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Our Mission: Toworktogethertoresponsilygrow ourcommunity and topnoiriIt quality,cost-effective, and of&cientgovernmentseivices
<br />CC Regular Session 7. 2.
<br />Meeting Date: 05/13/2014
<br />By: Chris Anderson, Community Development
<br />Information
<br />Title:
<br />Consider Resolution #14-05-089 Authorizing the City to Participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program
<br />Purpose/Background:
<br />The purpose of this case is to reconsider participation in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program. As the City Council may recall, researching and forwarding a
<br />recommendation concerning the GreenStep Cities program was an action item on the Environmental Policy Board's (EPB) City Council approved Work Plan. In
<br />January of 2014, the City Council contemplated a resolution that would authorize participation in this program, as recommended by the EPB. However, action
<br />was postponed to provide additional time to develop guiding principles to ensure that participation would continue to be in line with the City's goals and core
<br />values (Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan) and returned review of the program back to the EPB to assist in defining the City's participation.
<br />At their February and March meetings, the EPB developed a draft set of guiding principles for City Council consideration. The draft document reiterated that
<br />participation in the program is voluntary and would focus on City operations, not the private sector. It is not the intent or desire of the EPB to utilize the
<br />GreenStep Cities program as the impetus for additional regulatory controls that would be out of sequence with the Comprehensive Plan and Strategic Plan, most
<br />notably the balance of private property rights and smart, citizen -focused government. As was noted at a Work Session in April, the GreenStep Cities program
<br />could serve as a resource for the City as it looks internally at our own operations for potential energy/resource saving measures that could also result in
<br />long-term financial savings.
<br />At the April 8, 2014 City Council Work Session, after review of the draft guiding principles document, Staff was directed to bring back a resolution for
<br />consideration to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program.
<br />Observations/Alternatives:
<br />The Minnesota GreenStep Cities program is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program designed to help communities achieve sustainability and
<br />quality of life goals. There are no direct costs to a city that chooses to participate in this program. The GreenStep Cities program is lead by the Minnesota
<br />Pollution Control Agency, but is governed by a public/private partnership of state agencies and non -governmental agencies. The program is based upon
<br />twenty-eight (28) best practices that outline a cost-effective, step -wise path to implementing sustainable development best practices. More importantly, many of
<br />the best practices focus on city operations and how a city itself can become more economically and environmentally efficient, e.g. more sustainable. As a
<br />community accomplishes more best practices, it can achieve greater levels of recognition as a GreenStep City. GreenStep Cities that achieve a new level or step
<br />are recognized at the annual League of Minnesota Cities conference.
<br />As previously noted, the GreenStep Cities program focuses on twenty-eight (28) best practices across a range of topics. The best practices were developed by
<br />experts within their respective fields, all from within Minnesota. The best practices are broken into five (5) categories: Buildings and Lighting, Land Use,
<br />Transportation, Environmental Management, and Economic and Community Development. Within each best practice, there are multiple actions that a
<br />community could voluntarily consider implementing, but would not necessarily have to implement all actions to complete a particular best practice. Additionally,
<br />a community can claim credit for actions already completed prior to entering the program.
<br />The GreenStep Cities program is voluntary and does not commit the City to anything other than continually striving to improve City operations. Participation in
<br />the program does not commit the City to implement any of the possible actions outlined in the various best practices and the City can opt out at any time if it so
<br />desires. Furthermore, as stated in the guiding principles document, City Council would of course have final authority in determining whether any particular
<br />action be further researched and/or implemented. Participation in the program does, however, provide access to additional resources, such as forty (40) hours of
<br />free consultant help (through MN Retiree Environmental Technical Assistance Program, MN RETAP) and intern support.
<br />At the April 8, 2014 City Council Work Session, after review of the draft guiding principles document, Staff was directed to bring back a resolution for
<br />consideration to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program.
<br />Alternatives/Options:
<br />Alternative 1: Adopt Resolution #14-05-089 authorizing the City to participate in the GreenStep Cities program. This program is voluntary and does not commit
<br />the City to implementing any specific actions. As outlined in the draft guiding principles document, this program would not serve as the basis for developing
<br />additional regulations applicable to the private sector but rather would serve as a resource to be leveraged if the City were to consider implement an action that
<br />would improve City operations. Finally, participation in the program could be used to market the City to potential future residential and commercial growth.
<br />Alternative 2: Do no adopt Resolution #14-05-089. If this resolution were not adopted, the City would not be eligible to participate in the GreenStep Cities
<br />program. While the City would still have access to the online resources available through the GreenStep Cities website, it would not be eligible for the forty (40)
<br />hours of free consultant and intern help. Considering that this program is voluntary, does not commit the City to any specific actions, and a participating City
<br />can opt out at any time, together with the guiding principles that have been developed, Staff would not support this option.
<br />Funding Source:
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