When the city of Tracy asked people last week how it should pollute less, most said they want to start on their own roofs.

At a meeting about Tracy’s plans to go green, residents said they want the city to take advantage of a law that lets it subsidize solar panels for homeowners, who pay back the cost through property taxes over up to 20 years.

Offering those loans is one of 85 strategies Tracy is considering to help reduce its share of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, which are released largely by burning fossil fuels.

Most cities plan to help the state comply with a 2006 law that mandates California has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years by about a quarter, back to 1990 levels.

Eventually, regional governments could be on the hook to build more eco-friendly transportation and use renewable energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal generators, state officials have said. So Tracy is getting a head start.

By April, Tracy expects to show residents a preliminary sustainability plan to cut its emissions by 29 percent in 10 years.

The working draft shows that 63 percent of Tracy’s pollution comes from traffic and 17 percent comes from homes. The city paid consultants Design, Community and Environment, based in Berkeley, and Oakland-centered Town-Green with a $150,000 block grant and $36,500 from the city’s general fund to write the plan.

The 85 ideas are as big as attracting businesses to help dissuade commuting and as small as putting recycling bins at apartment complexes.

The drafts now under review lay out ways to encourage residents to drive less, use renewable energy, throw away 50 percent less garbage and use 40 percent less water. They also urge city government to push for more responsible development and to preserve farmland.

The City Council is expected by summer to OK a finalized plan, which would make none of the measures mandatory but would guide officials in future decision-making.

At a public meeting Feb. 17, about 40 residents ranked the city’s 85 ideas.

Most said Tracy should front money to homeowners who want to install renewable energy sources or buy energy-efficient appliances and hardware. A 2008 law allows cities and counties to issue bonds for the loans.

Councilman Steve Abercrombie, who has solar panels on his home, said the law so far sounds like a “fantastic” idea that the City Council will discuss at an upcoming meeting.

Sonoma County and the cities of Berkeley and Palm Desert were the first to offer low-interest loans between $5,000 and $75,000 each, which homeowners can repay over five to 20 years as part of their twice-a-year property tax bills.

San Francisco County also offers the loans for home and business owners.

This summer, 14 counties and 146 cities will give residents loans to make renewable-energy and energy-efficient improvements with the help of CaliforniaFIRST, a partnership between the state and banks. Under CaliforniaFIRST, cities pay $15,000 to take care of the legwork, issue bonds for the loans, review homeowner applications and lend the money for improvements.

Neither Tracy nor San Joaquin County is involved, but CaliforniaFIRST said more cities can jump in later this year.

People at last week’s Tracy meeting also wanted the city to set “green” standards for new buildings and businesses, push for increased public transportation to the Bay Area, and put solar panels on city buildings. They supported ideas to make neighborhoods more “walkable,” save land for farms, recycle more and install more bike racks.

Several Tracy residents have already found large and little ways to reduce their energy consumption — and, therefore, their impact on the environment.

Scott Arganbright went on a “mission” late last year to reduce the energy bill for his 2,800-square-foot, 88-year-old downtown house.

The Tracy Fire Department captain re-outfitted the family home with energy-efficient appliances and lightbulbs, and in October put solar panels capable of producing 6 kilowatts on the roof of his garage.

That month, Arganbright said, his electric bill dropped from about $500 to $13. Now, he pays $75 a month on average, he said.

Arganbright said after tax breaks and a gas company rebate, he spent about $30,000 on the 30 photovoltaic panels he got from Stockton-based The Solar Co. He figures it’ll take about five years to make the money back through cheaper power bills.

He said if the city started to offer loans for renewable power, he’d consider buying solar panels to heat his pool.

Chris Houdeshell owns West Coast Energy Solutions, a Tracy company that performs “energy audits” and outfits homeowners with more efficient heating, cooling and insulation.

He said solar panels are just one of many ways for homeowners to reduce their “carbon footprint” and save money.

Houdeshell said that in addition to asking the city to help pay for solar panels, residents could borrow money to make their homes more airtight, with upgraded furnaces, windows, ceilings and appliances.

“This is not reinventing the wheel — this is off-the-shelf construction and fixing what we’ve got,” he said. “We’re still cash-strapped, and with these incentives, all this stuff is done for 25 cents on the dollar. There’s nobody who wouldn’t do it, but we’ve got to get these things in line at the city level.”

• Contact Tracy Press reporter Cassie Tomlin at 830-4225 or ctomlin@tracypress.com.