Columbia County task force readies Climate Action Plan committee after grant notice

Columbia County’s climate task force said the county has been listed in a distribution newsletter as a recipient of a Climate Action Plan grant and began sketching next steps, including forming a CAP committee and preparing a consultant request for proposals.

Facilitators told members they had seen the award listed in a DEC/NYS distribution and that formal contract paperwork has not yet arrived. County staff said billable consultant work is not expected to begin until after March 15, and that the first formal step is to form an official CAP committee consistent with the project work plan. “The next step will be they will send the email. There’ll be some contracts signing back and forth between us,” one county staff member said. The task force confirmed the newsletter listed the award as $60,000.

Why it matters: members said the committee will drive the project’s scope, help evaluate consultant proposals and facilitate stakeholder outreach. Task force members cautioned against making the committee too large; one member suggested keeping it to around 10 people and prioritizing people who can commit time.

Timing and procurement constraints emerged as the biggest near-term constraint. The group discussed the county’s standard procurement and the role of the board of supervisors and chair in committee appointments. Staff warned that, because RFPs and consultant contracts generally must go through the board and county attorney review, an RFP is unlikely to be issued before the committee forms and the contract framework is in place. Under the timeline sketched in the meeting, task-force members said an RFP could be drafted in spring, issued in April–May, and — accounting for board review — lead to contract approvals later in the summer.

Coordination with ongoing regional planning was a priority. Representatives from the countywide conservation plan (CLC) told the group they are holding a public town hall on Jan. 23 and offered to share stakeholder lists and meeting materials so the CAP committee and CLC can coordinate engagement and avoid stakeholder fatigue.

What’s next: members agreed to assemble candidate names for the CAP committee and to circulate a draft scope of work and RFP language for early review. Staff committed to share formal notices or contract emails when they arrive. The group plans a follow-up discussion of membership and the draft RFP ahead of the next regular meeting in February.