The Sandpoint Sustainability Committee on Dec. 8, 2025, authorized Chair Christine Moon to revise and send a letter to the University of Idaho (and potentially other regional institutions) requesting student support for municipal baseline sustainability work, and directed staff to draft an MOU before any student project work begins.

Committee members had reviewed a list of five possible student projects (greenhouse‑gas inventory, renewable energy feasibility, waste/materials assessment, green‑infrastructure mapping and community surveys) and agreed to reframe the outreach so it aligns with their top priority: gathering baseline and benchmark data for municipal operations. The motion to replace the detailed project list with a template focused on the committee’s baseline data goal was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

City staff clarified the legal and administrative steps. As one staff speaker put it during the meeting, "no work can be done until we have a memorandum of understanding" with the university; staff said they are drafting an MOU template and will take it through central services to ensure legal alignment. The committee authorized outreach while noting that sending the letter to additional institutions may require communications‑office approval and, in some cases, additional approvals depending on the scope.

Next steps: Chair Moon will coordinate revisions to the letter and work with staff to identify additional potential university partners and to secure the necessary MOU. Committee members discussed timing tied to academic calendars and said they hope to have student engagement possible for the spring semester if approvals and the MOU can be completed in time.