SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury’s Town Meeting will consider a pair of articles next month addressing climate change, Town Manager Kevin Mizikar said during a presentation to the Board of Selectmen last week.
One of the articles will seek funding to develop a climate action and resiliency plan while the second article will look to regulate tree care and maintenance through a tree bylaw.
Mizikar said approval of that article will set up parameters and put the responsibility for oversight of public trees onto a five-member forestry commission, with members appointed by the Board of Selectmen.
“[This] is a part of our steps to help offset the impacts of climate change and plant more trees in the community,” Mizikar said during the Selectmen’s April 5 meeting.
Town considers climate action and resiliency plan
Over the years, Shrewsbury has worked through the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program to identify ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change, Mizikar said.
The climate action and resiliency plan article will now specifically ask for funding to hire consultants to support the development of the plan. Consultants would also help find ways for the town to reduce its impacts on the climate, which can take the form of greenhouse gas emissions or a carbon footprint.
As Mizikar described it, the plan would provide advice and information “but not demands or requirements upon the residents of Shrewsbury.”
The article is requesting $140,000 to cover the development of the plan, though Mizikar added that Shrewsbury is also seeking money through the MVP program’s current round of funding.
“So, we may not have to use all of Shrewsbury’s dollars,” Mizikar said. “We’ll leverage those state grants where possible because a plan like this is eligible for reimbursement and funding through the MVP program.”
Articles follow climate emergency declaration
These efforts come after Town Meeting sounded the alarm on climate change last May, declaring a climate emergency.
The declaration was prompted by a citizen petition that called on Shrewsbury to continue its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually become “net zero.”
The petition also called on state and federal officials to mobilize and support communities’ climate initiatives.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Shrewsbury High School student Deeptha Ganesh said during Town Meeting. “I’ve already lost a lot of my high school experience to a global pandemic. I don’t want to lose the rest of my life to climate change.”
The Board of Selectmen voted to sign the latest Town Meeting warrant on April 5.
Town Meeting is scheduled for May 21.
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