Commission pushes clearer, action‑focused Sustainable Sammamish guide; staff to revise pages and collect photos/quotes

Commissioners spent much of the meeting line‑editing the Sustainable Sammamish guide and recommending clearer, more action‑oriented pages for outreach.

Members urged less wordy front pages, clearer headers and unit labels on charts. One commissioner noted data labeling concerns: "There's no units on these," and staff agreed to add clarifying labels and tweak graphics.

The group debated how to present greenhouse gas metrics (staff described the report's "core emissions," which exclude aviation) and whether to use pie charts, bar graphs or a line chart to show trends. Staff recommended holding some detailed emissions analysis for deeper pages while keeping the introduction as a concise overview of "what the city is doing" and "how we are doing." Commissioners asked to include tree canopy numbers alongside emissions progress.

On energy pages, commissioners suggested stronger calls to action for heat pumps and weatherization, commissioner spotlights with photos, and prominent "did you know" callouts with short, compelling facts. "If you’re planting the tree on your own property... if they're a renter, they do need to get landlord permission," staff reminded the group when describing program eligibility.

Several procedural deadlines were confirmed: staff requested photos and initial quotes by end of day the next day and set the feedback deadline for July 15 at 5 p.m.; the graphic designer will incorporate changes between July 15 and Aug. 3 with final feedback due by Aug. 12. Outreach events were also confirmed: Kohani Days (July 22) and the Sustainable Sammamish Farmers Market (Aug. 5), where the commission will staff booths and promote the guide and tree giveaway.

No formal policy votes were held on the guide content; staff committed to reworking the first two pages and circulating a revised draft for commissioner review.