Town of Silver City Sustainability Plan 2030

The Town of Silver City Sustainability Plan 2030 (PDF), the result of a 7-month effort by a Task Force organized by the Office of Sustainability (OS), sets forth recommendations for policy and priority actions to reduce the Town’s vulnerability to impacts from increasing heat, drought and other climate variability, such as larger and more intense wildfires and increased stress on Emergency Services personnel and equipment.

This Plan is both a municipal and a community plan. Recommendations include actions for the municipality and others that require public/private partnerships to implement.

The Town of Silver City Sustainability Plan 2030 was adopted by Town Council by Resolution 2013-36 on November 12, 2013. For more information call 575-654-5117.

What Comes After the Sustainability Plan?

The Town’s Office of Sustainability helped the Town make a permanent shift toward decision-making based on sustainability principles like energy efficiency and conserving resources. Through the process of developing and creating a sustainability plan, the groundwork was laid to carry the Town forward toward making sustainability and resiliency a part of the Town’s organizational fabric. The Town now takes these principles into consideration in short-term and long-term decisions concerning maintenance and operations. For example, when the need for new traffic lights was addressed, the Town chose to install LED lights to save energy and money in the long term.

As the Town has evolved, the need to permanently employ Office of Sustainability personnel has decreased, because the groundwork was laid that encourages all departments and employees to take responsibility for ensuring their operations contribute toward sustainability and resiliency. Each department is intimately familiar with its own needs and challenges, and is ultimately responsible for ensuring a well-functioning balance between serving the needs of the citizens, working within their budget, and considering how their decisions affect the Town’s future.

Town governance is dynamic, with decisions about how to allocate the available resources in the most beneficial way made on a daily basis. The Town is committed to providing and sustainability the best possible quality of life for its citizens and the environment.