This afternoon, Ben Boyce of NEWS (New Economy Working Solutions) spoke with us about CIRs, or Community Impact Reports.

Ben described a CIR as a corollary to an EIR. It goes beyond assessment of potential environmental effects of a proposed project to offer information to decision-makers on fiscal effects, job quality, and impact on public services. Unlike an EIR, which becomes a legal document requiring mitigations of impacts, the CIR is for information disclosure only.

Job quality is defined by several variables, including whether there is adequate compensation to live locally, and whether benefits are offered. Among fiscal effects is information on whether sales (and the sales tax) are “new” or considered “leakage” from existing businesses. Among public service impacts are factors such as whether low wages and absent or poor health care coverage sends employees to public housing assistance programs, and to emergency rooms for their medical care.

Petaluma’s City council held a hearing Monday night, 6/16, on an ordinance that NEWS representatives have been honing with staff and Council members for some time. There were many supportive speakers. Scot Stegeman made the point that often, much of the information asked for in a CIR has already been gathered by the project proponent, and with the CIR, the Council and public can benefit from that knowledge. That Council made no firm decision, and will continue the discussion.

During our discussion Fred Kreuger suggested that mathematical formulas for adequacy of each variable can be developed, giving some solidity for Council decisions. Marsha Vas Dupre spoke on the importance of including affordable child care availability as a variable.

Take a look at the NEWS website, www.livingwagesonoma.org, or contact Ben at ben.boyce@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Anne E. Seeley