New Haven Climate Office Seeks $171K in Budget to Replace Expiring ARPA Funds

New Haven's Climate Office Seeks $171K in General Fund as ARPA Funding Expires

New Haven's Office of Climate and Sustainability — established in 2022 with federal American Rescue Plan Act money — is asking to be folded into the city's permanent general fund budget before its federal funding source runs out at the end of 2026.

Mayor Justin Elicker's proposed FY2027 budget, which totals $733 million and includes a 4.4% spending increase, requests $171,177 to cover the salaries of the office's director and deputy director: $91,177 for Director Steve Winter and $80,000 for Deputy Director HannahZoe Chua-Reyes.

Why the Transition Matters

The city's climate office was created in December 2022 and has operated primarily on $1 million in ARPA funds approved by the Board of Alders for departmental personnel. Under federal law, all ARPA dollars must be spent by the end of 2026, meaning the office faces a funding cliff unless the city moves its core positions to the general fund.

If the transition is not approved in the new budget, the city would need to find alternative funding or eliminate the office's permanent staff positions. The third member of the team, Recycling Educator Rose Richi, is funded separately through taxes on miniature alcohol bottles and is not part of the general fund request.

Programs Winter Says Pay for Themselves

Speaking about the budget request, Winter argued that the office's work has delivered measurable financial returns for New Haven. Solar installations coordinated through the office are generating more than $200,000 in annual revenue for the city. School energy efficiency projects have reduced costs by approximately $65,000 per year.

The office has also overseen the development of curbside composting infrastructure and electric vehicle fleet transitions that reduce long-term maintenance and fuel costs. "There are real things we can do here in New Haven" to cut carbon emissions while delivering tangible community benefits, Winter said.

Winter's Dual Role

Winter, a former Newhallville/Dixwell/Prospect Hill alder, was appointed as the city's first Director of Climate and Sustainability in December 2022. Since the start of 2025, he has also served as a state representative for the 94th district, which covers portions of New Haven and Hamden.

His dual role — leading both a municipal climate office and serving in the state legislature — has given him a platform to connect local sustainability work with broader state-level energy and environmental policy conversations.

Budget Deliberations Continue

Mayor Elicker submitted the proposed FY2027 budget in late February 2026. The Board of Alders Finance Committee began reviewing departmental requests in early March, with a budget workshop scheduled for March 19, 2026, to examine specific line items across city departments.

The full Board of Alders must adopt a final budget before the fiscal year begins on July 1, 2026. Climate advocates and sustainability organizations are expected to present testimony during upcoming Finance Committee hearings in support of the general fund transition for the climate office positions.

New Haven's Sustainability Record

New Haven has positioned itself as a climate-focused city, investing in municipal solar, composting, and housing efficiency programs over the past several years. The transition of the climate office to permanent general fund status would signal a shift from a grant-funded initiative to a recognized core city function.

The outcome of the budget deliberations will be one of several signals about how the city intends to prioritize environmental programs as federal relief funding ends and operating budgets tighten.

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