Mecklenburg County Commissioners might delay their net-zero goal for carbon emissions, as costs increase and budgets tighten, they said at a meeting Tuesday.
County leaders are considering scaling back the county’s carbon emissions goals because of cost concerns.
In 2021, commissioners set a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions for the county’s vehicles and buildings by 2035. Meeting the original goal is projected to cost the county about $175 million. Staff said capital improvement budgets are coming up short.
Staff recommend that commissioners scale back to save nearly $45 million through 2035, but would also end all of the county’s planned solar installation projects beginning in fiscal year 2028. That means the county would not add solar panels on existing buildings like the Matthews Sportsplex and the central jail. Mecklenburg would also cut energy-efficiency retrofits.
Under that plan, the county would reduce emissions by 35% by 2035, and hope for net zero 15 years later. Commissioner Elaine Powell says officials should expect pushback if the county changes course.
“We're definitely gonna get some hostile words about decrease, you know, changing things," Powell said. "And so, we have to be smart with the dollars that we have and I'm just trying to think of the best way to say it because the environment is what, you know, like typically always gets cut first.”
Commissioners did not vote on the proposal Tuesday. Board Chair Mark Jerrell said he supports the recommended option from staff.
