Citywide Composting_City Council Request MEmo — File 24-1656

CITY HALL ANNEX● 50 EVERGREEN AVENUE ● SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02145 [phone removed] ● www.somervillema.gov/OSE EMAIL: OSE@somervillema.gov CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR TO: The Honorable City Council, Mayor Ballantyne, Neha Singh (Director of Intergovernmental Affairs), and Kimberley Hutter (Legislative Liaison)   FROM: Elyse Belarge (Sustainability and Resiliency Planner) CC: Christine Blais (Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment), Kathy Cole (Financial Analyst) RE: Requesting the appropriation of $350,000 from the Municipal Composting Program Stabilization Fund to begin work on a composting pilot DATE: November 21, 2024 Mayor Ballantyne respectfully requests that this Council approve the appropriation of $350,000 from the Municipal Composting Program stabilization fund (7150) for the purpose of implementing a municipal curbside composting pilot program. During the FY25 budgeting process, City Council approved the allocation of $350,000 from free cash reserves to create a Municipal Composting Program stabilization fund. This request is merely to appropriate the approved funding so that the Office of Sustainability and Environment can proceed with designing and implementing the pilot program. In designing the program, staff created two tracks for program design and roll out dependent on whether the City is awarded a USDA grant that would expand the composting pilot. More information on the pilot program and the potential scopes of work and budgets can be found in a memo submitted to the City Council Committee on Open Space, Environment, and Energy on September 19, 2024.