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Climate Council

Orange County · Climate Council
Thursday, May 15, 2025

Other Environment and sustainabilitySchools and educationFees and utility ratesHealth and human services

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Orange County's Climate Council met on 15 May 2025 on heat and on electrification. Staff from Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the county presented this year's heat resilience work and asked members to help recruit a heat task force, and two UNC journalism students presented research and campaign material for an Electrify campaign the council plans to launch in 2026.

Carrboro's chief sustainability officer also set out C-PACE, a financing programme for commercial energy, renewable and water upgrades.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Members were asked to amplify the Beat the Heat campaign and to find people for a dedicated heat task force, which would follow the heat cohort and the Heat Action Plan already underway. Two UNC students presented Electrify research done as a Hussman School class project; staff said it would inform a county campaign in 2026.

On C-PACE, the council heard that the programme offers long-term fixed-rate financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation on commercial property, repaid through a special assessment on the tax bill over as long as 20 or 30 years, matched to the life of the improvement. It is funded by private capital rather than taxpayer money, and borrowers cannot have repayment accelerated and may prepay.

The council moved its November meeting a week earlier, to 13 November, to avoid a school board conflict.

Who spoke

No members of the public spoke.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (6)

Presentation · 3Procedural · 2Discussion item · 1
  1. I Welcome/Review Agenda
    Procedural Schools and education
    The November meeting moved to 13 November to avoid a school board conflict.
  2. II UNC Hussman School of Journalism Student Presentation on Electrify Campaign
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilitySchools and education
    Two UNC students presented research and campaign material developed as a class project, which staff will use for a county Electrify campaign in 2026.
  3. III Heat Action Plan Presentation
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityHealth and human services
    Chapel Hill, Carrboro and county staff presented the Beat the Heat campaign, the heat cohort and the Heat Action Plan, and asked members to help form a heat task force.
  4. IV C-PACE
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityFees and utility rates
    Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure financing: long-term fixed-rate private money for energy, renewable and water upgrades to commercial buildings, repaid by a special assessment on the property tax bill over up to 20 or 30 years, with no acceleration and prepayment allowed.
  5. V Good News Round Table
    Discussion item
  6. VI Next Meeting Date and Adjournment
    Procedural

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