Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/08/2014

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Adopted: XXXXXXXXX City of Ramsey GUIDING PRINCIPLES: GREENSTEP CITIES PARTICIPATION BACKGROUND An action item on the Environmental Policy Board's 2013 -2014 City Council approved Work Plan was to research the GreenStep Cities program and, if there were identifiable benefits to the City, forward a recommendation to the City Council to participate. A representative of the GreenStep Cities program attended the October, 2013 Environmental Policy Board (EPB) meeting to present information on this program. The following month, the EPB further discussed the merits of the program and identified multiple benefits to participating including access to additional resources, flexibility and choice in what actions may be implemented, that the program is voluntary and does not commit the City to anything other than continually striving to improve City operations, and that the City can be recognized for its past, current and future accomplishments. Based on these benefits, the EPB unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City to participate in the GreenStep Cities program. PURPOSE Guide City participation in the GreenStep Cities program by specifically identifying a common goal and guiding principals to ensure that participation in this program remains focused on enhancing City operations and results in a more sustainable, and thus more cost efficient, City. The desired outcome of this document is to establish a clear and consistent framework to guide the City's participation in the GreenStep Cities program. The framework will ensure that any action or outcome will result in greater sustainability specifically for City operations. The EPB shall act in an advisory capacity regarding any potential action(s) the City may consider implementing; however, the City Council shall make all final policy decisions. GOAL To utilize the GreenStep Cities program as an informational resource (analogous to a library) to assist efforts in identifying, researching, and implementing more sustainable and more cost effective measures for City operations. The program itself would not be the driving force for implementation of any particular action but rather would be the conduit to access information to assist the City in determining whether an action would generate an identifiable benefit if implemented. VISION Participation in the GreenStep Cities program will provide access to additional resources to assist the City in its efforts to develop more sustainable operations. Resources may include both data and access to individuals with knowledge and experience in one or more of the twenty -eight (28) Best Practices. This will assist the City by limiting the amount of Staff time that may otherwise be necessary in researching how a particular action may benefit the organization. Participation in the GreenStep Cities program will also provide businesses with access to additional resources and programs that may benefit them with potential energy efficiency projects. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Listed below are the guiding principles that the City will refer to as it contemplates any particular action within the GreenStep Cities program. PROGRAM IS A RESOURCE: Participation in the GreenStep Cities program will be leveraged for access to additional resources. This is beneficial for multiple reasons. First, through the MN Retiree Environmental Assistance Program (MN RETAP), the City will have access to individuals that have Guiding Principles for Participation in the GreenStep Cities Program Page 1 of 2