After months of discussions, the Valparaiso City Council has established an environmental advisory board. It will provide guidance and recommendations on environmental practices to the city, as well as community members.
One issue Mayor Jon Costas hopes it will take up is recycling. "We would certainly like some input and ideas on that because it's something we've been struggling with, so this would be a good way for them to really focus on something that we need a lot of input and some good counsel on," Costas said during Monday's council meeting.
The advisory board ended up with much less power than the sustainability commission that was initially proposed, that would've been able to review major projects and demand documents from city departments.
But it was still too much for some council members. Jack Pupillo and Peter Anderson voted against the ordinance establishing the advisory board.
Pupillo worried that it would deter economic development and hamper efforts to increase attainable housing. "I have a bit of a fear that this might throw up a lot of red tape, to the planning department, for city engineering, from an economic development standpoint, if we start putting requirements," Pupillo said.
But City Attorney Patrick Lyp stressed that the advisory board has no power to set policy and is under the control of the council.
Meanwhile, resident Walt Breitinger hoped it would actually save residents money in the long-run and save the city from expensive mistakes. "I don't think there's been an ordinance — not many — that are as important as this, that are as forward-thinking," Breitinger told council members.
Pupillo also compared the new board to the mayor's human relations council, which he said pushed a culture war issue by asking the city council to pass a Pride Month resolution this year.
But council member Emilie Hunt said it's an example of a decision that may have seemed controversial at first having practically no negative impact. "And what I have seen is students who feel safer, who feel welcome, who see a city that's tolerant, and I think of those all as positives," Hunt told Pupillo.
Mayor Costas felt the city council could avoid major problems by appointing members from a cross-section of the community, rather than solely environmental activists. The advisory board will consist of five voting members, plus two non-voting middle or high school students. City officials plan to put together an application process in the coming weeks.
