Sustainability Commission - Regular Meeting

Call to Order & Roll Call

Approval or Amendment of the Agenda

Chairperson Report

Committee Member Reports

Staff Report

**Erosion Control:** Staff has been researching fully degradable erosion control fabric. They have found coconut erosion control blankets that are manufactured using coir fibers, jute netting and cotton thread that are fully degradable. Staff is finding that fully degradable erosion control blankets are about 30% higher ($35 per roll). **Sustainability Toolkits:** Home Depot has generously donated enough materials for two energy audit toolkits. Staff is completing the user guide addendum that will be included in the toolkit. Staff is finalizing the purchasing of the items for the family toolkit. Staff would like to start promoting both of the toolkits at the same time. At the very latest, staff would begin advertising them in April to coincide with Earth Day. **Sustainability Commission Social:** Staff was asked to include this topic on the agenda for discussion.

Meeting Minutes - December 29, 2025

Motion to approve the Consent Agenda

2026 Sustainability Commission Priorities

**SYNOPSIS:** The Sustainability Commission will discuss and set their priorities for 2026. **PRESENTER:** Eric Gruenenfelder **BACKGROUND:** Staff has compiled the Commission’s identified priorities into the attached document for review and consideration. **FINANCE / OPERATIONS:** Following the identification of the Commission’s priorities, staff will collaborate with the Sustainability Commission and City staff to develop an implementation plan to address these priorities in 2026. **RECOMMENDATION:** Staff recommends the Sustainability Commission review and prioritize its 2026 priorities. **LIST OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:** - Sustainability Plan - 2026 Priorities.pdf

Sustainability Scorecard

**SYNOPSIS:** Last month, staff recommended working with Kim Lundgren Associates to develop a community sustainability dashboard. **PRESENTER:** Eric Gruenenfelder **BACKGROUND:** Last month staff introduced the concept of a sustainability dashboard. These dashboards are online, interactive tools that allow local governments to clearly and engagingly communicate climate, sustainability, and resilience efforts to residents, staff, and stakeholders. They are designed to translate complex data into accessible information, increase transparency, build trust, and encourage community involvement. As staff reviewed examples from other communities, they found that many dashboards shared similar functionality and design. Further research showed that a majority of these dashboards were developed by Kim Lundgren Associates (KLA). KLA dashboards are specifically designed to help communities share climate and sustainability efforts, track progress toward goals, and present data in a way that is clear, engaging, and action-oriented. Staff met with KLA to gain additional information about their platform: - KLA developed their dashboard to be a storytelling platform that makes progress understandable and motivating. It helps residents see why it matters, what's working and how to participate. The goal of their dashboard is not to be a website full of numbers and charts. Their goal is outcomes such as stronger trust, clearer progress reporting and more community action. - KLA is a full-service licenses. Their dashboard includes their team that helps staff shape the story during build and keeps it moving through monthly meetings, communications support, training and proactive site enhancements. - KLA prides itself on being a full-service climate action consulting firm focused on local government needs. The license comes with access to practitioners who understand plans, metrics, and implementation realities. - The dashboard is a stand-alone branded site that can grow over time. We can begin with a foundation (reporting key climate and sustainability metrics, progress on the Sustainability Plan, and then scale as priorities and budget evolve where ultimately the dashboard could be used as the city's primary sustainability hub. - The dashboard includes tools designed for governance and accountability. The Action Plan Implementation Table can show status and progress and they have multiple reports (Annual Report) that generate a polished PDF. **FINANCE / OPERATIONS:** For a standard dashboard with no additional add-ons (such as surveys or calculators), the estimated costs are as follows: - One-time setup fee: $5,000 - Annual license: $9,500 - Total Year One cost: $14,500 - Ongoing annual cost (Years Two and beyond): $9,500 The Annual License Subscription includes: - Hosting and maintenance for a customized site with City-specific branding (logo, images and color) - Full access for up to five internal users - Monthly 30-minute calls to review the site, discuss enhancement opportunities, and align on communication priorities. - Monthly communications support (we can choose one of the following each month) - 4 social media posts - 1 blog post - 1 newsletter - Editorial calendar to map out how the site will be promoted throughout the year - Recommendations and assistance with updates to data, story lines or graphics - Online training for internal users - Quarterly QA/QC (quality assurance / quality control) review of the site - Brand updates, as needed (refreshing logos/colors later as the City's branding evolves). KLA indicated that the average time to build a dashboard is approximately 4 months. **RECOMMENDATION:** Staff recommends the Sustainability Commission approve moving forward with Kim Lundgren Associates for the development of a community sustainability dashboard.

Latex Paint Collection Events - 2026

**SYNOPSIS:** Staff providing update on Latex Paint Collection Events slated for 2026 in collaboration with Paint Busters Recycling **PRESENTER:** Michelle Boyer **BACKGROUND:** Utilization of the STL County Department of Public Health Reimbursement Grant to fund a latex paint recycling event was discussed and agreed upon at previous commission meeting. Staff are working with Paint Busters, a service that handles the collection and eco-friendly recycling of unwanted paint. Their mission is to keep paint out of landfills and waterways. Paint Busters will host two paint recycling events in Brentwood in 2026. The first will be held on Saturday, June 6 and the second will be held on Saturday, December 5. Staff are working with Paintbusters to handle all logistics, including setup, collection, and proper recycling of the paint. Paintbusters gave the following information to help the City make a determination regarding it's financial obligation vs. that left to the residents. - 90% of homeowners that participate in a latex paint recycling event have more than 50 lbs of paint to recycle. - Based on the size of our city, Paintbusters has seen similar size cities collect an average of 5,600 pounds when the city is offering a subsidy. - Cities that have resident pay only, collect an average of 2,700 lbs. **FINANCE/OPERATIONS:** - Activation Cost: $500 (includes staffing, equipment, and transportation), covers 1 truck until full or event time ends - 2026 Special: Buy one event at $500 get second event FREE - Fee: $1.00 per point of latex paint recycled. If city has a subsidy to offer can do something like (30 lbs free for x number of cars). Anything over 30lbs **RECOMMENDATION:** This is for informational purposes.

2026 Meeting Dates

**SYNOPSIS:** Staff is providing the dates for the 2026 Sustainability Commission meetings. **PRESENTER:** Eric Gruenenfelder **BACKGROUND:** The dates for the 2026 Sustainability Commission are: - January 26 - February 23 - March 23 - April 27 - May 25* - June 22 - July 27 - August 24 - September 28 - October 26 - November 23 - December 28 **FINANCE / OPERATIONS:** The May date will need to be rescheduled as May 25 is Memorial Day. Does the commission want to consider alternate dates for November & December at this time or wait until later in the year. **RECOMMENDATION:** This is for informational purposes.