action is now.

2:08

So you'll hear various things throughout this presentation that I will circle back to at the end of the presentation.

2:14

But you'll see that obviously community expects action at this point.

2:19

Delaying action diminishes our impact, and we can't afford the cost of not doing anything.

2:24

So we'll come back to some of that.

2:30

So Kansas City is not unique to climate action.

2:34

We have a history of being involved with climate action over the past 20 years.

2:45

And since that time, we've had some success in the implementation of that plan.

2:49

However, uh right around the time of COVID, we had a lot of concerns about updating that particular plan to include resiliency, adaptation, and sequestration strategies.

3:01

So along with that was also a focus on equity.

3:05

How do we put equity and transparency in the forefront of developing this new plan?

3:11

So in resolution 2000 five was adopted by council, and in that plan, it set us on a course to develop this revised plan to include resiliency and adaptation, and it set new goals for the city to be climate neutral by 2040 for the community and 2030 for city operations.

3:52

Excuse me, back one.

4:32

So with those two things, I want to kind of jump to a broader context from the IPCC.

4:38

And this is a group from the um this is a UN group of scientists that have basically uh look at the research and the data on climate change across the whole globe.

4:54

And in that analysis, they provided a report in February.

5:00

And then the February report, they identified several concerns, several impacts to social, economic, and the ecosystems.

5:07

But in that, in those dire warnings in the in all of that report, they did say there was some hope that if we're able to limit global emissions to keep temperatures under 1.5 degrees Celsius, then there is some hope for Kansas or for hope for keeping greenhouse gases within check and global catastrophic problems.

5:29

So keeping that in context, one and a half degrees is what we're shooting for.

5:35

This particular graph here shows global surface temperatures, and you can kind of see from 1880 all the way up through 2020 the direction of global temperatures.

5:47

And in the last nine of the last 10 highest periods of temperature, you'll see in that that that all occurred since 2013.

5:57

That also, and also you'll notice that it's approaching one degree Celsius already.

6:02

So if we're trying to limit it to 1.5, there isn't much further to go.

6:07

The graph on the right merely shows you carbon dioxide emissions that have been tracked since 1958, and you can kind of see the direction of that trajectory.

6:19

So what does this really mean?

6:20

So how does this translate to us?

6:22

Well, here is 2022 billion dollar weather and climate disasters, just this year through June.

6:29

And you can kind of see the variety of things that are showing up across the country.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Detention Facilities██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Environmental Protection██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement█████5%
Workforce Development█████5%
Affordable Housing████4%
Mental Health Awareness████4%
Racial Equity██2%
Floodplain Management██2%
Procedural█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Kansas City Council Business Session: Climate Plan and Detention Center - August 18, 2022

The Kansas City, Missouri City Council met in a business session on August 18, 2022, to receive presentations on the Climate Protection and Resilience Plan and the proposed Kansas City Detention and Rehabilitation Center. No formal votes were taken; both items were discussion-only, with follow-up actions and committee referrals announced.

Climate Protection Plan Presentation

  • Andy Sevistino, Chief Environmental Officer, presented the Climate Protection and Resilience Plan, developed with the Climate Protection Steering Committee and consultant Brendell Group. He emphasized that 'the time for climate action is now.'
  • The plan updates the city's prior climate action plan and is guided by Resolution 2005, setting goals of climate neutrality by 2040 for the community and 2030 for city operations.
  • Sevistino reported a 24% reduction in community greenhouse gas emissions and a 26% reduction in municipal operations from the 2005 baseline. He noted IPCC warnings and that Kansas City has been placed in a hazardous heat zone with projected heat indices over 125°F.
  • The plan identifies 22 strategies and 98 short-term actions; it projects 8.7 million metric tons of emission reductions by 2040, still about 1 million metric tons short of carbon neutrality, requiring carbon sequestration and emerging technologies.
  • Equity was a central focus: climate justice workers conducted community outreach, and the plan received 728 public comments during the review period. A 600-page equity-centered engagement summary was included.
  • Robin Gunall, Fourth District resident and steering committee chair, spoke as a 'concerned mom' in support of the plan, citing benefits like home energy upgrades, heat pump rebates, and reducing pollution in vulnerable communities.

Council Questions and Positions:

  • Councilwoman Hall raised concerns about the exclusion of natural gas/renewable natural gas from clean energy definitions, questioned the inclusion of natural gas cooking emissions, asked for a coal-versus-natural-gas climate impact analysis, and sought details on Northland outreach, restaurant reliance on natural gas, costs to homeowners, and Evergy participation.
  • Councilman Fowler asked how the plan would affect utility costs for individual ratepayers, particularly low-income residents, and requested analysis on housing affordability impacts.
  • Councilwoman Robinson asked to clarify the distinction between the plan and future policies, noting Missouri's natural gas preemption law, and requested where pollution disparities are addressed in the plan.
  • Councilwoman Shields expressed support, calling the plan 'a roadmap, not a cudgel,' and thanked the committee for its work.

Next Step: The plan will be considered by the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Council members requested written answers to their questions.

Kansas City Detention and Rehabilitation Center

  • Marsha Hoffman (SFS Architecture), Bruce Umt (Dewberry), and Kwame Smith (SFS Architecture) presented the preliminary program and budget for a new detention center. They were joined by Captain Graves of the Kansas City Police Department.
  • The project team outlined five key goals: providing essential detention services, immediate medical/mental health triage, acute stabilization and step-down for inmates with mental health needs, accountable engagement and treatment, and co-location with a community resources center to support re-entry.
  • The steering committee's consensus calls for a 310-bed rated capacity facility, which translates to 375 actual beds due to support spaces, intakes, and daily court traffic. The recommended program is approximately 180,000 square feet.
  • Two reduced alternatives were presented: a 122,000-square-foot version that minimizes rehabilitation and stabilization spaces, and a 58,000-square-foot minimum that removes long-term medical/mental health beds and most programs.
  • Preliminary costs (in today's dollars) were presented as:
    • Option 1 (122,000 sq ft): construction $93M-$103M; total project $93M-$102.7M.
    • Option 2 (180,000 sq ft): construction $137M-$151.5M; total project $137M-$151.5M.
  • Escalation costs were estimated at 10-12% for the next year, 6-8% the following year, and 3-4% thereafter.
  • The proposed site is the former Heart of America Airport, about 49 acres of city-owned property east of the city, south of U.S. Highway 40, adjacent to Jackson County's future detention facility. Floodplain constraints limit developable area.

Council Questions and Positions:

  • Councilman Fowler asked about specific rehabilitation services, certifications, job training, and programming for long-term inmates. City staff (municipal court representative) responded that the facility would offer specialty court programming (drug court, veterans treatment court, mental health court), re-entry services, GED programs, and connections to the Full Employment Council and mental health providers.
  • Councilman Fowler also questioned the handling of individuals held longer than 365 days and whether programming would reduce recidivism.
  • Councilwoman Hall praised the focus on mental health and rehabilitation, and noted the current shortage of beds for women (105 beds total) and the need for more capacity.
  • Councilwoman Robinson emphasized collaboration with the county and suggested the city focus its $100 million on a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and workforce development center, while the county handles accountability.
  • Captain Graves invited council members to the Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. for a presentation on the current jail's status.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal resolutions, ordinances, or votes occurred on either presentation.
  • The Climate Protection and Resilience Plan will be heard by the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Operations Committee on August 24, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.
  • Council members requested that staff provide written answers to their questions, including concerns about natural gas, utility costs, outreach, and equity.
  • The detention center team will continue refining concepts; next steps include council approval of the scope of work, implementing a communication plan, public engagement, and selecting a delivery method. No decision was made on the facility's size or budget.
  • A follow-up on the current detention center's status is scheduled for the Board of Police Commissioners meeting on August 23, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

For business session. So move. Second. All in favor, indicate by saying aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed. Motion passes. First presentation is the climate protection plan presentation. I want to thank our climate protection plan steering committee. I know some of whom are here today, and we'll look forward to hearing from Mr. Savestino and others. Okay. Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of City Council, Andy Sevistino, Chief Environmental Officer. Before we get started, I'd like to introduce our project team to my right. Good afternoon, Laura Ish, Sustainability Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri. Good afternoon. I'm Robin Gunall, fourth district resident and chair of the Climate Protection Steering Committee. And online, we should have our consultants online. Don't have them yet. What are their names? Rebecca Stock. Shelby has been promoted. Shelby. Yeah, hi there. I'm sorry for a bit of a delay as I switched over to a panelist. I'm Shelby Summer with Brendell Group. I manage our planning division. Okay. So thank you for having us come speak to the Climate Protection Resilience Plan today. We are very excited to bring this plan to council. One of the things that we will have as a central theme today is the time for climate action is now. So you'll hear various things throughout this presentation that I will circle back to at the end of the presentation. But you'll see that obviously community expects action at this point. Delaying action diminishes our impact, and we can't afford the cost of not doing anything. So we'll come back to some of that. So Kansas City is not unique to climate action. We have a history of being involved with climate action over the past 20 years. And since that time, we've had some success in the implementation of that plan. However, uh right around the time of COVID, we had a lot of concerns about updating that particular plan to include resiliency, adaptation, and sequestration strategies. So along with that was also a focus on equity. How do we put equity and transparency in the forefront of developing this new plan? So in resolution 2000 five was adopted by council, and in that plan, it set us on a course to develop this revised plan to include resiliency and adaptation, and it set new goals for the city to be climate neutral by 2040 for the community and 2030 for city operations. Excuse me, back one. So with those two things, I want to kind of jump to a broader context from the IPCC. And this is a group from the um this is a UN group of scientists that have basically uh look at the research and the data on climate change across the whole globe. And in that analysis, they provided a report in February. And then the February report, they identified several concerns, several impacts to social, economic, and the ecosystems. But in that, in those dire warnings in the in all of that report, they did say there was some hope that if we're able to limit global emissions to keep temperatures under 1.5 degrees Celsius, then there is some hope for Kansas or for hope for keeping greenhouse gases within check and global catastrophic problems.

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