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City Planner Anderson stated that the organics participation has increased. He stated that there are consistent waves of people signing up for the organics program but noted that there are still less than 200 people participating in the program. He stated that those participating in the program do an excellent job. He did not think the numbers would support a community wide curbside service as of yet. Board Member Fetterley asked if staff is looking for input from the Board as to whether the City should continue to participate or additional ideas for continued participation. City Planner Anderson replied that the City will continue to utilize the SCORE funds that it is able to access through the County. He noted that the purpose of the case tonight was to determine whether the Board has additional ideas of things to implement in 2021. Board Member Fetterley stated that she likes the idea of using coupons as that could incentivize people to bring materials that perhaps they otherwise would not bring. She stated that perhaps coupons could be targeted for specific materials in the spring. Board Member Little stated that he also likes the idea of coupons. He noted that some of his neighbors would be interested in disposing of certain items but are hesitant because of the cost. He commented that he is impressed with the work and attention Ramsey places on recycling. Chairperson Valentine stated that there is pressure from the State and through the County to get people involved and reach the targets set for recycling. He stated that he would encourage staff to continue to obtain SCORE funds and be aggressive in its attempt to gain additional funds if possible. City Planner Anderson explained that the SCORE funding does not require a City contribution to the program. He stated that the City still has to submit a request to the County to receive the funds but is not required to contribution additional funds to the program. He stated that to date the City has only used the SCORE funding to run its recycling program. 5.02: Update on Water Efficiency Grant Program City Planner Anderson presented the staff report. He stated that as the Environmental Policy Board knows, the City was awarded $28,000 from the Metropolitan Council to implement a water efficiency grant program between January of 2020 and June 30, 2022. The City rolled out the grant program in May of 2020. To date, 29 households have participated in the program, with the majority of the upgrades focusing on smart irrigation controllers. There is still approximately $23,000 available for reimbursement through June of 2022. Councilmember Menth stated that as people are aware there is manganese in the water in certain wells and therefore staff is looking into water treatment options. He stated that he went with staff to tour the Andover water treatment plant and it was fascinating. He stated that in Andover the treatment plant goes through 8,000,000 gallons per day compared to the winter, where 2,000,000 gallons per day goes through the water treatment plant. He stated that most of that difference is from irrigation and therefore the irrigation controllers are a great idea. Environmental Policy Board / September 21, 2020 Page 3 of 5