A climate change officer could be on the horizon for the city of Gainesville.
The Gainesville City Commission decided Tuesday to begin gathering more information to hire a climate change officer. The general manager and the general manager of Gainesville Regional Utilities will head this process.
Commissioner Adrian Hayes-Santos said they are preparing to answer questions like: What does a climate change officer look like? What do they do? How could one fit with the goals of the city to reduce climate impact?
The two managers will bring research on these options back to the commission.
"I think we need to do everything we can to address climate change in our community," Hayes-Santos said. "Not sure on what [is the] exact best path forward, but that's what we're asking for - is for our...officers to bring back options so we can find the best fit for Gainesville to help us lower our carbon emissions in our community."
The commission expressed plans to address climate change earlier this year.
Commissioners agreed to hire someone with experience and knowledge in climate change. They also decided to propose budget changes before moving forward with the hiring process.
The commission has not yet named anyone eligible for the job, but they expect to decide by the end of spring 2022.