Nearly two dozen attendees filled the Tumwater City Council chambers on Tuesday, July 21, for the council’s regular meeting.
Many turned out to share their thoughts on a proposed ordinance that would establish a residential energy performance rating and disclosure system — also known as a Home Energy Score.
Following 45 minutes of public comments, with the majority in favor of enacting a Home Energy Score policy in Tumwater, councilors raised their own concerns and ultimately moved to table the proposed ordinance to be considered by the newly formed Tumwater Equity Commission.
Aside from talking about Home Energy Scores, councilors approved an amendment to their biennial budget, a state Community Economic Revitalization Board grant application to fund project feasibility studies and a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Teamsters Local Union No. 252. This MOU addresses city staff organizational changes that have occurred since the adoption of the current collective bargaining agreement.
For more information on the budget amendment, read The Chronicle’s previous coverage at https://tinyurl.com/mphdf7d4.
The meeting began with a proclamation declaring Friday, Aug. 7, as National Purple Heart Day in Tumwater.
On hand to accept the proclamation was Tumwater resident and Purple Heart recipient Jim Peterson, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Army.
“Back in 1969, I joined the Army, and for some reason went to Airborne School,” Peterson said. “And went into the 101st Airborne Combat Infantry in Vietnam … On May 5 of 1970, I was wounded in action in a firefight with the enemy that killed my platoon sergeant and gravely wounded me, so that’s why I wear the Purple Heart. I’m here to represent all Purple Hearts of all wars, not just the Vietnam War — and of course be a spokesperson for folks who gave the ultimate sacrifice, who cannot speak for themselves.”
He added that, tragically, the firefight that wounded him and killed his platoon sergeant happened just one day after the Kent State Massacre, where Vietnam War protesters were shot at Ohio’s Kent State University campus by members of the National Guard.
“A very dark day in our history, and as you may know if you’re old enough, 18- to-21-year-olds could not vote. We had no say what was going on in politics in our country,” Peterson added.
Tumwater city councilors thanked Peterson for his sacrifice and service, including Councilor Angela Jefferson, herself an Army veteran, who touched on the ongoing conflict with Iran.
“As we know, our country is at war. We’re going to have a lot more Purple Heart veterans. You get a Purple Heart by not just being in a combat zone, but by dying or being critically wounded or blown up. So you being here today is serious business,” Jefferson said.
Home Energy Scores required in Tumwater?
With the City of Olympia and the Thurston County governments having already adopted requirements for Home Energy Scores, the majority of public commenters supporting it advocated for implementation in Tumwater.
Earlier this year, Thurston County was the first county in the nation to establish a mandatory Home Energy Score, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
The Home Energy Score is an official U.S. Department of Energy rating system, based on the energy efficiency of a home, to help homebuyers get a better estimate of annual energy costs of the home. Home Energy Score assessments take about an hour to complete and cost between $150 and $350.
Supporters included representatives of the League of Women Voters of Thurston County, the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative and the Thurston County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
While they were by far the minority, several spoke out against requiring Home Energy Scores. They were all members of Thurston County Realtors Association (TCRA).
“Throughout this process, our goal has remained the same — to support energy efficiency while protecting housing affordability and home ownership,” TCRA President Dawn Baker said. “Unfortunately, we continue to believe this ordinancce moves our community in the wrong direction. Our elected officials cannot continue to profess support for housing affordability while simultaneously enacting mandates that increase the cost and complexity of buying, selling and maintaining a home.”
The realtors also argued it would put the city at a disadvantage in the housing market, as buyers might be attracted to homes in surrounding cities without the Home Energy Score requirement. TCRA member Christina Janis added she believed the cost of getting a Home Energy Score evaluation would only be the start of additional costs home owners could face.
“Today’s disclosure requirement could be tomorrow’s retrofit requirement. We’ve already seen that progression elsewhere. In Berkley, homes that receive a low energy score are subject to mandatory energy retrofits before the home can be sold,” Janis said.
Supporters argued a Home Energy Score assessment would be beneficial to homeowners in the long run, especially with continued rising energy costs. They stated the scores would also be useful for prospective homebuyers also concerned with rising energy costs.
They believed climate change was still the greatest threat and requiring Home Energy Scores was already a part of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan, which Tumwater is included in along with other cities in the region. Thurston County NAACP President Talauna Reed also took a jab at the realtors.
“I work with tenants across the state of Washington, and housing costs are horrible for renters. If the costs go up like what the realtors said, if they increase for renters, it’s because of greed, not because of necessity,” Reed said.
She added she believed, in the long run, Home Energy Scores would be beneficial, as “homes that use less energy are less expensive to operate and help properties manage their monthly budgets and reduce pollution.”
During the council’s own discussion on the proposed ordinance, city staff explained there were two options for subsidization systems to help homeowners who may struggle with affording a Home Energy Score assessment.
Councilors still had their own reservations about the ordinance, including Councilor Kelly Von Holtz, who was worried about compliance with the Washington state HEAL (Healthy Environment for All) Act. Councilor Peter Agabi proposed the possibility of making having Home Energy Scores optional, while Jefferson was concerned whether or not there was still time to inform Tumwater residents about the requirements before they go into effect next year if approved.
Ultimately, the council moved to table the proposed ordinance for consideration by the Tumwater Equity Commission within the next 60 days — with the commission due to make a recommendation on the ordinance to the council within 90 days.
