Encinitas approves additional $143K to USD for climate analysis

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council on Wednesday approved an amendment to its consulting agreement with the University of San Diego’s Energy Policy Initiatives Center, adding $142,767 to fund a detailed benefit-cost analysis as part of the city’s ongoing Climate Action Plan update.

The contract amendment, approved on a 3-2 vote with Councilmember Jim O’Hara and Councilmember Marco San Antonio opposed, raises the total value of the agreement to $280,942 and extends the project through June 30, 2026.

“This is an expertise we don’t have in-house, and a lot of times we don’t have it in-house because we don’t need it all the time,” said Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes. “This is a proposal that looks reasonable to me.”

The expanded scope of work aims to fulfill Objective 5.3.A of the council’s FY 2025-26 work plan, which calls for a comprehensive comparison of the costs and benefits of each climate measure, including greenhouse gas reductions and community co-benefits.

Sustainability Manager Crystal Najera explained that while the city’s ongoing implementation cost analysis (ICA) focuses on five-year municipal costs, the benefit-cost analysis will take a broader look at total costs and benefits, including the financial impact on the community, through 2045.

“The implementation cost analysis only looks at what it would cost the city to implement the measure,” Najera said. “A benefit-cost analysis looks at both what the municipality would incur, but then also the community.”

Najera clarified that while the original contract contemplated a benefit-cost analysis, the scope and detail of that analysis were significantly limited.

Under the amendment, EPIC will conduct cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analyses for 28 climate measures included in the city’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) update, utilizing the SANDAG Recap Framework to estimate net costs per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent and broader financial impacts on households and businesses.

Four measures were excluded due to insufficient data.

Mayor Bruce Ehlers stated that the work will help inform long-term policy decisions.

“I wanted to get that framework so that in the future, when we’re deciding where to take the CAP, we put it in the least cost,” Ehlers said. “We keep that $35 million the lowest, and we might be able, through spending a little money here… to not have to update… or go back and pay this consultant each time.”

O’Hara pushed back on the added costs, pointing to earlier contract amendments that he said already included deliverables now being repackaged and billed again.

“I’m not going to spend money just to spend money,” O’Hara said.

According to city documents, the new funds will cover the following tasks:

• Updating greenhouse gas reduction calculations based on public and council feedback;

• Revising the ICA draft to reflect updated cost data and timelines;

• Finalizing the CAP document, including formatting for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance;

• Preparing a draft and final report summarizing the BCA findings.

The work builds on progress made since the CAP update began in November 2022. EPIC has already completed an updated GHG inventory, proposed revised targets for 2030 and 2045, developed a list of candidate reduction measures, and begun the ICA.

Ascent, a subconsultant on the project, has completed the outreach and engagement plan, supported three public workshops and drafted a CEQA addendum.

The amendment to the city’s contract with EPIC is the latest in a series of extensions and adjustments. Prior amendments extended the term, replaced tasks, added $48,175 for additional analysis and updated consultant billing rates.

Wednesday’s vote approved Amendment 4 to the city’s contract with EPIC. In addition to the benefit-cost analysis, the funds will cover updates to implementation cost data, the finalization of the CAP document, and ADA compliance formatting for posting the plan to public platforms.