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Board Member Valentine noted that the EPB has evolved over the past few years and is excited to <br />be at the point of creating a work plan. He stated that he attended the Steering Committee meeting <br />the previous night and it appeared that the majority would like to keep the rural feeling of the <br />community and reserve the trend of lawn irrigation to better conserve water. <br />Chairperson Stodola noted that in the past year the Board has been involved in reviewed aspects <br />of certain applications and welcomed any input the Council had on that process. <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated that it seems that the Council is not receiving a lot of feedback <br />directly but noted that the feedback from staff has been good. <br />Mayor Strommen noted that although the information is passed to the Planning Commission, the <br />Council does receive the input as well and also receives draft minutes from the EPB meetings. <br />Councilmember Johns stated that she has enjoyed the involvement of the EPB and has appreciated <br />that additional viewpoint. <br />City Planner Anderson noted that the recommendation of the EPB is forwarded in the case to the <br />Planning Commission and advised that the Commission has appreciated having that additional <br />input when reviewing the case. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated that he was not in attendance at the last meeting when the <br />brainstorming occurred. He stated that the statement of purpose was developed last year and asked <br />if that changed at all through the discussion. It was confirmed that the statement of purpose has <br />not changed and this would simply be in addition to that work. He stated that as the group matures <br />he appreciates that they are self -directed. He stated that he is in agreement with the items proposed <br />for a work plan, noting that he is excited to see how some of the vaguer items evolve. He suggested <br />that some of the items become measurable. <br />Board Member Valentine stated that the Board struggled with being able to balance the typical <br />work of the Board, such as reviewing the applications, and wanted to ensure that the workload can <br />be balanced. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated that he appreciated that the Board was more cautious and <br />recognized the need to balance with the typical workload. <br />Councilmember Kuzma noted that there were grant funds received by the Lower Rum River Water <br />Management Organization the previous year through the Anoka Conservation District (ACD) and <br />advised that perhaps additional funds would be available this year. <br />Mayor Strommen stated that she likes that the group is looking to be more aspirational. She stated <br />that she has appreciated the involvement of the EPB when reviewing applications as that provides <br />yet another viewpoint and helps the Council to reach the best answer. <br />City Planner Anderson stated that the funds from the ACD prompted the work on the shoreline <br />inventory, noting that the ACD felt more confident that with that shoreline inventory the City and <br />