Also in Attendance: 

Steven Thompson, Sustainability Manager
Diane Bridger, Sustainability Specialist 
Jenny Niemann, Climate Action Section Director 
Jenna Ortega, Climate Program Manager 
Blake Commisso, Community Service Coordinator 
Sierra Frydenlund, Food Systems Coordinator 
Sanoma Boynton, Sustainability Supervisor 
Katie Seals, Minute Taker

Jenny Niemann introduced the new Climate team member, Diane Bridger, Sustainability Specialist. 

Sustainability Manager Steven Thompson introduced the new Neighborhood Engagement and Volunteer Services (NEVS) team members Blake Commisso, the new Community Service Coordinator, and Sierra Frydenlund, the new Sustainability Coordinator II-Food Systems Coordinator.

Steven Thompson provided a brief overview of the Adopt-a programs the Sustainability Office offers. There is an opportunity for the Commission to get involved in an adopt-a program such as Adopt-a FUTS, Adopt-an Ave, or Stream Stewards to volunteer. Blake Commisso covered the requirements for adopting a stream section. The Adopt-a-FUTS program is currently fully adopted with a waitlist. Blake asked the Commission to consider adopting a stream.  

Commissioner Calrson asked if there are native planting opportunities through the Adopt a Stream program. Blake replied that there are no replanting opportunities in the Adopt-a-Stream program, but there are opportunities for reseeding with the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Events Division (PROSE). Mr. Thompson elaborated that there are larger partner events that target native planting. The Sustainability Office is working towards incorporating native planting after removal of invasive plants in the Stream Stewards program.  

Vice Chair Metzger inquired if an adopted section was not being maintained, if other groups can adopt that space instead. Mr. Commisso replied that the Sustainability Office is transitioning to a new volunteer platform called Volunteer Flagstaff. Through that transition, Blake will reach out to volunteer stewards to confirm the continuation of their adoption. 

Vice Chair Metzger further inquired how to get supplies, to which Mr. Commisso responded that supplies can be requested through Volunteer Flagstaff to be picked up and dropped off at the Sustainability Office. 

Commissioner Lammie asked if the Commission should adopt a section or join with other groups.  

Commissioner Carlson suggested that if they cannot adopt, they can be involved with the replanting.  

Ms. Niemann asked how many cleanups per year are required to which Mr. Commisso stated that adopters are required to conduct a minimum of three cleanups a year. Ms. Niemann pointed out that a lot of trash can accumulate between cleanups.  

Vice Chair Metzger voiced support for the Commission’s involvement in the volunteer opportunities but suggested tabling the conversation until the January commission meeting for more commissioners to be present. 

Commissioner Born asked if there was urgency to deciding to adopt, to which Mr. Commisso replied that there is time to discuss the opportunity.

Mr. Thompson provided a brief background of the program. The program is funded by the BBB Tax and addresses two major community issues: litter and homelessness. The program hires people who are or are at risk of experiencing homelessness to remove litter and debris from the community. Community Assistance Teams of Flagstaff (CATs) received the award in 2022. On November 18th 2025, the director of CATS will be providing an update to City Council. The original CATS model targeted hiring as many people as possible but has since shifted towards hiring consistent people on a monthly basis. People have been able to find permanent housing after working in this program. CATS calls the program People at Work (PAW). 

Vice Chair Metzger asked if the Commission’s role is to ensure the awarded money is spent correctly. Mr. Thompson replied that CATS provides data on how the money is being allocated as well as other program statistics, such as how much litter is being removed. 

Vice Chair Metzger followed up by asking how much money is coming from the BBB tax. Mr. Thompson replied $30,000 yearly. One year the Sustainability Office partnered with the state, so the amount of money was doubled for CATS to $60,000 for that year. 

Commissioner Lammie asked if the PAW program is related to the Adopt a Highway program and if there is coordination between the groups focusing on litter removal. Mr. Thompson replied that these programs are unrelated. The Adopt-a-Highway program is run by Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The PAW program has set routes for litter removal based on the need for litter removal and to aid outreach to homeless populations. Some routes overlap on the Adopt-an-Ave program, which is coordinated. The Sustainability Office provided “litter hotspots” when the PAW program began.

Mrs. Niemann provided an update on the Regional Plan. She expressed gratitude for the Sustainability Commission's involvement. In August and September, the Zoning Commission reviewed the Regional Plan. City Council adopted the plan and the community voted on whether to add the Regional Plan to the ballot in Spring 2026. The city will inform the public about the plan this winter and the following spring. There will be public-facing events and the Commission could be asked to share those events with their networks.  

The Planning and Zoning Commission chose to adopt the plan with several conditions that impact the climate action features of the plan. City Council elected to remove the climate action feature amendments from the plan. 

Commissioner Lammie asked if building electrification is still being prioritized over gas in the plan. Mrs. Niemann responded that the Regional Plan supports electrification, but does not demonize gas usage.  

Commissioner Born asked why the Planning and Zoning Commission was the only commission to review the Regional Plan. Mrs. Niemann responded that the Planning and Zoning Commission is the most relevant commission as it is a land use plan. 

Commissioner Born expressed that the Sustainability Commission should be reviewing the sustainability aspects of the Regional Plan, to which Commissioner Carlson agreed. Commissioner Carlson pointed out that some cities do not have sustainability commissions and only have zoning commissions. 

Commissioner Lammie asked what happens if the community votes no to adopting the Regional Plan. Mrs. Niemann responded she believes that the last approved Regional Plan will continue to stand.  

Vice Chair Metzger asked how the public will be informed on the plan, to which Mrs. Niemann responded the city will likely have summaries but reading the plan is encouraged. She noted that the City of Flagstaff cannot advocate for the plan to be adopted.

Jenny Neimann provided a brief overview of the Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA). The City of Flagstaff has joined a consortium to procure clean energy through a VPPA. City Council approved the VPPA on October 7th, 2025. 

This initiative is being led by Dr. Erik Nielsen, Sustainability Chief at Northern Arizona University (NAU), to create this partnership between several organizations. Partners will talk with Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and other providers for a better agreement. The city currently purchases green power through a program with APS, but wants to review other options.  

Commissioner Born asked if the partnership will be considering options to which Mrs. Niemann replied the timeline will depend on when the partners are able to produce a request for proposal, but she hopes to move forward soon, given cost considerations in the next few months.  

Vice Chair Metzger asked if the Navajo Nation was a partner to which Mrs. Niemann responded they are not currently a partner.   

Commissioner Born requested Dr. Erik Nielsen attend the January Commission meeting.

Diane Bridger provided a detailed overview of the Flagstaff Sustainability Grant (FSG) process. A total of 31 applications were received, and each commissioner will review 11-12 grants individually.  

Mrs. Bridger presented the FSG organization of the folders for commissioners to access documents for review. She went over a scoring worksheet to aid the review process. The format has changed from the original scoring worksheet, but the content has remained the same. Mrs. Bridger will update permissions so reviewers cannot see the scorings of other reviewers. 

Commissioner Lammie asked if the comments will be visible to the public. Mrs. Bridger responded that the comments will be visible to the public if requested and explained what constitutes a good and a bad comment. Commissioners are encouraged to give comments on each evaluation score assigned and to provide helpful feedback, as well as reference paragraph and page numbers in the application to support their comments.  

Last year the Commission made a modification to the scoring to add a bonus point for any project helping underserved communities, diverse groups, or vulnerable populations.  

Commissioner Carlson pointed out two discrepancies which Mrs. Bridger said she will correct. 

Reviewers’ scores will be due by November 14th,2025. Commissioners will meet on November 20th, 2025 to discuss their scoring. 

Vice Chair Metzger asked, if there is a question for the applicant, will the answer be provided to all reviewers or only the one that asked. Mrs. Bridger responded that the answer will be shared with other reviewers who are reviewing that specific application. Initial questions to applicants must be legal or safety questions. Clarifying questions have the opportunity to be brought up after scoring discussions. The Sustainability Office is screening for eligibility. 

Vice Chair Metzger asked what happens if a reviewer has a conflict of interest with an application, to which Mrs. Bridger said to inform her so she could ensure no reviewers have a conflict with the applications they are assigned.  

Commissioner Born stated last year there was a difference in the scoring guide to jump to a later relevant question. He asked Mrs. Bridger to look into that aspect further.

Diane Bridger presented on bias in grant making, then led the Commission through an example scoring exercise.  

Diane went through the five kinds of bias in grant scoring: Conflict of Interest Bias, Affiliation Bias, Structural Bias, Gender & Sexuality Bias, and Race & Ethnicity Bias.  

Commissioner Born asked if a reviewer has a conflict of interest, how will that be handled during scoring discussions. Mrs. Bridger asked that reviewers who have a conflict of interest not contribute to the conversation regarding that application.  

Commissioner Lammie inquired if improvement in an organization can be referenced for an application. Mrs. Bridger responded no, what should be reviewed is solely the application materials. If a reviewer has not heard of an organization, they should not research the organization in order to reduce bias. 

Mrs. Bridger asked the Commission which criteria had the most confusion. Vice Chair Metzger responded the alignment to the Carbon Neutrality Plan.  

Mrs. Bridger provided an example application for the commissioners to practice scoring as an exercise. Commissioners went over their scoring and reasonings. Diane then provided her thoughts on scoring in response.  

Mrs. Bridger asked the Commission if they would like her to add the main three goals of the Carbon Neutrality Plan to aid in scoring. The Commission expressed they would like that.  

Mrs. Bridger asked reviewers to be consistent in their scoring practices. She also clarified that reviewers are not to score applications relative to other applications to find a ranking.  

Commissioner Carlson asked what to do if, during the scoring of applications, a reviewer realizes they have been scoring previous applications too high or too low. Mrs. Bridger stated reviewers can rescore previously scored applications as needed.  

Vice Chair Metzger asked if a reviewer should take into consideration the substance and meaning beyond what is written in the application for scoring. Mrs. Bridger responded that reviewers should be scoring based on written words in the application and that typically in grant review processes there is a criterion aimed towards evaluating demonstrated capacity.  

Mrs. Bridger encouraged reviewers to contact her if questions arise.

Mrs. Niemann presented the Sustainability Office’s September Monthly Report. She highlighted the Carbon Neutrality Plan Update open house events and the virtual open house on Connect Flagstaff. She also highlighted the Climate Resilience Program, the Equity Climate Advisory Group, the Home Weatherization and Rebate program, the Energy Upgrades for Healthy Homes program, the Retrofit Coalition, the Community Stewards programs, the Watershed Cleanup Series, Fall Tourism Day, the Residential Food Scraps Drop-off program, the City Staff Volunteer Program, and outreach efforts.  

The Sustainability Office voluntarily submitted its greenhouse gas accounting reports to CDP, a nonprofit that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system for companies, capital markets, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. 

Commissioner Carlson asked if there is a food scraps drop-off location west of South Milton Rd. and Mrs. Niemann responded no, but that will be noted, as geographic distribution is important for these services. 

Mrs. Niemann encouraged the Commission to sign up for the Sustainability Office newsletter to see upcoming opportunities.  

Mrs. Ortega brought attention to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to encourage Commissioners to provide input on priorities through the survey. 

Mrs. Niemann presented the City Council agenda. She highlighted the joint city/Water Commission meeting where the Bureau of Recommendation presented on the progress and gave an update on a value planning study for Red Gap Ranch, which is the city's long-term water source. She also highlighted the Citizen Petition for freeing Flagstaff from invasive surveillance, the Stormwater utilities cost of service update, the citizens’ petition for Shadow Pines development, the Engage, Empower, Elevate (E3) program year-in-review, “Benefits and Cost Analysis of Building New Highly Energy-Efficient and All-Electric Residential Homes”, and Energy Code Update Options.

1. Vice Chair Metzger requested to discuss Adopt-a Program volunteer opportunities at the January commission meeting. 

2. Commissioner Born requested for Dr. Erik Neilsen to come to the January Commission meeting to discuss the Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA).  

3. Commissioner Born requested an Update on Red Gap Ranch water source at the January commission meeting or later.