HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.076-21 RESOLUTION #76
(Series of 2021)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO,
ADOPTING THE 2021-2022 CITY COUNCIL GOALS
WHEREAS,the City Council has a long history of establishing goals to direct priorities for the
City; and
WHEREAS, City Council endeavors to be strategic in its deliberations regarding these goals
to ensure that current opportunities, needs and challenges facing the community are fully
considered; and
WHEREAS, the goals of City Council guide the actions of City Council and the City
Administration in budgeting and programming initiatives; and
WHEREAS, City Council desires to formally adopt year 2021-2022 goals to guide the City in
shaping its future; and
WHEREAS, City Council wishes to articulate the most critical goals for the upcoming work of
the City, while continuing the essential services; and
WHEREAS, Aspen has been a leader for decades in acknowledging the essential nature of
affordable housing to the long-term sustainability of the community through the successful
implementation of policy, and facilitating the construction of affordable housing units; and,
WHEREAS, in spite of this success,Aspen, like many peer communities,faces new challenges
related to housing affordability that have been exacerbated by real estate trends emerging from
the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges have been documented in the recently released
Mountain Migration Report, published by Northwest Colorado Council of Governments in July of
2021; and,
WHEREAS,the importance of the affordable housing issue demands meaningful actions that
best leverage the resources of the City of Aspen in meeting this critical community need; and
WHEREAS, Aspen has recognized the needs for high quality early childhood education as an
important foundation for young children, as a critical support for working families and the Aspen
economy, and has actively supported and funded early childhood education since 1989; and
WHEREAS, City Council has identified an increasing need for childcare spaces that requires
leadership and strong community-wide partnerships to provide physical space and teachers; and
WHEREAS there is a global climate crisis that requires coordinated local efforts and
meaningful action by government leaders worldwide, and
WHEREAS the global climate crisis has direct impacts to regional ecology, community
resiliency, and the City of Aspen's ability to deliver services, and
WHEREAS the scientific community emphasizes that the next eight years are the most critical
to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to levels that will hold global warming to the critical
1.5° Celsius threshold, and
WHEREAS Aspen has a responsibility to reduce the local carbon footprint of the community,
and
WHEREAS waste generation contributes to Aspen's greenhouse gas footprint and must be
reduced to achieve global carbon reductions, and
WHEREAS the City of Aspen has been and is committed to remaining a global climate action
leader, and
ADD WHEREAS the next eight years are critical for greenhouse gas reductions, the City will
utilize the United Nation's Race to Zero Program as well as other climate partnerships including
Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA),The Mountain Pact and others to support our
efforts;
WHEREAS, City Council has identified Critical Goals, where a critical goal is defined as one
where there community is at significant risk of failure without adjusting present course, need to
chart a critical path.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO,
Section 1. That the City Council of the City of Aspen hereby adopts the following City of Aspen
2020-2021 Council Goals, and does hereby authorize the City Manager to pursue said goals.
Critical Goals
1. Increase number of Affordable Housing Units: In order to deliver an affordable housing
system that is high quality, sustainable, and results in a lived-in community, Council will continue
to evaluate, identify opportunities, plan, partner, facilitate, and leverage existing and new
resources to invest in the development and maintenance of affordable housing.
This will be accomplished through:
a. Convening a City Housing Retreat;
b. Creating an affordable housing strategic plan;
c. Completing Council directed affordable housing development projects;
d. Continuing to seek additional affordable housing development opportunities;
e. Leveraging and amending regulations and policies in support of affordable housing; and
f. Supporting continuous improvement with the APCHA program, including ensuring
adequate resources.
2. Increase the number of available childcare spaces
This will be accomplished through:
a. Plan, design to repurpose or build new buildings to add physical capacity to increase
available childcare space.
b. Increase the recruitment and retention of qualified early childhood teachers
c. Generate funding to support the development of new childcare spaces
3. Reduce Aspen's Greenhouse Gas emissions: Take meaningful action and provide leadership
in reducing the Aspen community's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions by the amount
which is scientifically proven to limit global temperature change.
This will be accomplished through:
a. Maximizing efficiency and minimizing carbon emissions in all of Aspen's emissions
inventory sectors including:Waste Reduction and Diversion,Transportation,and the Built
Environment
b. Leading climate policy and legislative efforts at local, regional, national, and global scales
INTROQQCED, READ AND ADOPTE by the City Council of the City of Aspen on the
day of 0-
Torre, Mayor
I, Nicole Henning, duly appointed and acting City Clerk do certify that the foregoing is
a true and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Aspen,
Colorado, at a meeting held, August 10, 2021.
Nicole Henning, City Clerk