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. POLICY BOARD BUSINESS Case #1: Conservation Finance Presentation Chairperson McDilda welcomed citizens to the meeting. He stated that the Environmental Policy Board (EPB) has been considering the potential of pursuing a referendum to look at funding for environmental preservation projects. He commended Board Member Sibilski and Councilmember Strommen for their involvement in securing information about ensuring the achievement of a potential environmental referendum. Chairperson McDilda introduced Ms. Cordelia Pierson, with The Trust for Public Land (TPL). He stated that she agreed to discuss the open space referendum process in detail and provide the EPB with her first-hand knowledge. Ms. Pierson addressed the Environmental Policy Board and stated that she lives in a sister city downstream, and shares similar goals of protecting the environment as communities are growing. She spoke about what some other communities are doing to raise funds to conserve land and water quality, and preserve quality of life. She presented an overview about why it is critical to raise funds to protect land and water, critical steps to success from the planning phase to the finished financial package, and about moving forward. . Ms. Pierson stated the mission of TPL is to conserve land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural places; ensuring livable communities for generations to come. She stated it is exciting to see Ramsey integrating growth with conserving quality of life. Ms. Pierson stated that in order to conserve land, a City needs to have priorities. Some key steps to conservation are doing a fiscal analysis, deciding what the community can afford, discovering ways to define a conservation vision for private land owners, learn how to meet human recreation and resource protection, blend regulatory tools and land conservation tools, and encouraging public participation. All those steps lead to securing conservation funds, and then acquiring and managing lands. Ms Pierson commended Ramsey for success in securing funds for the Trott Brook area as there is ongoing and continuous planning for other areas of the City. She stated it is important to have a citywide vision. In conservation finance, the TPL helps agencies and communities identify funding sources from federal, state, local and philanthropic sources. She stated the TPL does research to provide a resource for communities like Ramsey. In Minnesota, in the year 2000, TPL helped the City of Blaine pass a successful conservation referendum. They also helped the City ofWayzata conserve the Big Woods site. . Ms. Pierson stated that in looking at national trends and ballot measures, you tend to see more measures put before voters in even years. Overall the success rate is around 75%. This is meaningful when cities are looking at going forward in passing a referendum because it takes quite an effort to pass one of these ballot measures. She stated that Minnesota has successfully passed 22 out of 27 ballot measures in the past 20 years. Dakota County passed a ballot measure in 2002 to protect a trout fishery on the Environmental Policy Board/ April 2, 2007 Page 2 of 14